OctosEr 1, 1903 And makes all within me rejoice;” and “While I am so happy in him, December’s as pleasant as May.” King David was longing for the joy and gladness which he had experienced in times past, and figuratively he likens himself to one whose bones had been broken, He knew that his joy and comfort would return if he could but have back again the Lord’s favor. He knew, too, that the Lord could not look upon sin with any allowance, hence his prayer: “Hide thy face from my sins and blot out mine iniquities [unrighteousnesses]. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation: and uphold me with thy free spirit.” No true Christian can read these words without feeling a deep sympathy with the different expressions; and even though as new creatures in Christ Jesus we have had no experience with such terrible sins as those which weighed upon the heart of David, nevertheless our higher responsibilities and higher conceptions of sin under the “new commandment” and under the instructions of the holy Spirit, as sons of God, cause us to feel with proportionate weight transgressions which in the sight of the world would appear nothing—such, for instance, as we have just mentioned: covetousness, hatred, slander, which are thefts and murders from the higher standpoint of the divine view appropriate to the new creation. In verse 13 the prophet proposes to the Lord that his discomfiture in divine disfavor was used for the instruction of others,—to show transgressors the Lord's ways and to turn sinners from the evil of their course. How appropriate this thought to us! Not until we know experimentally through faith in the blood of Christ that our sins have been put out of the Father’s sight, not until we have experienced the joys of his salvation and forgiveness, are we in any condition to be servants to the truth or illustrations to others. Hence we see that it is only those who have been begotten of the holy Spirit who are anointed to preach the Gospel. To others the Lord says, “What hast thou to do to take my word into thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee?”—refusing to submit to the divine requirements. The 14th verse repeats the same thought in a different form. If the Lord will deliver him from his guilt in connection with his sin, his tongue shall thereafter sing loudly the Lord’s righteousness—not David’s righteousness, This is the song that all the blood-washed may sing, “True and righteous are all thy ways, Lord God Almighty. Thou hast redeemed us from amongst men.” None of us have any right to sing our own righteousness, for as the Apostle declares, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” The mission of the cleansed ones is to accept and use the Lord’s mercy towards them, to extol his righteousness, to acknowledge their unworthiness and to cail upon others to recognize this fountain of righteousness and forgiveness. “O Lord, open thou my lips: and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.” This expression implies that none need expect to have a proper opening of their tnouths to show forth the Lord’s praises, and give the call from darkness into his marvelous light, unless the Lord shall first have opened their lips with his mercy and truth; for otherwise how could any expect to tell the glad tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people? This equally implies that all who have had forgiveness of sins should be in a condition of spirit to make a full consecration of their all to the Lord, and then all such should expect an unsealing of their lips, that the message of God’s truth and grace may flow out from them for the instruction and blessing of others—as it is written, “Grace is poured upon thy lips.” “Thou hast put a new song in my mouth, even the loving-kindness of our God.” While these are appropriate specially to our dear Redeemer, they are appropriate ZION’S WATCH TOWER (383-386) also to every member of “the church which is his body,” and all claiming to be of “the body,” who have never had their lips unsealed to confess the Lord to the extent of their opportunity, have reason to question everything pertaining to their relationship to the Lord. In verses 16 and 17 the King shows that he had acquired a deep insight into the meaning of some of the typical sacrifices;-—-though probably, by inspiration, he wrote more wisely than he understood. As we have seen in our study of Tabernacle Shadows of Better Sacrifices, only the Day of Atonement sacrifices were sin offerings, the burnt offerings and peace offerings of the remainder of the year representing the consecration to the Lord and his service. Grasping this thought prophetically, to whatever extent he also grasped it intellectually, King David expressed his realization that the Lord is pleased rather with a broken and contrite condition of heart than with burnt offerings, which were but types. So, too, we learn that nothing that we can give the Lord, even after our acceptance in Christ, has any value in his sight until first. of all we have given him ourselves,—our hearts, our wills. Let us ever keep in memory that a broken and_ contrite heart the Lord never despises, will never spurn. Therefore into whatever difficulty any of the Lord’s people of the new creation may stumble, if they find themselves hungering for the Lord’s fellowship and forgiveness, if they find their hearts contrite and broken, let them not despair, but remember that God has made a provision through the merit of Christ which enables him to accept and justify freely from all sin all that come unto him through Jesus—through faith in his blood. There is a sin unto death—a sin unto the second death—from which there will be no recovery, no resurrection; but those who have broken and contrite hearts on account of their sins may know that they have not committed “the sin unto death,” for their condition of heart proves this, as the Apostle declares: “It is impossible to renew again unto repentance” any who have committed the sin unto death—wilful sinners against full light and knowledge. Let all, therefore, rejoice in the grace of our God, who is able through Christ, his accepted way, to save unto the uttermost all who come to him, laying aside sin and its desires. . “Now, if any man [of the church stumble into] sin [through weakness and temptation—not intentionally] we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1) Such, therefore, may come with faith to the throne of the heavenly grace that they may obtain mercy and find grace to help in every (future) time of need. (Heb. 4:16) Rut, like David, their prayers and hopes should be for a restoration of divine favor and not for escape from chastisements needful to their correction. God forgave David, but also chastened him.—2 Sam. 12:11-14. Surely King David must have learned a great lesson in mercy from his sad experience. How many times must he have called to mind his response to Nathan’s parable, “The man that hath done this thing is worthy of death: and he shall restore the lamb four fold, because he did this thing and because he had no pity!” Alas, poor David! these words showed that he had a mind, a heart, that was no stranger to justice and pity in other men’s affairs, and hence that he was the more guilty in his much more serious violations of justice and compassion, “Blessed is he that is not condemned in that which he alloweth,”’—who is not condemned by his own declarations in respect to the affairs of others. Oh, how merciful to the failings of others it should make us when we remember our dear Redeemer’s words, “If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses”; and when again we remember that we may not even pray for forgiveness of our sins unless we from the heart forgive those who have injured us and again desire our fellowship. Vou. XXIV ALLEGHENY, PA., OCTOBER 15, 1903 No. 20 TO OUR GERMAN FRIENDS Our dear Brother Otto A. Koetitz has just left us for Ger- Australia, where he will open another Branch Office. Let us many, his wife and child accompanying him. He goes to take the place of Brother Henninges as manager of the Elberfeld Branch. Brother Henninges, with his wife, will proceed to all join in prayer for divine blessings upon these brethren in their new fields of labor. TO FOURTH CLASS POSTMASTERS We should be pleased to hear from all of our friends who hold positions as Fourth Class Postmasters, and who would enjoy the privilege of serving the truth, We are aware that there are a number of such, and we should be glad to have word from them at as early a date as possible. There is work to be done, 13255]
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