The Washington herald., 1915-02-01

| 49, - Gospel Age, ana
! not only tells us
(@sIo& RUssEg) that the the Lord 4g'd will will
els sooner but also
| implies that the only class to be
gathered at that time will be the
j jewel clasS-He comes to make up
I His jewels. We have here a contra
diction of the ordinary thoughts on
the subject: % That He has been
gathering His jewels all along for
the past six thousand years, evidently
an erroneous thought, since He has
appointed a Day, in the end of the
Age, in which He will gather, or
make up, His Jewels; and co That
everybody who is respectable, half
way decent is to be gathered to the
Lord and share in His Kingdom. Our
| text distinctly points out the fact
! that only a very exceptional class will
be sought for and gathered.
The class here described as jewels
| is contrasted in the context with
other classes-''the proud" who have
much of the success OF the present
time; and the workers Of wicked
ness" who tempt God and are not
careful to please and serve Him. Such
evidently are the majority OF man
kind. The jewel class is described as
they that feared Jehovah"-that revs
erenced Him-"and that thought upon
His Word"
Seeking the Jewels.
But, We inquire, where are Jewels
usually found? The answer Is that
they may be found in very unexpect-
ed places. For instance, the diamonds
of South Africa are sometimes min
gled with the ordinary gravel and
sometimes imbedded in bIuish-black
clay. They all require to be searched
after and to be washed from the
mire, before being prepared to reflect
and refract the light. So some of
these jewels that the Lord is now
seeking out from the world are to
be found in the ordinary walks Of
life, and some came from deep down
in the mire.
In the world of mankind the Lord
does not expect to find the jewels in
perfect order-shaped, cut, polished
and ready for the setting in glory.
On the contrary, by one class of His
servants He lifts them out of the
mire of sin and the horrible pit,
cleanses them through the merit of
His own precious blood and through
His Word; and then, through other
servants, He polishes them with d.
vine skill, in order that they may re-
fleet and refract the light Of the
glory of God-the Divine character
Justice, Wisdom, Love.
AS the diamond in its rough state,
uncut, unpublished, would have no
more value than a common stone for
ordinary purposes, so those whom the
Lord is selecting and preparing as
His jewels are to derive their ulti-
mate value from the cutting, shaping,
polishing, OF their characters under
divine Providence. AS it is written,
We are His workmanship" We can
not suppose the illustration to be per-
feet in every particular; yet we may
readily see that while Divine Grace
is to be credited with the entire out
come-the beauty of the finished
jeweI-nevertheless Divine Grace
operates according to principles and
conditions, under Divine Law. As the
experienced diamond miners reject
the soft clay and various of the hard
stones in seeking for those of the de-
sirable kind, so the great Jewel
Gatherer operates according to a prin-
ciple in seeking for His jewels.
"As Many as the Lord Shall CALI
The hardness of the diamond may
be used to represent character, and
we are to remember that character
belongs to the individual Each must
have his own character. and only in
proportion as each has it can he hope
to be accepted finally as a jewel; for
those without it will not endure the
necessary tests.
As the diamond-seeker lays hold
upon everything in his path that gives
evidence Of having the diamond quail
ity, so Divine Grace, operating in the
diamond field of the world. lays hold
upon all who have anything resemb-
ling character. The soft, the pliabIe,
the uncrystallized. are not being
sought now. and coming in contact
with Divine Grace are passed by. Only |
such as give evidence of character
are thought worthy of even washing
and testing.
The hard capitalization of the dia- !
mond corresponds to willingness to-
ward righteousness in the Individual:
and unless there be such willingness
toward God and Righteousness there !
is none of the jewel quality which
the Lord is now seeking Those |
whose wills are formed, crystallized, |
set, determined for righteousness, are
those whom the Lord seeks. But the |
great Jewel-Seeker accepts some in |
whom the crystallizing process Is in |
complete, and helps their infrmities. |
in them by His providence |
the quality of frmness for righteous
ness at the same time polishing them. |
But even when the rough diamond |
has been found, IL would be OF no |
value except as 1t could be cut; in
deed, II would be or Iess value for |
many purposes than are other stones |
So II Is with those whom Divine Grace |
finds in the mire of sin. having |
will or character desir- |
ing righteousness. truth, goodness,
justice-the great Lapidarist must |
really give them all their value by
His skill in shaping. cutting and poll /
ishing them. Yet. on the other hand,
He could not cut. shape and polish
that which had not the quality or