The Topeka Daily Capital, vol. 11
May 14, 1889
“The Camp Meeting. The Sabbath Morning Sermon” The Topeka Daily Capital, 11, 114, p. 7.
MUCH RAIN AND MUD, BUT AN INCREASE OF VISITORS
Great Interest in the Exercises—A Large Attendance at the Sabbath Schools—Instructed by Mrs. Haskell, of Denver, and Elder W.H. Wakeham—Able Sermons and Lectures
Special Correspondence of the CAPITAL.
CAMP MEETING, FOREST PARK, OTTAWA, KAN., MAY 12.— Saturday, the seventh day, the Bible Sabbath, began Friday evening at sundown, so that the people all assembled for prayer at that time, and early again Saturday morning, when the young people met in a separate tent, which is the beginning of a series of like meetings to continue through the camp meeting. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.1
At 8:45 came the principle event of the day, the Sabbath School, in which, in four divisions, the senior, intermediate, primary and kindergarten, 41 classes were formed with a membership of 253. The classes were distributed in the large tabernacle according to the program already published in the CAPITAL, and the kindergarten children formed a pleasing sight up on the rostrum surrounding their tables seated in the diminutive chairs of this department. Mrs. C. P. Haskell, of Denver, reviewed the little ones on the lesson “Life of Enoch,” and Elder W.H. Wakeham the senior division on “Unbelief and Punishment.” TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.2
THE SABBATH MORNING SERMON
(by A.T. Jones)
Matthew 6:33—“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” is the subject today. We notice first whose righteousness we are to seek. It is God’s. We must seek and find it, or we will not be saved. Nothing else will avail. We must know, however, where to seek for it and how, because we often seek for it in the wrong places; for instance, as many do, in the law of God, and through keeping it. We will never find it there. This is not the place to seek for it. This is not saying that the righteousness of God is not there. The commandments are the righteousness of God, but we will never find it there. In Romans 2:17-18, we see that the law is clearly pointed out, through which, if we are instructed, we are called of God. Then they, being the will of God, it would be impossible for the Lord himself to be better than the ten commandments require us to be. The Lord’s will must be the expression of what he is himself; hence it is impossible he should be better than his law. To keep his commandments, then, means that we shall be as good as God is, so we read in 1 John 3:7: “He that doeth righteousness, is righteous even as he is righteous.” Now see Psalm 119:172; Deuteronomy 6:25; Isaiah 51:7—the people who do the law of God are righteous, even as God is righteous, then to keep them means that man must be like God in character. Then the righteousness of God is in His law, but it is not revealed to men by the law, Romans 1:16-17, the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel to men, and not in the law. It is in the law, but it is not revealed there toys because we are sinners, and sin has so darkened our mind that we cannot see it there, and therefore our vision has to be enlightened by some other means, which is the gospel, where we must seek for it, Romans 3:21. The righteousness of God is made known without the law. How? By faith in Jesus Christ, through the gospel, and not by the law. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.3
Now read again Romans 1:16-17, and this will be clear. To show this further, Romans 10:4. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Does not this say the same as the others? We have lost often the real point in this text to use it against those who claim the commandments are abolished, who claim Christ ended the law, and we claiming it means “the purpose of” the law, but the point in this text is that Christ is the purpose of the law “for righteousness” to us as we cannot get it by the law, Romans 8:3. The law was ordained to life, righteousness, holiness, justification, but because of sin it can not be this to us, so what it cannot do Christ does for us. Then, if we seek it in the wrong place we loose the righteousness of Christ. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.4
Now righteousness must come from the same source as does life; they are inseparable. Romans 8:3, Paul uses the terms here interchangeably, so also Galatians 3:21, showing that righteousness must come to us from the same source as life, and that is, Christ. Romans 6:23, this we have also preached, but he said before that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life, and so we have always claimed eternal life to be a gift, but we have not claimed the same righteousness as being a gift through Jesus Christ. Why was it necessary that something was given, to have life? Because the wages of sin was death. If a law could give life, it would be by the law. If the law was a secondary form and God could have made another, and better, it would not suffice because if men could not keep an inferior law they could not keep a superior, consequently no law could give the life. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.5
Therefore Christ came to be the purpose of the law to everyone that believeth. Now we want to see what righteousness there is in the law for us, and will become convinced it is our own, which is the very best we can ever get out of the law. If I take the highest and most comprehensive view of the law I can, and live up to it, is that a satisfying of the law? No, because it is not a high enough view of it, because the mind is all darkened by sin, and man’s comprehension is not broad enough to grasp the height and breath of it, and so it does not meet the requirements of the law. It is our own righteousness then, and not God’s we see in the law, and we see ourselves (the extent of our vision) and not the face of God. Often we think we do right and afterwards see it was not so. If it was God’s righteousness at that time, God would be imperfect. It is only in Christ that we can ever see the righteousness of God. But God is the gospel and the gospel is Christ, and so by the law can no man be accounted righteous. We must then have something more than the law to enable us to understand God’s righteousness and to comprehend the law. That something “is Christ Jesus, in who is the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.6
