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THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL 3
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BIBLE. DOCTRINE, THE FORMER AND LATTER RAIN
We are made to wonder if there ever was a period in the
world’s history when there were so many isms and low heres
and low theres, as pertaining to religion, as now. The Bible
indicates strongly there never was. [t says in the latter days
that great signs and wonders would he wrought under the
name of Christianity until that, if it were possible, they would
deceive the very elect. And the scriptures further state: “IFor
the time will come when they will not endure sound cdoc-
trine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their
cars from the truth, and shall be turned into fables”’—2
Tim. 4:3-4. It is further said that Mystery Babylon the great
- will make all nations drunken with the wine of her fornica-
tion (false doctrine). Many such statements as the above
show that the age in which we live are the perils of the last
days. Iivery gift of the spirit is counterfeited. Every ism that
can he devised by men is advocated and the people at large are
cver learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the
truth, hence how careful the speaker of truth should be to
obtain the true principles upon which God works for the con-
version of souls, and the development of Christian character.
Of all the scientific and harmonious books in the world the
Bible stands at the head. God, who is unchangeable, always
deals upon fixed principles, and, He, being the creator, and
the author governing the laws of nature, He must be the
same in the development of Christian character and conver-
sion of the soul. A little study of the Bible will reveal the
fact that God deals upon the same principle on the conver-
sion, birth and development of the Christian as he does in the
vegetable life and development of the herbs and trees of the
carth and the fruit they bear, and if these principles are under-
stood by the speaker of the truth, they need never be deceived
by the isms and delusions of the last days.
Christ, the great teacher, gives us in plain language these
principles in the many parables that He spoke when here.
Quite a number of these are recorded in the 13th chapter of
Matthew to which we now call attention: “And He spake
many things unto them in parables, saying, ‘Dehold, a sower
went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the
way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: some
fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth; and
forthwith thev sprung up, because they had no deepness of
earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and
because they had no root, they withered away. And some
fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked
them: but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit,
some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”” Matt.
13:3-8. The explanation of the above parable is given in plain
language. “Hear ve therefore the parable of the sower. When
any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth
it not, then conreth the wicked one, and catcheth away that
which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed
by the way side, but he that received the seed into stony
places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with
joy receiveth it; vet hath he not root in himself, but endureth
for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth he-
cause of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that
received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word;
and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he be-
cometh unfruitful. Dut he that received seed into the good
ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it;
which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundred-
fold, some sixty, some thirty”’—DMatt. 13:18-23. Thus it is
clear what the seed is, namely, the word of God. The sower
is the one who teaches the word of God. The ground is the
heart of the believer, and the condition of the heart deter-
mines the result of the sower, therefore another writer says:
“Break up the fallow ground of vour heart!” The Lord in-
structs the sower how to sow: “Whom shall he teach knowl-
edge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them
that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
T'or precept must he upon precept, precept upon precept; line
upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”
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Isa. 28:9-10. “Give ye car, and hear my voice; liearken, and
ear my speech. Doth the plowman plow all day To yy;
Doth he open and break the clods of his ground? When »..
hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad
the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal
wheat and the appointed barley and the rye in their place?
For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach
him. For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instru-
ment, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin;
but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin
with a rod. Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever
be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor
bruise it with his horsemen. This also cometh forth from the
LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent
m working.” Isa. 28:23-29. Thus the instruction could not
be made plainer how God develops Christians. This sowing
precedes the birth of the Christian as we read: “Deing born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word
of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1 Pet. 1:23.
When this seed is received into the heart God gives the in-
crease, just the same as he gives life to the grain of corn
planted in the ground. The apostle further says as this birth
is produced: “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile,
and hypocricies, and envies, and all evil speaking, as newborn
babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ve may grow
thereby; if so be ye have tasted that the T.ord is gracious.”
1 Pet. 2:1-3. In order that seed in the earth might grow and
bear fruit it must be watered and cultivated, just so with God's
word as it is sown in the heart. Unless the thorns are taken
out and the word continue to dwell in the heart, no spiritual
growth can be produced: “Seeing vou have purified your souls
in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love to
the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart
fervently: for all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as
the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower there-
of falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth forever.
And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto
you.” 1 Pet. 1:22, 24, 25. The trouble with professed Chris-
tians has ever been this lack of spiritual growth. The apostle
Paul met this difficulty with the Jewish people. He had many
things he wanted to teach them, but they were so poorly pre-
pared and dwarft in Christian experience and knowledge, that
he was compelled to say of them: “Of whom we have many
things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of
icaring. Tor when for the time ve ought to be teachers, ve
have need that one teach vou again which be the first prin-
ciples of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need
of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that wuseth
mill 1s unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a
babe. Dut strong meat belongeth to them that are of full
age, even those who by reason of usc have their senses exer-
cised to discern both good and evil.” Heh. 5:11-14. The
whole matter of Christian development and salvation depends
upon the development of the individual who receives the in-
grafted word and develops a Christian character. We grasp
the divine promises of God as they are presented before us
and by faith we accept them. This is the first step in con-
version: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises: that bv these ye might be partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust.” 2 Pet. 1:4. But this alone does not
suffice: “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your
faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge tem-
perance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godli-
ness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly
kindness, charity. I‘or if these things be in you, and abound,
they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that
lacketh these things 1s blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath
forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore
the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and
election sure: for if ye do these things, ve shall never fall.”
2 Pet. 1:5-10.
[Continued on page eight]
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a eae aera Ue Sama
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