The Dolores star., 1910-10-07
CALLED 70
BE WITNESS


nunureu tim0s ID tno OLD
- b and New Tsstamsnts with
reference TO testimony 70
God: and the thought that lies ~
neath the word ID simply telling out
what We know" for which any child
y competent. and for which even tho
greatest man ID no more than compe.
TENT. To know something about God
and tell what We know-that 10 vii.
ness IN the true Biblical sense.
There 10 the relation Of the witues.
TO God himself. "Ye are my witnesses,
saith the Lord" "Ye shall BE- wit.
nssses unto me-" God depends upor
human witnesses: the Lord Jesus
Christ 10 dependent upon his follow.
ers for Witnessing Of him to dying
world. II we do not testify for the
Lord By lip or pen. how 10 be goine
TO proclaim his gracious gospel? This
great work Of witnessing ID the mag
nilcent and all-comprehensive work
Of Christians individually and collect
lively. As long a. the church rests
upon the rock.foundation Of Peters
confession, Thou are the Christ, the
son Of the living God"--fhe founda
ton upon which our Lord said he
would build his church-"the gates Of
hell shall not prevail against IT," but
II shall stand unaffected by demoniaca
rage and malice.
Dying Thief . Great Witness.
The greatest witness In the word OF
God. next to the Lord Jesus Christ, II
not Paul the apostle. but the dying
thief. We have long deprecated the
penitent thief. There was the dark
ness over all Il e earth. there was the
dying Christ. and even the disciples
themselves had given up their hopes
that Christ was he who should have
redeemed Israel" Perhaps that peni
tent thief had never seen Christ be
fore. or. at best, only In the course Of
the trial. when the Christ said: Il an
q king; my kingdom In not Of this
world" He had no opportunity. for
aught we know. Of any acquaintance
with the Lord Jesus Christ or with his
teaching. And yet. while the other
malefactor rallied on him. he gave his
witness. even before he had the Lords
assurance and blessing. He said:
Doth not thou fear God. seeing thou
art In the same condemnation! And
We indeed Justly, for we receive the
due reward Of our deeds: but this man
hath done nothing amiss. What q
melting testimony! A thief dying on
= cross and Jesus Christ dying beside
him. he not knowing the person Of
Christ. or his character. never having
even sat under his teaching: and yet
that poor penitent thief saw . king In
the dying Jesus. and that death and
burial were the ushering Of the king
into his kingdom. He says: Lord,
remember me when thou CONTEST into
thy Kingdom" There 10 hardly any.
thing more pathetic and melting and
marvellous In the whole Of the New
Testament than that penitsnt thiers
testimony and prayer.
The next most marvellous witness
In the New Testament 10 the blind
man. John 81. Eight times he Wit.
messed to Christ. He Witnessed 10 his
own identity-to the >ure and the
manner Of Il: he repeated that Wit.
ness before the Pharis-es: he bore his
witness to Christ ~ = prophet: he
bore his witness to Christ a. his mas.
ter. The words: wilt ye also be bis
disciples." shovel that he had vir.
tually accepted him n his master:
he confessed him A. the greatest mir.
acle-worker since the world began: be
confessed him N q righteous man: he
owned him probably a. Messiah when
he said: II this man were not from
God. he could do nothing" These
eight times he witnessed 10 Christ.
and when our Lord found him cast out.
he said; "Dost thou believe on the son
Of God!" and the man said. who 10
he. Lord. that ! might believe on
him?" he was In an attitude Of craving
new light and knowledge that he
might obey. The Lord Jesus said TO
him: Thou hast both seen him, and
Il 10 he that now talketh with thee"
And he said. Lord, I believe. And he
worshiped him"
Testimony Gnr,ehss Experience.
Experiences enriches testimony. bu,
testimony enriches experience. Every
time he confessed something that he
found. the Lord revealed TO him some
thing he had not previously known.
Many people keep silence because they
think they do not know anything: but
they do not know more because they
keep silence.
IL l. A. A.