THE ~WORD','"OF "'i7FRUTHPublished Monthly

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"-Jno. 8:32.

Volume 11 APRIL, 1967 Number 4

"Of His own will begot He us with the Word of Truth, thatwe might be a kind of flrstfruits of His creatures" (James J: J8).

-SEt FOR I THE. DEFENSE',\ OF THE GOSPEL

OUR LORD'S RETURN TO GLORYThere is, for the believer, no substitute for the blessed hope of the returnof our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2: 11-12). This is appropriatelycalled the "BLESSED hope"; i.e., the hope that sets the heart to singing;that rejoices the spirit of the child of God, and makes him live in joyfulanticipation; "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though ye seeHim not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory"(I Pet. 1:8). The early believers had a word that they sounded to oneanother; and which the Holy Spirit gave us through our beloved brotherPaul. It was "MARANATHA"; "The Lord is coming" (I Cor. 16:22). It wasa gladsome shout, and not meant to frighten the hearts of God's people.Rather, it was designed to put them in remembrance that their king wouldsoon return, and that then, as the song puts it, "we'll be done with troublesand trials." Jesus has presently went "into a far country to receive forhimself a kingdom, AND TO RETURN" (Luke 19:12). We who have beenleft behind "with the stuff" (I Sam. 23: 15; 30:24) are "looking for Him" toappear to us "without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:27), praise the Lord! It isthen that we shall be "glad with exceeding joy" (I Pet. 4: 13), and thus dowe anticipate His return in great faith.The subject of the coming of the Lord is a dominant one in the Scriptures.It is tragic that it is not proclaimed more today than it is! Many men thatdo preach the coming of the Lord do greatly error in approaching it froma time-table standpoint, and thus they rob the saints of the joy and an-ticipation that they are meant to receive from its contemplation. It mightbe well to say here that the point of EMPHASIS in the Scriptures is NOTthe TIME of Christ's return! Yet, this is almost the only vein in which it isdelivered in many circles today. Jesus Himself declared that the "timesand the seasons" were in the hand of the Father, and that they were noneof our business or affair (Acts 1:7) - these things are "not for us to know,"and great humility of spirit is required for us to receive that word "withmeekness" (Js. 1:21). While it is to be understood that the Lord spoke ofmany things that must needs be fulfilled before He comes, He generallyspoke of them in a very veiled way, so as to purposely obscure from men'swicked curiosity things that did not concern them. One cannot read thattwenty-fourth chapter of Matthew without being stricken with a sense ofthis. Jesus so interwove the subjects of the destruction of Jerusalem andthe end of the world that they are scarcely distinguishable. Ah, greatwisdom of the Lord, to hide from us those things that would lend them-

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Worshipping the Lord - Page 3Traditional Commandments - Page 6

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selves to puffing up, slothfulness, foolishness, andinordinate quests for knowledge. Let those thathave experienced the presence of the Lord ac-knowledge tha,t these things are true.

Let us no longer linger on this matter of theabuse of a proclamation of the coming of theLord. Suffice it to say that far too much of thepreaching that concerns this subject is charac-terized by tntelleotuality of this world, an evilcuriosity, and an emphasis that was never madeby the Holy Spirit. It ought to serve to awakenus to the true intent of the knowledge of theLord's return. Let us give no heed to teachingsthat leave questionings in our minds, that tendto remove our hearts from the blessedness Oofthehope that awaits us in the Lord's return.

This is that for which the child of God pa-tiently waits; the return of His Lord. Does notthe Holy Spiri,t witness to the Corinthian breth-ren; "So that ye come behind in no gift, waitingfor the corning of the Lord Jesus Christ" (I Gor.1:7). The gifts that are here referred to are thesupernatural bestowments of the Holy Spirit,called by theologians "charismata graces." Someof them are enumerated in the eleventh andtwelfth chapters of First Corinthians. The pur-pose of these gifts was to aid them in "waiting torthe coming or the Lord." They were not to drawattention to themselves, or to be construed as anend of themselves; but they were fitted in withtheir "patient waiting for Christ." With the fierceadversity that confronted these early believers andthe novicehood of their raith, the adverse wicked-ness out of which they were lifted, and the press-ing weight of beginning ignorance, the externaloperations of the Holy Spirit proved of great bene-fit in bringing them forward in faith to the ap-pearing of the Lord. Too, we would not fail tomake mention to those who are enamored with theexternal operations of the Spirit today, that theyare to use these means as profitable to the pro-duction of patient endurance until the Lordcomes. This is the characteristic of true believers,that are waiting for and longing for the return oftheir King (Rom. 8:19-25; PhiL 3:20; Heb. 9:20;I Thess. 1:10; Col. 3:4; Titus 2:13). Let aU gracesbe received as encouragements to. continue lookingfor the appearrng Dfthe Lord, not being too much

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burdened by the circumstances and hardshipsthat are associated with this life. They are notmeant to foster pride, or to produce self-confi-dence, or boasting above the graces received byother brethren; nor are they to be construed astokens of blessing that supercede and overshadowall other blessings. They are a type of spiritualencouragement; a provision by grace fDr thosewhose lives are marked with temptation and hard-ships which tend, apart from Divine grace, todraw away the eyes frDmthe prospect or the Lord'sreturn.

