Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-06-21

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than we fault ourselves. As a whole
we have been sOorkmea Iho need to
be ashamed. We have dishonored God
through misunderstood and misrep-
resenting his Word and his Character.
We have driven away from God and
the Bible some Of the most intelligent
Of our fellows, by reason Of the con-
Trajectory nonsense of our creeds.
The Apostle urges. Study to show
myself approved unto God" We are
not to suppose, therefore, that the
highest of all science, that which per-
tains to the Divine purpose and the
Divine plan. can be acquired without
study. We are not in this claiming
that study alone would bring the de-
sired results of proper knowledge We
heartily agree In the Scriptural prop
osition that 1.-THE world by wisdom
knows not God" We are not there
fore to study along the lines Of world
ly wisdom. but along the lines of that
wisdom that cometh from above
along the lines of the inspired Scrip
lures. We must study! Whoever win
not study will not know. ''The secret
of the Lord is with them that rever-
ence Him" And reverencing him
means the giving of our best thoughts
and talents TO the study of his Word,
that we may know the things freely
given to us Of God" q Corinthians ii,
12).
We should note further as Bible STU
dents that we must not study to be all
i proved of men, but to have the Divine
approval. This will bring to us. as it
| did to the Master and his apostles, the
disapprobation of the worldly-w wise and
nominally religious. 1t was the Chief
Priests and Scribes and Pharisees, and
not the common people of the Jews, nor
| the Roman soldiers. who were guilty
/ of the crucifxioh of our Lord. And
we must expect similar conditions, be-
cause. as the Apostle says. las be was
so are we In this world" The class
who called the Master Beelzebub is the
same class which will oppose his foot
| step followers.
God permits all this With wise and
| loving foreintention. Nothing connect
ed with the opposing forces is In any
sense of the word interfering with his
| great Program. He set apart with Di-
| vine wisdom this Gospel Age of nearly
nineteen centuries for the sole purpose
of selecting from the woild 1.-The
| Church of the frstborns"-the antityp-
| zeal Priests and Levites. The restric-
ton of his message. the darkening of
| counsel. the clashing of creeds. the op-
| position OF the world, the flesh and the
| Devil, are all wisely permitted with
the foreintention on Gods part that
| thus ali through the Age the way of
the cross-in the footsteps Of Jesus
should be a narrow way" so that
comparatively few finding II would
care to walk in it.
| 1t is those few, that little flock'
jealous for God. for his Word. for
Righteousness. that he is now marking
out as the prospective joint-heirs with
Jesus in his glorious Kingdom. which
| is to bless the world with full oppoItu-
mites for earthly salvation-'restitu-
| ton" The trials of the faith. the pa
| tience. the love. the devotion of this
little flock are all designed and not
| accidental Satan and his hosts may
| think to thwart the Divine Plan and
may mislead and use humanity as their
tools. but it shall yet be seen that all
! of the Divine purposes shall be ac-
I complished. The Word that has gone
forth out of Jehovah's mouth shall
| prosper in the thing whereto he
| sent it.
| st. Paul declared of earthly Israel,
that they enjoyed much advantage
every way, because to them were COM
| mitted the oracles of God" So now,
| dear friends. 1t seems to me that you
| and | and all sincere Christians the
world around enjoy much advantage
every way Looking to the past we
| find great excuse for our dear forefa-
| theirs who. with sincerity of heart, so
| misunderstood the Divine Word and
| SO misinterpreted the spirit Of the
| Master that they burned one another
at the stake We should not think so
harshly of them for this-as though
they lived today under the greater adj
| vantages which we possess. We
| should sympathize with them. We
should consider them as blinded by
| the great Adversary as was Saul of
| Tarsus. when he. as a member Of the
| Sanhedrin. authorized the stoning Of
| st. Stephen. We should think of them
ympathetically-as ST. Peter spoke Of
the Jews who crucifed the Lord. He
said, Il wot. brethren, that In igno-
rance ye did it, as did also your rul-
ers." So also we should kindly, low
ingly cast a mantle of benevolence
over similar conduct on the part Of
John Calvin and others of our forefa-
Tiers. But as we would NOT go to the
| Jewish rulers. nor TO Saul OF Tarsus
FOR religious instruction, neither should
we go to Brother Calvin or others of
our forefathers who were blinded, as
he was. respecting the true character
of God and the true Spirit Of his
Word
Only within the past century have
the masses of Gods people been able
eyen to read the Bible. If they had pos
sessed IT, And only within the same
time have they had the Bible to read
Our great hindrance has been that
with Bibles in our hands and with
ability to use them. We looked for In
struction to our well-meaning fathers
instead of going TO Gods Word itself.
Now by Gods grace the eyes Of our
understanding are opened. The won
derful Bibles OF our day with their
marginal references. their concord
ances. etc. and other assistances In
Bible study are bringing us in touch
with the whole message OF Gods
Word Now one passage OF Scripture
throws light upon another and thus
with increasing brightness the Word
Of the Lord as q lamp gives light upon
the pathway OF his Church