I read now Romans 10:1-3; here we have a people seeking earnestly for righteousness. Whose? Their own. Did they find it? No, Romans 9:31-23, being ignorant of Christ’s righteousness. They would not believe Christ or Paul, but sought it by the works of the law. Now read verse 30; the Gentiles found it having faith, and not being satisfied with their own righteousness, as did the Pharisees who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. This, too, is where the law will bring us if we try to obtain righteousness through it, but when, having faith in Christ, a man sees his sins and longs for the righteousness of God. Knowing that it is the goodness, purity and righteousness of Christ that makes him so, he will become righteous. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.7
Philippians 3:4-9; here was a Pharisee who lived up to the broadest view of the law of God, he could obtain and was blameless, yet he gave it all up for Christ. Galatians 2:21, if “righteousness comes by the law then Christ is dead in vain,” our own righteousness is all, then, we can get out of the law, and that the righteousness of God can come only by Jesus Christ. What is our own righteousness? Isaiah 64:6. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. What is sin? When Israel came out of Egypt, they knew not God, remembering only that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had a God, but knew nothing more to make them understand their condition and what sin was he took one of their own words and applied it to his purpose. He took a word meaning “missed its mark” and used it to express sin. Now we have all sinned and come short—that is what Paul means—we have “missed the mark.” Then the more righteousness of the law a man has the worse he is of—the more ragged is he. Now turn to Zechariah 3:1-8. Mrs. White declares this chapter to be a prophecy of this present time. Here we have Joshua standing clothed in his own righteousness and Christ takes it off and clothes him with the righteousness of God. Now Joshua had been doing the best he could, but would he have been saved? No. How often we hear people say “I do the best I can,” and believe they will be saved. Joshua was reclothed and was to stand with the angels. If then our righteousness is all taken away and Christ clothes us with God’s righteousness, then to walk in His law, we will stand with the angels. So then read Isaiah 54:17, last part. Christ, in all His references in the New Testament, repeats only what God had already spoken. Now, Isaiah 61:10, that is the song we are to sing, therefore righteousness is the gift of God as surely as is life, and if we try to get it in any other way we shall fail. In Romans 5:12-18, we read that as sin came by one, the righteousness of one brought the free gift of life upon man. So also Romans 3:21-26; it was to declare God’s righteousness that Christ came. Now taking Romans 5:13-17 we find here a free gift and notice, particularly verse 17. Righteousness is the gift of life to every one who believeth, and Jesus Christ will ever be the purpose of the law to every one who believeth. It is Christ’s obedience that avails and not ours that beings righteousness to us. Well then let us stop trying to do the will of God in our own strength. Stop it all. Put it away from you for ever. Let Christ’s obedience do it all for you and gain the strength to pull the bow so that you can hit the mark. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.8
Why did the Savior come as an infant instead of a man? To die on the cross would have met the penalty. Because he loved a child and met all the temptations a child meets and never sinned—so that any child can stand in his place and resist in his strength; and he lived also as a youth, a man full grown, weaving for us a robe of righteousness to cover us (not cover our filthy garments, as that would be a mixture), takes the filthy garments away and puts his own in their place, so that all may have it if they will. Now if righteousness is the gift of God, and comes by the gospel, then what is the use of the law? There are several, but they maybe used wrongfully. The law entered that the offence might abound, Romans 3:19—the law speaks to sinners that all may become guilty before God to show people their guilt. Now verse 20, the law is to reveal sin to us—unrighteousness, not righteousness—Christ reveals the latter, the law the former. The law of God cannot allow a single sin in any degree whatever. If it did and condoned even a single thought that was not perfect it would sink a soul into perdition. The law is perfect. If it accepts imperfection the Lord must accept it and admit that he is imperfect, because the law is the representation of his character. In the fact that the law demands perfection lies the hope of all mankind, because if it could overlook a sin to a single degree, no one could ever be free from sin, as the law would never make that sin known, and it could never be forgiven, by which alone man can be saved. The day is coming when the law will have revealed the last sin and we will stand perfect before Him and be saved with an eternal salvation. The perfection of the law of God is that it will show us all our sins, and then a perfect Saviour stands ready to take them all away. When God makes known all our sins it is not to condemn us, but to save us, so it is a token of His love for us, therefore, whenever a sin is made known to you, it is a token of God’s love for you, because the Saviour stands ready to take it away. That is why God has given us a Saviour and the gospel. He wants us all to believe in Him, come to Him and be saved. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.9
Read Matthew 5:6. Are there not many here who hunger and thirst for righteousness? Do you want to be filled? Look not then at the law, but the cross of Christ. Read Ephesians 3:14-19, rooted and grounded in faith through his love in our heart. Colossians 2:9-10, for we will be complete in Christ. There is completeness, joy, peace, goodness, righteousness forever. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.10
“The Camp Meeting. The Evils of a Union of Church and State” The Topeka Daily Capital, 11, 114, p. 7.