Another point made of the Lord's return per-tains to our hearts. At this present time, thehearts of God's people have been renewed, andhave the law of God written upon them (Reb. 8:9-13); they have been "purified by faith" (Acts 15:8),and have been "circumcised" or the sins that laythere (Col. 2:11-12). Yet, these truths are hiddento those about the saints, and sometimes even tothe saints themselves. Many a believer there iswho is not as aware as he could be of the wonder-ful grace that has been wrought within his ownheart. Heckled by the great Adversary, Satan,poor believers sometimes spend a good part oftheir life bemoaning that they are without grace,when, in reality, they are gloriously sustained bygrace with blameless hearts. To these, we speakof the coming of the Lord in this way; "And theLord make you to increase and abound in love onetoward another, and toward all men, even as we dotoward you: TOO THE END HE MAYESTABLISHYOUR HEARTS UNBLAMEABLEIN HOLINESSBEFORE GOD, ErvEN OUR FATHER, AT THECOMINGOF OUR LORD JE'SUS C'HRI,STWITHALLHIS SAINTS" (I Thess. 3:12-13). Praise theLord for that prospect.

In other words, we are being admonished toexpend our labors in spiritual living, and themaintaining of a life characterized by good rela-tionships with God's people, and with all men -leaving the matter Df the establishment Oofourhearts in blamelessness to the Lord Himself. Therevelation in truth of that establishment shalltake place at the corning of the Lord. Until then,we may see through glasses darkly, but then,praise the Lord, "face to face." This certainlyought to encourage the saints who so ardentlylong for a heart without any offense toward theLord; a heart that is marked by absolute purity.By saying that it will be blameless at the comingof the Lord, the Lord is emphasizing that this isthe end fDrwhich the Lord Jesus has labored andtread the winepress alone in our behalf; that wemight stand "faultless before the Throne with ex-ceeding joy" (Jude 24). When Jesus comes, it isthe purpose of the Father to vindicate all of Hispeople; to reveal them as gloriously purged fromevery vestige of guilt and sin, by His grace; to holdthem up before the heavenly hosts, and the as-sembled universe as tokens of the power and gloryof His grace. That is the Father's delight, and itis ours also, and we love to think of our Lord's re-turn with this in mind. Hallelujah!

The corning of the Lord Jesus Christ in gloryis also.a basis tor sound exhoetation; "Nowwe be-seech you by the eoming of our Lord Jesus Christ,and by our gathering together with Him" (IIThess.2:1). By this the Holy Spirit means to in-form u.s that a sound eontemplatton or the Lord's

appearing, as guided from the Throne, will go aIong way to settling our hearts and moving uponus to live and move wisely in this world, Muchof the hardship that is so characteristic of somebrothers could be alleviated if only they would livein the prospect of the glorious return of our Lord.Does not the thought of His coming again speakwarnings to the soul to resist sin and the devil,to cleanse your hands, and to purify your hearts?Too, doesn't it lend itself to encouragement to ful-fill your duties before the Lord, knowing thatChrist shall bring His reward with Him whenHe comes (Rev. 22:12)? To the slothful, thethought of the Lord's coming will provide a stimu-lus to diligence; to the diligent, it will provideencouragement that "labor is not in vain in theLord" (I Cor. 15:58); to the sorrowing, the thoughtof second coming of our Lord brings joy; and tothe struggling, hope, More exhortations ought tobe made upon the basis of the Lord's appearing,for that is the time of the end, or the rewards, ofthe accounting of our lives, of the end of tempta-tion, of the end of trial, of the glortous fruitionof our faith. Praise the Lord for this powerfulfoundation of true exhortation.

There are many other uses of this doctrine;uses which touch upon the very life-cord of everybeliever. There is the subjects of rejoicing (IThess. 2:19), and the matter of the revelation ofthe heart (I Cor. 4:15) grafted into this greattheme. We are called upon to consider the subjectof patience in association with our Lord's return(James 5:7-8), as if to say; "At that time you shallhave no further need of patience. Run swiftly,trust well during this time of your sojourn, andwait patiently for the Lord, for when He comes,your liberation shall be so great that patienceshall no longer be required in the way that it ishere." Thus do we "look" and "hasten" unto theday of the Lord (II Pet. 3:12), as though we werestretching every fiber of our souls in the direc-tion of heaven, anxious to see Him "as He is" (IJohn 3:1-3). Is it not then that we shall "be likeHim" (I John 3:2)? That is what we have beenchosen and fashioned tor, to be "conformed to theimage of His (God's) Son" (Rom. 8:29-30). It isthen, when the Lord is "revealed from heaven" (II'I'hess, 1:7) that we shall come into the possessionof a "body like un to His glorious body" (Phil. 3:20-21), and shall "appear in glory with Him" (Col.3:4). Let those, Who will, think upon this mostsacred theme in terms of chronology, if they will;but I much prefer these truths relative to libera-tion, the beholding of the Lord, hope, and patience- for these are the matters that concern me as Iwrestle against principalities and powers, and.spiritual wickedness in high places, together withthe rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph.6:12). Salvation will be consummated then, ex-perienced in its fulness (Heb. 9:28), and in thishope we live. Too, it is then that the evil one shallbe destroyed with all of his cohorts (H Thess.2:8), and thus do we with great joy anticipate the"day of the Lord" - "Maranatha."

