THE WATCHMAN
G. W. STILSON
OUR PRIVILEGE
EHOLD, what manner of
love ‘the Father hath be-
stowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of
God.” Sons of God!
Think what this means. Are
vou a son of God? Do you
appreciate the privilege?
What are the privileges of a son? Does
this text really mean much to us? How
often, when everything goes smoothly,
we almost forget our Father! How
often, when in trouble, we feel and act as
if we were left to ourselves!
Notice a little boy, the son of a kind
father. When he is well and happy,
and everything seems bright and pleasant,
does he forget his father?— O no! He
loves to tell him all his joys and pleasures.
He lives over with him all the little ex-
periences which mean so much to him.
And when trouble comes, does he remain
away from his father, bearing his burdens
alone, perhaps crushed and helpless be-
neath troubles too great for him?— Ah
no! His very first impulse is to run to
his father, and tell him all his difficulties,
his disappointments, his sorrows. And
happy is the child whose father is truly
such in the fullest sense, and who always
finds in him the comfort, help, or in-
struction that he, in his childish inexpe-
rience, needs to help him over the rough
places of life.
“ Behold, now are we the sons of God.”
We are children of a loving Father. But
how often we forget our privilege as
children! How often, when life runs
smoothly, and there is nothing to se-
riously disturb our tranquillity, we forget
our dependence upon our Father, and
become self-sufficient! And then when
troubles, disappointnients, and sorrows
come, not being accustomed to talking
with our Father about our daily expe-
riences, how prone we are to carry our
load alone, hardly knowing how to get
rid of it, even though it is heavier than
we are able to bear.
Fathers, mothers, how would vou feel,
if vour boy sheuld thus forget his son-
ship? Would it not grieve vour hearts,
and move vou to pity to see him perplexed
and unhappy with the burdens you would
gladly carry for him? “Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth
How must our
Father feel when we insist on carrying
the burdens which he wishes to carry for
us: ‘Cast thy burden on the Lord, and
he shall sustain thee.”
them that fear him.”
Brother, sister, does this seem too much
for vou to grasp? If so, think for a
moment how vou would feel if your child
could not appreciate your love for him,
and would refuse to accept what you do
for him; then remember that your Fa-
ther’'s love 1s much greater than vour
own. [et us not continue to grieve the
wonderful love that has made us sons of
God. Let us appreciate and accept the
wonderful gift, and in it find relief from
the burdens which come to us in this
world of sin. Thus may we become ac-
quainted with our Father, and so be able
to meet him with joy at his coming.
I
“HE SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE”
Arthur L, Manous
HOU shalt call his name Je-
sus; for he shall save his
people from their
Matt. 1:21. In this scrip-
ture we have brought to
view the “seed” of the
woman, the One “ altogether
lovely ;” in fact, the Saviour
“ He shall save his people
from their sins.” This is indeed good
It gives the poor sinner,— and
that 1s what we all are — some rays of
light; a spark of hope is kindled in the
heart as we meditate upon the expres-
sion, ““ He—shall—save.”
Yes; ©“ He shall save.” But you may
ask, “ From what shall he save us?”
The text does not leave us in darkness
upon this particular point, but says, “ He
shall save his people from their sins.”
Sin is the particular thing which we are
to be saved 71 — No, no; we must be
saved from sin. Christ, even our blessed
Saviour, cannot and will not save us in
sins.”
of mankind.
news,
‘our sins, but must save us from our sins.
Shall we let him do it?
This leads us to inquire, What is sin?
And the apostle John comes forward with
the inspired answer, “ Sin is the trans-
gression of the law.” 1 John 3:4.
With this inspired definition, let us read
the text again, substituting the definition:
613
“He shall save his people from their
transgressions of the law.” This is his
work, to save, save.
“But,” says one at this point, “I
thought that the law was done away by
Christ.” Al, that is the rock on which
many souls have been shipwrecked. But
hear the great apostle to the Gentiles
saving, “1 had not known sin, but by
the law; "” “ for by the law is the knowl-
Rom. 7:7; 3:20. With-
out the law we would not, and could not
know sin; yea, more, we would not have
sin: “ For by the law is the knowledge
of sin,” and “ where no law is, there
is no transgression.” Rom. 3:20; 4:15.
Should one succeed in abolishing the
law, he would thereby, also, abolish sin;
the very thing which Christ came to this
world to save us from. To do away
with the law, is to do away with sin, and
to do away with sin, is to do away with
the need of a Saviour; thus making void
and absolutely worthless both Christ and
his death. Absurdity!
If we are able, within ourselves, to get
rid of the law, then are we also able to
get rid of sins without a Saviour, thus
becoming our own saviour. And if our
own saviour, pray tell me why Christ left
the courts of glory to come down to this
edge of sin.”
sin-cursed earth to suffer and die the
cruel death of the cross.
No, dear reader, do not “think”
(Matt. 5:17) for a moment that it was
Christ’s mission to this earth to destroy
the law. No; he came to save us from
transgressing that * perfect,” * holy,”
“just,” and “good” law. And if we
have Christ and his love dwelling in our
hearts, we shall thank God for his great
love wherewith he has loved us, and then
we can say with the apostle John, “ This
is the love of God, that we keep his com-
mandments: and his commandments are
not grievous.” 1 John 5:3.
Hg KX
“Tur gospel of Jesus never says, Be
happy. The gospel does not deal in little
ironies. But the gospel of Jesus says,
Be holy ; aim at the highest, and happiness
will come. Forget it; trust in God; do
the next duty; go round by Calvary if
the road lies there; and like sweet music
falling among the hills, or like a fra-
grance wafted we know not whence;
like the springing of water where we
never looked for it; like the shaft of
light breaking the cloud above us; like
an angel unbidden, happiness will come.”