ELDER A. T. JONES’ EVENING LECTURE
The subject tonight is “The Evils of a Union of Church and State.” I quote from Draper’s “Intellectual Development of Europe.” “It was the aim of Constantine to make theology a branch of politics, it was the hope of every bishop in the empire to make politics a branch of theology.” Another quotation is this, these being the two ideas upon which the old and the coming theocracy is and will be built. “When once a political aspirant has bidden with the multitude for power and still depends on their pleasure for effective support it is no easy thing to refuse their wishes or hold back from their demands.” Thus Constantine had virtually sold himself to this power that he wished to control and could never ignore it and hold his position. Schaff in his “Church History” gives this estimate of Constantine: “He was distinguished by that genuine political wisdom which, putting itself at the head of the age, clearly saw that idolatry had outlived itself in the Roman empire, and that Christianity alone could breathe new vigor into it and furnish it moral support.” TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.11
It was then entirely as a political thing that he embraced Christianity. “Now Constantine adopted Christianity first by a superstition and put it by the side of his heathen superstition till finally in his conviction the Christian vanquished the pagan though without itself developing into a pure and enlightened faith.” Here you have the history of Constantine in a few words. Did Constantine establish Christianity as the Roman religion? Schaff says: “He presumed to preach the gospel, he called himself the bishop of bishops, he convened the first general council and made Christianity the religion of the empire long before his baptism,” but he did not issue an edict making it the state religion. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.12
A statement from Hilman, which he calls the legal establishment of Christianity: “Christianity may now be said to have ascended the imperial throne; with the single exception of Julian, from this period the monarch of the Roman empire professed the religion of the gospel. I want to notice to-night what Constantine did for the church and what befell it as soon as politics became incorporated with it and the effect it had upon the church, state, and society, and what it will do again. Neander says: With the commencement of this period the church entered into an entirely different relation to the state. It did not merely become a whole, recognized or legal, and tolerated by the state, but the state itself declared its principles to be those to which everything must be subordinated. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.13
This is the same argument that the reformers use now that they will remain distinct revolving round one another, but you will see the impossibility of this church and state constituted, henceforth, two wholes, one interpenetrating the other, and standing in relation of mutual action and reaction. The advantageous influence of this was, that the church would now exert its transforming power also on the relations of the state; but the measure and character of this power depended on the state of the inner life in the church itself. It was now necessary that one of two things should happen: either the spirit of Christianity, as it became more widely diffused, must—not by a sudden and glaring revolution, but by its power in the heart, which is far mightier than any arm of flesh—gradually introduce the order of law, in the place of arbitrary despotism; or the corruption of the state would introduce itself into the church, as it actually did in the Byzantine empire.” Which did happen, why the later and this must inevitably happen because a pure church will never ask for civil power, so long as she has the power of God, but losing this she will grasp for anything she can get. “Furthermore the church was now exposed to the temptations of appropriating a foreign might for the prosecutions of its ends.” “Mark now this statement: “A temptation ever ready to assail man, the moment the spirit is no longer sovereign alone.” This is a piece of philosophy you should ever remember, and is true in ecclesiastical affairs as well as civil enforcement of discipline. Now as to what Constantine did for the church the speaker read many extracts to show how the Christians, living as they pleased, would will their property to the church, and that act carried them through to heaven. By this means the church became immensely wealthy. In 313 Constantine freed the clergy from all state taxation, the removal of a great burden. The result was hundreds joined the clergy to get rid of these burdens. These two corrupting influences soon made the bishops almost equal in power to the emperor, himself, and opened the way for men to profess Christianity for power and wealth. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.14
Next Constantine would build a church where there was not a Christian, and sending a bishop and clergy there would pay a piece of gold and a white garment to whoever would be baptized and support every convert. The result was crowds would become Christians. In places where the Christians were few he would offer special inducements, and whole cities would turn to Christianity, Pagans, philosophers and teachers would turn Christians to teach paganism in the schools. Just as soon as Christianity had political influence and political favor to bestow it brought the very worst characters in the church, and so it will be in every church where politics is given a prominent place, and the outcome can only be a papacy. If any nation favors any particular flock to it for the emoluments to be obtained. The baser element will push itself to the front and use their positions for political advancement. Neander says, “The more the church strove after outward dominion, the more she was liable to go astray,and to forget in this outward power, her own intrinsic became for outward power to have dominion over her.” TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.15