And now, be encouraged, brethren, for the Lordshall come "in like manner" as He went (Acts1:7-12). He has testified, "Behold, I come quickly"(Rev. 22:20). With patience wait for that day,ordering your life accordingly.

WORSHIPPING THE LORDThere are two philosophies of religion; the one

is true, and the other is false. One centers aroundlabor expended fQr GOod;the other centers aroundthe apprehension and comprehension Oofthe LordGod. The latter is the true concept. The first istaken up with beholding man, while the latter isoccupied with beholding the Lord. How gloriousit is to be possessed of that "faith once deliveredto the saints" which enables one to behold theLord in His Holiness, to worship and adore Himbecause of Who He is! Oh, to .stand in the courtsof the Lord is rewarding; "one day" in His pres-ence is as a "thousand" anywhere else! Is it notso that the true child of God had rather be a"doorkeeper in the House of the Lord than todwell in the tents of wickedness" (Psa. 84:10).Laboring tor the Lord is a wonderful thing, andthereunto have we devoted our lives and, themembers of our persons. Yet, it is greater still to'behold the Lord and to inquire within His temple;to be absorbed with the visicn of the Lord "highand lifted up, and His train filling all the Temple"(Isa.6:1-6). True worshlp will compel us to servethe Lord; but all Df the service in the world willnever compel us to worship the LOoTd.WDrshipabsolves delusion, and when performed in theSpirit is mighty in instructing us in the mind ofthe Lord. It is not possible to worship the Lordtoo much; for He is worthy of aU worship andpraise! Is not it lamentable tha t myriads ofchurchmen have never really worshipped theLord; have never actually been caught up in theSpirit beholding the Lord, revelling in His good-ness, and drinking into their hearts the love andmercy and majesty of the Holy one of Israel. Isay, is that not a lamentable thing? Yet, it pre-vails all about us. Worship services are an-nounced, yet no genuine worship appears to takeplace. There is no awe at the presence of theLord; no reverence for the Monarch of creation;no adoration for the Savior of the world. Oughtwe not to think of this most noble theme, andsummon up the resources of our mind to meditateupon the Lord Himself; to seek grace to sit at Hisfootstool in awe and reverence, and be changedfrom glory unto glory?

In heaven, there is continual worship! Now,the thought of this is apt to frighten many a be-nighted soul that is honest enough to admit thatit has never worshipped the Lord, or even had arelish and desire to do so. But, nevertheless, it isso. Do you not hear the word of the Lord; "Andafter these things I heard a great voice of muchpeople in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, andglory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord ourGod" (Rev. 19:1); "And a voice came out of theThrone, saying: "Praise our God all ye Hisservants and ye that fear Him, both small andgreat. And I heard as it were the voice of a greatmultitude, and as the voice of many waters, andas the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alle-luia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (Rev.19:5-6). Are not the words of the six wingedseraphim: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,which was, and is, and is to come." And do not thefour and twenty elders around the Throne cry out:"Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory andhonor and power; tor Thou hast created all things,

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and for Thy pleasure they are and were created"(Rev. 4:8-11). The secret to real worship is a visionof the Lord ; insight Df the soul into His Person.granted by free grace through the power of theHoly Spirit!

WDrship is not an actton, it is an attitude ofthe heart; a condstion of the sp,irit of man that isin him. The word signi:fies "homage, adoration,honor", and has to do with the "inner man." Trueworship can only be accomplished through an il-lumination of the understanding. There must bean abolition of ignorance. The reason why there isso little worship in the pseudo-churches aroundus, is simply because there is "no knowledge ofGod in the land" (Hosea 4: 1). In Scripture, whenanyone worshipped the Lord, it generally followeda revelation of the Lord (Gen. 24:26, 48; Ex. 34:8;Judges 7:15; I Sam. 1:19; 1:28, etc.) A life ofworship is the result Df a eontdnnal viewing of theLord High and lifted up! Without the knowledgeof the Lord, and some insight into His Person, onemight as well attempt to climb up into heaven asto worship the Lord. Through the Scriptures,through prayer and supplication, through media-tion, and other ordained means, we are to seekthe face of the Lord, which view will compel usto worship Him truly. The hour has come, myreader, when the true worshippers worship theLord in spirit and in truth; i.e., inwardly and inreality! Their worship is not feigned; it is notfabricated by carnal minds! Within the deep re-cesses of their hearts they truly adore the Lord;He is to them the "Bright and morning Star, andthe Fairest of ten thousand." Their worship isreal; it is not simulated. It is the real outreachof the soul; the actual rejoicing of the heart inreality! Did not Jesus speak of this sort ofworship; "But the hour cometh, and nDWis, whenthe TRUE WORSHIPPERS shall worship the Fa-ther in spirit and in truth: FOR THE FATHERSEEKETH SUCH TO WORSHIP HIM" (John 4:23).Our Lord is not SO' interested in the fOormsof wor-ship which many have adopted: with appearances,exercises, and mere overt expressions, as He is inthe inward adoration and reverence of His Personby the saints. In Israel He had much form, butlittle content. As it is written: "They honor mewith their lips, but their heart is far from me"(Matt. 15:8). Let this not be the case with you!Fabricate no worship before the Lord; it is only anabomination unto Him" (Isa. 1:13).

