(195 196) with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither ean he know them, because they are spiritually discerned .... but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth ali things, yea, the deep things of God.” Both the desire and the capacity for understanding the truth come from God. As we are again told: “It is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) The desire for truth is from God, in the firet place, while we are still natural men, in the sense that it is a fragment of the original likeness to our Creator. After we are begotten and illuminated by the holy Spirit this desire becomes stronger and stronger and at the same time our minds are enabled to grasp the truth to an extent hitherto impossible. The Master himself places truth at the bottom of the structure when he says: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye indeed my disciples, and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” It is not merely doctrinal truth that we shall know, but also truth concerning ourselves and our spiritual status. How could we be set free from our own errors, if we did not desire and recognize the facts concerning ourselves? Common sense, or a sound mind, in the measure that it is possessed, enables one to see things as they are and to do things as they should be done. There is a number of elements which go to make up a sound mind, none of which must be overlooked. But let it not be thought that a sound mind is a passive thing, a kind of reference library. In some ways the everyday term “common sense” is to be preferred; for a sound mind means simply the capacity for sound, accurate, reliable judgment on the problems of life as they arise from day to day. PHILOSOPHY OFTEN UNESSENTIAL And let us observe right here that the philosophy of character development cannot be called a requisite as long as we are developing with reasonable satisfaction. It becomes valuable to us chiefly when something is wrong. It assists us to recognize just how far we have progressed and how far we have retrograded, and where the greatest pressure should be exerted, to start us on again. But perception and reflection will accomplish nothing in us worth while without obedience. Obedience, or conformity to the instructions given us by our Lord, is the vital thing in any case, whether we understand all of the ateps of the proceas or not. More than one scriptural expression emphasizes this thought: “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them”; “If ye do these things, ye shall never fall,” ete. Our Christian course is like an apprenticeship at a trade. The master workman might sit down and attempt to explain the whole thing to the boy at the start, but very little would the boy understand or remember, What he does do is to say: “Now you do just as I tell you; and I will guarantee that after so long a time you, too, will be a master workman.” So the Lord says, essentially, to us: “If ye love me keep my commandments”; ‘and I will make you meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.’ The Lord does invite us to ‘reason with him’ and to ‘think on these things,’ stil] he makes it likewise plain that we can know only in part, until that which is perfect is come. We have probably all known some old brothers or sisters who had grown rich in the spirit of the Lord, not because they were able to explain the process of growth, but because, like the lily, they lent themselves to sun and air, and growth was a natural result. It never occurred to them to wonder why a certain command was given. It was enough to know that it was given. When they heard the Lord say: “Love your enemies; bless them that curse you and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you for my sake,” they simply loved their enemies, they blessed and they prayed without doubt or hypocrisy. When he said to them: “If ye forgive not men their trespasses, how can ye expect your heavenly Father to forgive your trespasses?” they simply forgave freely, up to seventy times seven and, like God, were too courteous ever to mention an account once cancelled, When he said: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” they sought that kingdom. When he said: “Centre your mind’ on things above and not on things on the earth,” they have simply done it, and in doing it have shown the greatest wisdom that was ever shown. When he said: “Speak evil of no man.” they have kept their lips from speaking guile, It is largely when we realize ourselves at a standstill, or as making very slow progress that we can most profitably consider the whys and wherefores. STEPS TO GOOD JUDGMENT Perception, memory, thought, alertness, deduction, foresight, reason, judgment: these are the steps which must be THE WATCH TOWER Brooxiyn, N. Y. taken, consciously or unconsciously in the formation of sound judgment on any question. Perception stands for the first impress of an idea through one or more of the senses. When we see, hear, feel, touch or taste a thing we have perceived it. While this is an elemental step, still it is a very necessary one. Even the litt: mollusks and tadpoles are capable of receiving impressions, and power to perceive increases with the elaborations and sensitiveness of the organism. The Apostle represents hearing as being that sense which is employed to announce the truth to us. He says: “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” That is, God’s Word contains a message which acquaints us with certain facts, without which we would be unable to form an accurate judgment or to make a reliable decision. The Master intimates that this message has gone forth; still, “Who hath believed our report?’ Not many. “Blessed,” therefore, “are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For indeed I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you observe, but have not seen; and to hear what you hear, but have not heard.” But while hearing is a blessing, it is merely the start. The parable of the sower goes on to explain this matter further and to say: “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, but considers it not, the Evil One comes and snatches away that which was sown in his heart. This explains that which was sown by the road.” Those who do not consider the Lord’s message do not go very far toward the development of a sound mind. “Israel doth not know; [because] my people doth not consider,” complains the Prophet Isaiah. “That which was sown on rocky ground denotes him who, hearing the word, receives it immediately with joys yet having no root in his mind, he retains it only a short time; for when affliction or persecution arises on account of the word he instantly stumbles.” Such a one perceives, thinks, and is alert, but he fails on deduction. He does not, or perhaps cannot, hold the proper relationship between the value of the truth, the present condition of the world, and the privilege of perseeution for the Word’s sake. He does not exercise common sense, or he would know that anything of value must cost him dearly. Note the distinction between that man and the one who so valued the pearl of great price that he went and sold all that he had to obtain it. “That which was sown among thorns denotes that hearer in whom the cares of this life and the deceptiveness of riches choke the word and render it unproductive.” Such a one fails on foresight, reason and the final judgment or decision. “But that which was sown on good soil and produced fruit, one a hundred, one sixty and one thirty, denotes him who not only hears and considers, but obeys the word.” To hear, to consider and to obey, then, are the three main steps to the acquirement or to the manifestation of a sound mind on any given subject. But aside from these three steps, there are five other intermediate steps which are well worth considering. PERCEPTION, MEMORY, THOUGHT Here, say, is a problem before us on which we wish to exercise common sense. Though we have heard and received the general message of the Lord, it may be that we have not yet perceived all the instructions he has given on the immediate question under hand. Tiere we should “search the Scriptures” with that love of directness and simplicity without which it is impossible to come to an accurate decision. For instance, we encounter the statement: “The righteousness of the law is fufilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.” We roughly perceive the ideas of walking after the spirit and walking after the flesh. Memory is at once called into play, for the meaning of the individual words themselves, then in a brief search of the mind to see if we can find anything that sounds similar. We ‘call to mind the former things’ and are thus enabled to profit not only by our own past experiences but also by the experiences of others. Without_ memory life would be a blank—a dreary void. Perception and memory merge into thought. We begin to consider—that is, if we love the truth above all things else. We ponder, we reflect, we contemplate; but, if we desire the truth, we do not dream. We are informed that, “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” If he thinks deceitfully, he is deceitful to that extent. Thought determines character. Thinking, not natural growth, makes perfect manhood. There are some who, though they are done growing, are only boys; the reasoning is feeble. Many who can run and jump and bear fatigue cannot observe, cannot examine, cannot reason or judge, contrive or execute—they cannot think. To have a sound mind it is necessary that we examine ourselves about our thinking. We should set ourselves to understand whatever we see or read. The Apostle assureg us that if we “think on these things”--the things that are true, noble, pure [6282]
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