“By the temporal advantages connected with the spiritual profession (they called a man to office not so much for his spiritual qualifications as for his political power) many who had neither the inward call nor any other qualifications for this order were led to aspire after church offices; so that in fact numbers became Christians solely with a view of obtaining some post in the church and enjoying the emoluments therewith connected.” When that man ran for a bishopric, and these men supported him, he had to do as they wished and preach such doctrine as pleased them or he was removed. “Men were made bishops who were not Christians.” What would now be called a worldling. This being called a Christian nation, all will have a voice in the church, and the officers will deal in political intrigue for office and the rabble will force their candidates upon the church, and as in Rome the worst kind of men will be elected to keep them from harming the church. “It sometimes happened that by the voice of the whole community, or of a powerful party in it, some individual standing high in their confidence was proclaimed bishop. But as, in the then existing state of the church, the most pious and they who had a right conception of the essence of the spiritual office, and who had at heart the spiritual interests of the community, did not constitute the majority and the most powerful party.” TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.16
“Thus, in the year 361, the popular party at Caesarea in Cappadocea, supported by the garrison of the place, insisted upon having for their bishop one of the civil magistrates, Eusebius, who had not, as yet, been baptized, and the provincial bishops, many of whom perhaps had a better man in mind, allowed themselves to be forced to ordain him.” Now Schaff tells more about that than Neander: “Sometimes the people acted under outside considerations, and the management of demagogues, and demanded unworthy or ignorant men for the highest offices, working up the primaries as is done now in large cities like Chicago, New York, & etc. In a note he says: “Many were elected on account of their badness, to prevent the mischief they would otherwise do. Do you not see how this corrupting influence drew the church down and down in degradation. Another statement from Neander: “The vast numbers who, from external considerations, without any inward call, joined themselves to the Christian communities, served to introduce into the Christian church all the corruptions of the heathen world. Pagan vices, pagan delusion, pagan superstitions, took the garb and name of Christianity, and were thus enabled to exert a more corrupting influence on the Christian life. Such were those who, without any real interest whatever in the concerns of religion, living half in paganism and half in an outward show of Christianity, composed the crowds that thronged the churchs on the festivals of the Christians, and the theatres on the festivals of the pagans.” TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.17
That is the papacy, and what then is the papacy but paganism under a Christian name. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.18
“It was natural that the bad element which had outwardly assumed the Christian garb, should push itself more prominently to notice in public life. Hence it was more sure to attract the common gaze, while the genuine Christian temper loved retirement, and created less sensation.” TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.19
The genuine Christians were pushed into the back ground. From the day Constantine proposed Christianity, the history of the church has not been the history of Christianity. The history of Christianity closed with the acts of the apostles, to be opened again when Luther left the church, the balance is the history of the papacy. So then the worldly Christians were as separated from the genuine Christians as the pagan had been. In Milman I read: “On the incorporation of the church with the state, the co-ordinate civil and religious magistracy maintained each its separate powers. On the one side, as far as the actual celebration of the ecclesiastical ceremonial, and in their own internal affairs in general; on the other, in the administration of the military, judicial, and fiscal affairs of the state, the bounds of their respective authority were clear and distinct.” The assertion then that the church and state constitute two wholes is not possible. There are a few things where the jurisdiction of each is clearly defined, but there are thousands of points where it would be impossible to tell where the jurisdiction of the church stops and that of the state begins. “So far the theory was distinct and perfect; each had his separate and exclusive sphere, yet there could not but appear a debatable ground on which the two authorities came into collision, and neither could altogether refrain from invading the territory of his ally or antagonist.” TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.20