The Lord Is TO'Be WO'rshipped In TheBeauty Of Holiness

"Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness";that is the injunction of Holy Writ (I Chron. 16:29;Psa. 29:2; 66:4; 96:9). This speaks of the beautyof spiritual worship: of that adoration and hom-age which proceeds from an enlightened andquickened heart - how beautiful it is! Speakingfor all or the "household of faith", our belovedbrother Paul declared: "We are the circumcisionthat worshtp God in the spirit, and rejoice inChrist Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh"(Phil. 3:3) . There is a description of spiritualworship - of worshipping in the beauty of holiness.It is a condition which finds Christ not merelyadored with the lips, or with a group of simulatedactions, but within - in the "inner man." Thisadoration has been produced because the heart

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has been' "circumcised" of all the sin and evilthat was in it by nature (Col. 2:10-12). The flesh(that which was by nature) is seen for what it is,and has been abandoned so far as hope and faithis concerned. Those that have participated inthese things truly do worship the Lord "in thebeauty of holiness". Without our sinful nature be-ing cut off', and the "new man" (Eph. 4:20-24) be-ing implanted by the power Qf the HDty Spirit;without a firm faith in the Lord Jesus, and a re-joicing in Him, together with a spiritual disdainfor the flesh and its lusts - there can be no trueworship.

Churches of today are plagued with peoplethat worship not the Lord simply because theyhave neither been forgiven of their sins, nor havethey seen the Lord by faith. Their worship is ac-cording to ignorance, like the philosophers of old.They differ very little from the gross heathen thatworship the animals and brute creation, togetherwith the work of their own hands, simply becausethey grope blindly for reality. WDrship is not ablind reaching fDrth for reality; a clumsy stretch-ing Df the soul forward in hopes that somethmgDivine may be found! WQrship is the response otthe soul to reality; the uplifting of the soul to-ward the Lord GO'd, WhDm it loves and adoreswholly because of renewal within and vision with-out. The "beauty of holiness", or spiritual wor-ship proceeds from a nature that has been createdin Christ's own image. The "new man" is renewedin knowledge "after the image of Him who createdhim in all righteousness and true holiness" (Eph.4:24). There is, within the believer, a genuine lovefor rtgnteousness, and a real disdain and hate forunrighteousness and evil. There is a discontentwith the world, a longing for heaven; a contemptheld for the all that would hide and obscure theface of the Lord Jesus, and a wholesome relish forall that brings His Person into the view of theheart. In short, the one that has been "bornagain" ("from above", ASV--John 3:3-5) has thesame mind toward righteousness and evil as theFather Himself. With his own sin, the believer isdiscontent, humbled, and ashamed. He admits,when sin is found in his life (if he truly be thechild of God) that he has done "that which hewould not" (Rom. 7: 15); Le., his heart and mindhave not consented to sin. He has, as it were, beensnared by the cunning of the Devil against hisown will, and uhus is he beaten to the dust of theearth, acknowledging with bitter tears and repen-tance his own despicable filthiness before the Lord.How he cries out: "Wash me thoroughly from mineiniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I ac-knowledge my transgression, and my sin is everbefore me" (Psa. 51:2-3).

He makes no attempt to hide his sin underthe rock of alibis, or remove it from sight by call-ing attention to the misdemeanors of others! No!He has sinned, much to his own dismay, he isashamed of it, and is confessing his sin that thefaithful and just Lord may forgive it (I Jno. 1:19).This is the characteristic of his life - the believeris noted in heaven for such an attitude as he walksby faith, and not by Sight. Now, those who haveexperienced this know what it means to worshdpthe Lord - for that is "the beauty of holiness"which assists, by the power of the Holy Spirtt, inkeeping our hearts detached from sin, and thus

keeps us frDm persistent overt sin. Those thathave no fellowship in this sort of thing knownothing of worship, for they have no lively senseof the holiness of the Lord God of heaven andearth - hence they cannot worship him. Actually,a fellowship, where worship is not experiencedprivately and publicalIy is one where sin has beenswept under the rug, so to speak. When sin isdealt within the convictdng power of the HolySpirit, and cleansing takes place in the blood QfJesus, there shall issue forth a beautiful worshipunto the Lord. Praise the Lord.

WQrship Involves A Humility Before the LordBecause of our "frame" (Psa. 103: 14), we find

our souls in a prone condition when the Lord isseen. We bow down before Him in deep contrition,and acknowledge our grossness, our cleavage tothe earth; our diverseness from the Lord Himself:We begin, in true worship, to' realize that the Lordis above us in every way - out or sight Oofhumancomprehension! As the Scriptures saith: "For mythoughts are not your thoughts, neither are myways your ways, saith the Lord. For as high asthe heavens are above the earth, so high are myways above your ways, and my thoughts aboveyour thoughts" (Isa. 55:8-9). Thus do we ad-monish one another; "0 come, let us worship andBOW DOWN: let us KNEEL before the Lord ourMaker" (Psa. 95:6). Our worship is viewed as be-ing "at His footstool" (Psa. 132:7), for we realizethat we are under His feet. Our GOodtowers aboveus in every respect; He is equal to' us in none!Did not this truth revolutionize the life of Isaiah,as he saw the Lord "High and lifted up, and histrain filling all of the temple" (Isa. 6: 1-6).

It was during this time that Isaiah acknowl-edged: "Woe is me, for I am a man of Sinful lips,and I dwell in the midst of a people of sinful lips."That is an example of spiritual humility; it pro-ceeds rrom a genuine faith-view of the Lord Godof heaven and earth, in the "face of Christ Jesus"(II Cor. 4:6) . As John the Beloved was on theIsle of Patmos, tor to receive a revelation fromthe Lord, he saw visions of heaven. While beingpermitted to, with strong faith, see the throne-room of the Lord, John saw twenty-four eldersseating upon seats about the Throne. Yet, whenthey worshipped, he recorded: "And the four andtwenty elders which sat before the Lord on theirseats, fell upon their faces and worshtpped God"(Rev. 11:16); and again: "And the four and twen-ty elders and the four beasts fell down and WQr-shipped God that sat upon the Throne" (Rev.19 :4); and again, "And all the angels stood roundabout the Throne, and about the elders and thefour beasts, and fell before the Throne on theirfaces, and worshipped GOod"(Rev. 7: 11) . If thisbe true of the higher order of creation, how muchtruer will it be of those who were made "a littlelower than the angels." Such humility cannot beavoided when you receive a view of the Lord. Oh,let prayers fervently rise by the chosen fQr thesemyriads Qf churches where no worship ever takesplace; where no hearts are ever enraptured witha vision of the Lord, and the eonstituents arenever fDund on their faces before the Lord.

There is an element of fear in humility; whole-some and proper fear! So, in true spiritual wor-ship, there is that portion of ordinate fear which

constrains the worshipper to fall down before theLord. "But as for me, I will come into Thy housein the multitude of Thy mercy, and in Thy fearwill I worship toward the Holy Temple" (Psa. 5: 7).Though this be mingled with a cognizance of the"Iovlngkindness of the Lord" (Psa. 48:9), yet thefear is very real. Theee are dreadful thoughts en-tertained of Qfiendling the Lord, of self strength,pride, and arrogance before the ThrOone. Thus arethe people of God encouraged to tremble beforethe Lord, to let their flesh shake, so to speak, untilits pride is all lost: "The Lord reigneth in right-eousness, let all the people TREMBLE" (Psa. 99: 1) ;"Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice in trem-bling" (Psa. 2: 11); "My flesh trembleth for fearof Thee" (psa. 119: 120). Yet does our heavenlyFather promise: "But to this man will I look (be-stov.rmY graceand mercy), even tohim that is of. apoor and contrite spidt, and tremibleth at myword" (Isa. 66:2).

All Saints Are Enjoined To WDrship The LordThe angel told John on the Isle of Patmos:

"WORSHIP GOD" (Rev. 19:10) and thus are thepeople of God admonished today! The angelichosts cry back from the Throne-room: "Fear Godand give glory to Him" (Rev. 14:7), and thus dowe admonish you, oh saint of God. Let your visionbe lifted frOomthe earth; lift up your eyes, andseek after the Lord in renewed vigor. "He is notfar trom every one of us" (Acts 17: 27). I quitewell acknowledge that I do not understand norcomprehend my God; "His ways are past findingout" (ROom.11:33). I know that many religiouscircles have a God that they thoroughly compre-hend, and for whom they may consistently speakwith great discernment; but it is not so with myGod. I could worship no god that was compre-hensible! He would be my equal were that thecase. But the Lord is high and lifted up; Histhoughts and ways transcend my own; His will isknown only by revelation; His ways are perceivedonly as I am lifted up in the Spirit and made tosee beyond the scope of mortal vision. Oh, how Iworship and adore Him, and praise His Name forrevealing Himself to me.

When we are caned upon to' worship the Lord,we are being admonished to strip the earth frQmour affectdon in order that we might the moreclearly see the Lord; tor once He is beheld bysaints, He shall be worshipped. Let your "affec-tion be set on things above, and not on things onthe earth", as we are admonished by the HolySpirit in Col, 3: 1-3. See that our hearts are de-tached from earthfy arrectton: that there are norelattonshdps cultured upon this earth which de-tract trom the Lord; which hinder us in seeingHim fully. Sanctify your endeavors by puttingthe Lord in the midst of them. Your jobs, homes,and various associations are to be characterizedby an intense fellowship with the Lord; one inwhich He is often seen by faith, and glorified inyour spirit. Have no confidence in the flesh, butrather seek that blessed rejoicing in the Spiritwhich gives such freedom and liberation from thevexing cares or this life. Think otten of heaven ashome, and earth as bondage!