When you get religion into politics where is the limit going to stop? The church takes cognizance of every relation of life; now then, if she has control of the civil power, how can you prevent her carrying it into the thoughts of the heart? It cannot be done. The best things when perverted become the worst. So of Christianity, it being the best thing the world ever saw, perverted will be the worst. On the other hand, the state was supreme over all its subjects, even over the clergy in their character of citizens. But there was another prolific source of difference. The clergy in one sense, from being the representative body, had begun to consider themselves the church; but in another and more legitimate sense, the state, when Christian, as comprehending all the Christians of the empire, became the church. Which was the legislative body? The whole community of Christians or the Christian aristocracy, who were in one sense the admitted rulers?” TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.21
By this time they had made the distinction of the “laity” and the “clergy” which did not belong to the church of Christ, who then chose the officers. “Did not the state fairly succeed to all the rights of the laity, more particularly when privileges and endowments attached to the ecclesiastical offices were conferred or guaranteed by the state, and therefore might appear in justice revocable, or liable to be regulated by the civil power? Don’t you see that every step in the papacy is logical, and do you not see that in the work of the reformers each of these steps is in it, and must logically follow. “When once the civil power was recognized as cognizant of ecclesiastical offenses, where was that power to end?” Of the religious condition of Rome at the time, Milman says: “Thus in a great degree while the Roman world became Christian in outward worship and in faith, it remained heathen, or even at some periods worse than heathenism, in its better times, as to beneficence, gentleness, purity, social virtue, humanity and peace. Heresy of opinions became almost the only crime against which excommunication pointed its thunders. Thus, Christianity became at the same time more peremptory dogmatic, and less influential; it assumed the supreme dominion over the mind, while it held but an imperfect and partial control over the passions and appetites. The theology of the gospel was the religion of the world; the spirit of the gospel very far from the ruling influence of mankind. Whenever a national religion is established, heresy is the highest crime, because the state becomes the guardian of the soul, and expects to be held responsible for its guardianship; hence punishes blasphemy against the established religion as speaking against the soul itself. That is the kind of system that comes in whenever you have a union of church and state. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.22
“The Camp Meeting. The Sermon on Righteousness” The Topeka Daily Capital, 11, 114, p. 7.
THE SERMON ON RIGHTEOUSNESS
(By A. T. Jones)
The subject is how to obtain that righteousness of which we read yesterday, the righteousness of God which only will avail. Romans 3:24, justified means accounted righteous. How? Freely. By what means? Grace. What is grace? Favor. Let us ever believe this text, holding fast to it forever. In regard to grace we read Romans 11:6, which means we are justified freely by his grace without works otherwise it is not grace. Another reference, Ephesians 2:8-9, 5; now turn to Romans 4:4 with Romans 10:4. You see then why, if it be of works it is no more of grace. If we have to work to obtain grace, then we bring the Lord in debt to us, and if he does not pay he does us injustice. To pay is not a favor, it is paying a debt. We are accounted righteous freely by His grace and that not of works. I read now Romans 4:1-2. Abraham was the father of all them that believe—the spiritual father—can we expect to receive more than he did? If he was justified by works, he gloried in himself. Now put Romans 4:2 with 1 Corinthians 1:27-31. The Lord has arranged it that all should glorify him and not themselves, because to glorify a sinner, a rebel, would not be proper for a government, allowing them to come back in harmony with it, glorifying themselves. All the woe in the world came through Satan attempting to glorify himself. “I will be like the Most High.” To allow a sinner then to glorify himself would force pardon being extended to Satan, also. Now, Christ is made unto us righteousness and sanctification, and we glory in Christ and not ourselves. If we believe on Him our faith is counted to us for righteousness. But can the Lord justify the ungodly? Yes, Christ came to justify sinners, so read carefully this verse, Romans 4:5. The first thing then to learn is that we are ungodly and confess it, God will count him righteous. The Lord cannot justify and save any who cannot see their true condition. There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine that need no repentance. The Saviour came not to call righteous but sinners to repentance, then none but sinners will be saved. Now Romans 4:16, “therefore it is of faith.” Why? That it might be by grace, “to the end that it may be saved.” TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.23