When you see the Lord, and worship Him inSpirit and in truth, you shall find such exercisesand expressions as singing, praying, speaking, and

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"THE WHOLE WORLD"(Concluded from March Issue)

For many, this is a hard saying! They "stum-ble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto theywere appointed" (I Pet. 2:8). Because their mindsare filled with earthiness, they are constrained tohighly evaluate the segments of the world whichthey receive as beneficial. But, what is their in-sipid wisdom to that of God? Has not the Lorddeclared that the wisdom of the world is fool-ishness to Him (I Cor. 1:17-20)? Thus, all whoembrace it are fools of the highest order, be-cause they shape their lives by that which iscondemned and cursed with a great curse. Poorbenighted souls are they! And you, if you acceptthe philosophy that there is some good in theworld, what shall you do when the Lord destroysthe earth with fire, and all the "works that aretherein" (II Pet. 3:10-12). What shall you em-brace then? What of the "good" that you sup-posed was here, after the earth shall have beenbaptized with fire? You that have most foolishlyembraced the earth, and heaped to yourselveslusts and ambitions which tie you to the earth,shall not the Lord come as a thief in the nightto you, and take all of your possessions. Thenyou shall be naked, and without the robe ofrighteousness. Oh, lay up for yourselves treasuresin heaven where moth and rust doth not cor-rupt, and where thieves do not break through andsteal. Develop by grace an appetite for spiritualthings; culture a longing for heaven; come toappreciate eternal things that shall never passaway. Renounce the world and all of its vain wis-dom; seek no career in it apart from that whichis service to God? Come up into the Spirit whereyou too may be empowered to say: "We know thatwe are of God, and the WHOLE WORLD lieth inwickedness." That is the truth of things; this iswhere the world lies - ALL of the world. As you,by faith, are given to see it and embrace it, youshall become a partaker of the Divine nature,and be given that fellowship with the Lord whichfar transcends anything that the world has tooffer, and which bears with it the seeds of glory,which shall be made manifest in all of their ful-ness at the appearing of our Lord and Savior,Jesus Christ.

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Pungent PointsGod's eternal purpose is manifested in the con-

forming of those whom He has predestinated untothe image of His Son (Rom. 8:20-29). We must,then, look for Christ-like qualities to be developedin our own character and lives, for these aretokens of our election (II Pet. 1:5-11).

witnessing spring forth with renewed vitality.No more shall they be difficult exercises, but theyshall become joyous indulgences to the glory ofGOd.

And now, let every saint praise the Lord, forgreat things hath He done. See that your heartsare pure from sin, and your affection uprootedfrom the earth, your eyes lifted up, and your headbowed down--thus shall you be blessed.

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TRADITIONAL aOMMANDMENTSBy "Traditional Commandments", I mean com-

mandments that do not find their origin in God's"Wcrd ; for their source, they have mere humantradition. These are requirements placed uponmen that God has not enjoined, and upon whichfellowships and disfellowships are based. Greatbodies of church doctrines today are built aroundjust such commandments, aptly called in Scrip-ture, "the commandments of men" (Col. 2:22). Al-though there may seem sound basis for such com-mandments, a good reason for them, and experi-ential evidence for them, yet, if GO'd has notspoken, the matter cannot be bound upon another!Jesus, in warning us of tradition said: "In vainthey do worship me, teaching for doctrines thecommandments of men" (Matt. 15:9); and again:"Making the Word of God of none effect throughyour tradition, which ye have delivered and manysuch things do ye" (Mark 7:13); and again: "Fullwell do ye reject the Word of God that ye maykeep your own tradition" (Mark 7:9); and again:"Why do ye also transgress the commandment ofGod by your tradition?" (Matt. 15:3). There arefour things which mark the tradition of whichwe speak, and thus warn us of being caught up init: (1. It creates vain worship. (2. It makes theWord of God of none effect. (3. It causes a rejec-tion of the Word of God. (4. It causes one totransgress the commandments of God. Tradition,then, is not something to be taken lightly! In ef-fect, it drives a wedge between men and God,which nothing but the blood of Jesus can erase;"With the precious blood of Christ ... redeemed... from your vain conversation, received BYTR:ADITIONfrom your fathers" (I Pet. 1:19, 18).Those myriads of people that are fervently serv-ing what they suppose to be the Lord God of heav-en and earth, who possess no true knowledge ofthe Lord, but only a traditional conception ofsomething they call truth - were they to be fullyaware of the precarious position they were in, theywould come out from such environs immediately,and begin to serve the Lord in spirit and in truth,as the Lord requires (John 4:23-24). It is verydifficult to teach upon a subject like this withoutoffending anyone, for most of the religion em-braced by conscientious people today is purelytradi tional: by that I mean they have no evi-dence of its truth apart from the official positionof their church, or the word of their "pastor."Yet, "in many things we offend all", even as James(Js. 3:1-3), and we but trust the Lord to outweighoffense with meekness, and tradition with truth.I ibid you to examine carefully the Scriptures tosee whether these things be so; and to be cour-ageous enough to acknowledge before God and Hispeople the truth of your acceptance of truth ortradition, and to follow whatever path is com-mended of the Lord.

I am increasingly alarmed with the professedignorance of churchmen concerning the truths ofScripture. Most are ready to acknowledge thatthey know very little about the Word of God. Yet,they claim to be avid worshippers and servants orthe Lord and "His Christ." It is, however, due totheir basic ignorance of the Word of God, thatthey have become subject to traditionalism - sys-tems and commandments that have had their

origin with men, not with God. Their views ofsuch great themes as the new birth, the secondcoming of Christ, grace, falling from grace, con-fession, instruction, repentance, and Christian fel-lowship, are merely projections of what theirchurch teaches. They have not conscientiously ex-amined the Scriptures to see if these things areso, as did the Bereans (Acts 17:11), and therebyevidence their utter lack of spiritual nobility.Thus do they make void the commandment ofGod; it means nothing to them; they are unableto discern it, unable to appreciate it, and unableto keep it. The Word of God has not its effectualwork within their soul because they are seekingapproach to God through the avenue or tradition,rather than by hearing the WDrd Qf the Lord(Rom. 10:17). As Jesus well put it in Mark 7:9,the acceptance of tradition moves them to "re-ject" the Word of God in order that they mightkeep their own tradition. In such assemblies (andlegion is their name) there are numerous texts ofScripture that are not accepted, not preached, notproclaimed, in the power of the Holy Spirit, simplybecause they do not confirm and support the de-nominational dogma that has been therein em-braced. If the Wo~d Df God, however, must begiven with "tongue-in-cheek", and minimized inorder to keep tradition, then there is a woefullack of love fo,r the Lord and an evident presenceof the Iove Oofmen and their praises. If your the-ologyconstrains YOoUto withdraw from any portionof Scripture; rrom any declaratton Dftruth by theHoly Spirit, then away with your theology, andbegin to possess a love ror the truth (II Thess.2: 10).

I would not fail to give some examples of tradi-tion that are held by churches today, which willserve to illustrate the absolute power of tradi-tionalism. How many have been taken in by it,and how it ought to be avoided with great zeal.In some congregations (as a matter of fact, inmost) there is a standing rule that anyone whodesires to enter, what men call, "the ministry"must go to seminary, or to a Bible college, or tosome religious school that is fitted to train minis-ters of the Gospel. While this may sound nobleon the surface, merely a casual perusal of therequirement will at once show that our Lord Jesus,Peter, John, James, and even Paul, would havebeen excluded rrom all such churches. Such arequirement is not found in all of Holy Writ! Yet,one would find it exceedingly difficult, yea, vir-tually impossible, to gain entrance into any majordenomination without the possession of some sortof diploma from a religious institution.

To mention a few more traditions that havefor their substantiation absolutely no command-ment of God; the seeking of overt spiritual gifts(nowhere is this set forth as a commandment ofGod - it is suggested by Paul to the Corinthians,but not as a rule of the Kingdom); denominationalaffiliation; and missionary support. Now, it maycome as a surprise to many that I have mentionedthese things; but I do so to highlight the powerthat tradition has had upon people's lives! With-out any direct command of GOld,they have set upthese matters as commandments to' be observed inthe name QfJesus, and feltowship or dlsfellowshipis based upon the acceptance or rejection of thesecommandments. What would happen if one were

to announce in the average evangelical churchthat soul-winning was not a commandment of theLord? That the word was not even mentioned inScripture? Would he not be considered an hereticof the first order? The text of Scripture that isused to undergird this particular dogma is Mat-thew 28:18-20 which teaches us that we are to"TEACH", "'MAKEDISCIPLES", and "TEACH" -yet, this is not what is urged at aU! Oh, the baneof tradition, and how it robs men of the bless-ings of the Lord. 'I'raditdon hides the command-ment of the Lord, and offers in its place allegianceto the programs and Interpretations ot men. Whata miserable substitute is this for the child of theKing who's only sustenance is the Word of theLord as it proceeds out of His mouth!

One of the most remarkable of all traditionsis the distinction drawn between the Old Testa-ment and the New Testament. Almost universally,it is agreed that the first thirty-nine books of theBible are the Old Testament, and the last twenty ...seven are the New Testament. Yet, this sort ofdefinition is never offered by the Holy Spirit. Thisdtstlnctlon has driven a wedge in the Soripturesfor many traditional students. They, claiming tobe of the New Testament church and order, havevirtually shut the first two-thirds of their Bibles,believing that it holds nothing pertinent to them,but is merely filled with a few historical factswhich mayor may not be beneficial. Yet, Jesus andthe Apostles delivered their messages and sermonsfrom this segment of the Scriptures as vre knowthem, referring to them as "The Scriptures", "TheHoly Scriptures", and "Moses and the Prophets."As a matter of fact, Paul went so far as to say thathe preached absolutely nothing else, other than"that which the prophets and Mosesdid say shouldcome" (Acts 26:22). Nowhere were men urged torefrain from the writings ot Moses and the proph-ets, nor was a lack of familiarity with themever commended Drcondoned.

Further, when the HolySpirit spoke of the NewTestament, or of the Old Testament, He made noreference to a number of books which belonged toone "dispensation." The New Testament is cate-gorically outlined by the Holy Spirit in Hebrews8, and therein is the thirty-ftrst chapter of Jere-miah quoted: "For this is the covenant (testa-ment) that I will make with Israel after thosedays sayeth the Lord; I will put my laws into theirminds, and write them in their hearts: and I willbe unto them a God, and they shall be unto mea people: and they shall not teach every man hisneighbor saying, Know the Lord, for they.shall allknow me, from the least to the greatest. For Iwill be merciful to their unrighteousness, andtheir sins and iniquity will I remember no more.In that He saith, ANEWCOVENANT(Testament),He hath made the first old ... " (Heb. 8:10-13).There is no confusing this with a number of bookscommonly referred to as The NewTestament. Theactual New Testament is the agreement that GOldhas made with Christ Jesus Himself to' bless Hispeople with justification and fellowship upon thebasis of His vicar-ious sacrifice. It is the placingof the law, which once was enmity against us,within the heact and mind, so that there is an in-ward sympathy ror, and a jOoyfulsubmtsslon to it.There is wrought within the heart by grace, awhole-hearted agreement and consent with the

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decrees Df the Lord - That is the New Testament.The Old Testament is the covenant that manwould live by the Law if he 'kept the law (Rom.10:5; Gal. 3:12). The difference between the twotestaments is simply this: in the first, now the old,testament, the blessing was contingent upon theaccomplishment of man. In the second, or thenew testament, the blessing is conflrmed unmeri-tortously, and entirely apart frQm personal ac-eompltshment in the Name ot the Lord JesusChrist. All who have experienced such transfor-mation and blessing are in the New Testamentchurch; all who have not received real remissionof sins, and the law written upon their hearts andconsciences are aliens from the New Testament,even though they may profess outward allegianceto it.