Faith is the easiest and most natural thing in the world. There is nothing wonderful about faith, as some think, and say “I try to believe and if I can’t then how can I?” But we can believe God with the same faculties we believe others. Don’t try to believe—quit it—and believe. We either believe or don’t believe—then why not believe? Believe as a child, don’t reason it out. Faith goes in advance of reason, knowledge and all else. At school the teacher pointed out a letter and told us “That is A, and that is all the evidence we have of it. We believed it, now let us receive the kingdom of heaven as we did when a child the words of your teacher. If we reason on faith we can never believe, because to reason faith is unreasonable because the effort of reason always produces doubt. It begins and ends with a “how.” Because faith is the simplest and easiest thing for all, God put his salvation in the surest place, that we might have it and know that he has it. Now, Romans 5:6, 8, 10, Christ died for you because you are ungodly, and he died for the ungodly, and you can be counted righteous right now if you will believe it. Christ’s death reconciled the world unto God but it never saved any or ever can. His death met the penalty of the law, but we are saved by Christ’s life. Read Romans 4:25. By his death then we have reconciliation, by His life justification, and by His second coming we have salvation—all these being necessary to complete the plan of salvation. The law of God shows a man to be ungodly—and as by the law is the knowledge of sin, which is ungodliness—we will call it now, sin, so turn to Proverbs 28:13, mercy being treating one better than he deserves. Remember, believe this fully; our habit has been to confess our sins and then doubt the forgiveness and carry them all away with us, obtaining no peace because we doubted. “God never appointed us to wrath.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9. He shows them laws to save us from them, the knowledge of them being a token of His love, that there is Jesus to take them all from us. He calls us to obtain salvation. So do not take the knowledge of your sins as a token of His wrath. Whosoever confesses his sins shall be saved—Romans 4:6-7. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.24
Now 1 John 1:9, 5:17, “If we confess our sins He will forgive and cleanse us from all our sins.” Believe this fully and go free. How many go to the soul confessing and never believe they are forgiven? To believe part of the word and not all is infidelity. “Man shall live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.” To confess a sin and not believe in its forgiveness is infidelity. Don’t wait for feeling—that has nothing to do with faith. How can anyone know how he ought to feel when sins are forgiven? If you trust to feeling you are like a wave of the sea tossed by the winds to and fro. Often revivalists tell mourners how he felt when he was forgiven, and they try to feel as he did and fail, as no two can ever feel just alike and so no one can tell if converted. Faith does not rest on evidence. If it rests on the reasonableness of a thing, it rests on reason and not faith. If it rests on the confidence we have in the person, and that person contradicts him-self, then where is faith? If one says, I will do some great thing, and I believe him; if he comes again and says something that uproots all he previously said, what am Ito do? Now let me prove this: Abraham was justified by faith and it was counted to him for righteousness. Read the account of it, Genesis 15:5 and onward. Sometime after that Isaac was born and growing up, Abraham was told to offer him up, directly against the promise. Where did his faith come in? By believing the promise independent of appearances. That was faith furnishing its own evidence. Abraham believed it until all came right because God had promised it would. Now turn to Romans 4:16-22; Abraham against hope believed in hope, his faith furnishing the hope, confidence and evidence. Never let our feelings, then, have any control over our faith. Feelings belong to Satan. Relegate them to him. “The just shall live by faith.” Brethren, let us live that way. When we believe, it puts Christ in place of the sin, and when Satan comes to attack us he finds only Christ, and then we have the victory over Satan, not delivering us from temptation, but giving us power to conquer temptation, and gaining the victory, that particular temptation never comes again. We are conquerors there forever. If you want feeling about this, praise the Lord because he ever pardons your sin and because you believe his promise, and there will be feeling enough within you to be satisfactory. Look for God, and he will put a song in your mouth. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.25
Now, do you believe my opening text, that we are justified freely? Often we sin and feel so ashamed and bad over it we wait a few days to get a little better before we go to the Lord for forgiveness. We try to make ourselves good first. There is a tendency in every soul to this. That is justification by works, the same as fasting or punishing oneself first. This is the root of monkery and all the penances in the Catholic church. Then, if we do not want to be papist, let us quit. We have done no better, but the sin has lost the honor before us, and we are better in our own eyes, and then confess only our surface sin, so the Holy Spirit shows us again the sin that was covered up. Now the only way to get rid of it is to confess it at once, because the Lord shows us a sin just as it is, and right then, so that He can forgive it fully and completely. When we try to patch up our sin by doing better, we are putting on more and more of the filthy rags spoken of by Isaiah, which is our own righteousness. Let us read Revelation 3:14-18. Let us trust the Lord and believe His promises. TDC May 14, 1889, page 7.26