This single traditional view has caused morespiritual retardatton, I suppose, than any other.Because of it, the religious masses are basicallyand fundamentally ignorant of the nature andpurposes and workings of the Lord. The prophetsunfold for us the workings of the Lord; how Hemoves; how His ways are immutable, hDW Hethinks, reacts, blesses, and curses. Those who areignorant of their writings, are generally ignorantof God Himself. Thus do they stumble at greatdoctrines of Scripture which they are unable toreceive because their minds have not been culturedat the hands of the Prophets as ministered by theHoly Ghost. God's immutable counsel, predestina-tion, providence, unmerited favor - all of these areillustrated and expounded by the prophets at greatlength. Were professed disciples of the Lord morefamiliar with these holy men of old, they wouldfind themselves more in agreement with the Lord,and experience less or that reaction called "stumb-ling at the Word" (I Pet. 2:8).

What may we do to rid ourselves of the grip oftraditionalism? There actually is no formula; it isa matter of the heart, of the desires and affec-tions of the believer. If there is a real hunger andthirst for righteousness, there is the promise offilling. Within the mind, there must not only bea thorough repudiation of the authority of meremen, but there must be a fervent desire for themind of the Lord. All of God's Word must be re-ceived as profltable; "Ail Scripture is given by in-spiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,for reproof, for correction, for instruction in right-eousness; that the man of God may be perfect,throughly furnished unto every good work" (IITim. 3:16-17). That must be received as truth,for that is precisely what it is. There is nothingthat God has uttered that is pointless, 6r restrict-ed to one era. Every Word of God is profitable,and has the ministry of equipping the child ofGod for the "good works" which we have beendestined to walk in (Eph. 2:10). Once settle yourmind, by grace, on this matter, and you shall findyour heart more receptive to the teaching of theHoly Spirit. I have found that the best inter-preter of the mind of the Lord is the Law; theinterp,reterrs of my experience are David and theprophets; the expounder of life as it is in the fleshis Solomon: the unfolder of the truth is Jesus;and the untolders of the Christ are the Apostlesand kindred wrtters, I would not be so foolish asto set that forth as a dogma; I merely say thatthis has ministered to me, and I pass it on to youfor what it is worth. I have also found that those

who find great difficulty in interpreting theirown experiences, and expressing in suitable wordstheir trials and blessings, are almost Invartahlythose who are not familiar with the mind of theprophets. Equally true, I have found that thoseunable to understand the mind of the Lord andHis attitudes towards moral and civil matters, areignorant of the Law of God. It is my understand-ing that the Law is a verbal or word picture Dfthe nature Qf God. Thus, it is good that we allbecome familiar with it, for thus shall it also"lead us to Christ" (Gal. 3).

Now, forget not the blood of Christ; it is power-ful to deliver you from the vain tradition receivedfrom your fathers. Tradition possesses a power-ful grip - make no mistake about that. Play notwith it, for it shall outwrestle you, and bring youinto captivity. But, it is no match for the bloodof Christ (I Pet. 1:18-20). Avail yourself of theblood, by faith, and you shall find the grip oftradition loosening, and your hold upon truthtightening. Now, may the Lord guide you into thetruth of this matter.

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PUNGENT POINTSI To "set your affection (not affections) onthings above, and not on things on the earth"(Col. 3: 1, 2) is to have an appetite for things that

.pertain to the Lord Jesus Christ; to possess an all-;consuming desire to be with the Lord; to be such.as can only be satisfied with Jesus.

* * *If I meditate not upon God's love for me as

:seen in Christ Jesus, I cannot hope to love Himwith all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

*" )I- *: God is not so disposed to ask us for our hearts,Ias He is toward us asking Him to place His heartiwithin us.I * * *

There are not two or three gospels, but onlyone gospel. It was preached "before" to Arbraham(Gal. 3:8), and proclaimed by the holy prophets asthey were "moved by the Holy Ghost." There shallnever be "another gospel" - there is just ONE, andit is that blessed "everlasting Gospel" (Rev. 14: 6)which proclaims that God Himself hath broughtsalvation by His "Own right arm." It has beenheralded in dim light, and in the fuller light ofthe day of grace - yet it is still, and has alwaysbeen, but ONE GOSPEL.

'* '* *The world is at war with God, and whosoever is

its friend is God's enemy (James 4:4). It is Inevi-table that the children of God feel this enmity andwarfare. They must make no attempts to diminishthis enmity, Dr make themselves tolerable to theworld, for to' do such a thing is to become theenemy of GOodalso.