Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 February 1916 — Safety in Perilous Times [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Safety in Perilous Times

By REV. L. W. GOSNELL

Superintendent of Iften* Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.

TEXT— But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your-most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal WaJude 20, ZL

The book of Jude sets forth the apostasy which began even in apostolic days, but which

will reach its height in the end of the age. It is of high Interest In the perilous times in which we live, and we would Invite special attention to - the secret of safety for believers set forth to; J the text. The root of the exhortation Is, that we shall keep ourselves In the love of God. This is the sunshine

whose light and warmth we need in dark days. A realization of the love of God will keep us from both discouragement and apostasy. But the Spirit .of God Is even more explicit and gives three directions which, If followed, will enable us to keep ourselves in the love of God, First, we are to build up ourselves on our most holy faith. John Wesley used to warn hla preachers that they would not grow in grace unless they grew In knowledge. We may add that many stray from the faith because so poorly instructed in its contents. They seem willing to trust their own powers in the conflict with Satan, whereas our Lord himself was content to meet the assaults of the devil with, "It Is written.” An excellent illustration of obedience to the direction of the text In found In the life of Charlotte Elizabeth, who lived in the days of the Irvingite movement. She heard of marvelous healings and “gifts,” Including the gift of tongues, and was very desirous of taking a proper attitude in the matter. Bhe felt that a few scattered texts were not enough, but that she should read the Bible in a connected way for light. So, night, after earnest prayer for guidance, she sat on the side of her bed, and, beginning at Matthew, read, straight on till she had gone through the seventh chapter of Revelation, completing-the New Testatment next morning. She saw that miracles may even be of Satanic origin and that they will characterize some things to be avoided in the last days. The prominence given to women In the Irvingite movement she saw to be unscriptural, and her judgment on the matter was confirmed Bhortly afterwards when she found that heresjr as to the nature of Christ was being taught. We tremble to think of the easy prey found by Satan among Christians because of a lack of such building up of themselves on their most holy faith. Next, we are instructed to pray In the Holy Ghost. We are familiar with the fact that the Holy Ghost prays in us, but the thought of the text is not bo common. It represents the Holy Ghost, so to speak, as the atmosphere in which the Christian lives and breathes out his petitions. Finally, we we to be "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We shall need mercy when he comes, and looking for his coming Is a means of safety. While such an attitude of expectancy was common in the early church, it has unhappily become rather rare In modern times. Yet it appears v on the very surface of the New Testament as the normal attitude of Christians. A missionary who had spent fourteen years In China stated that all the native Christians In her district were looking for the coming of the Lord. She went on to explain that this was not the result so much of specific Instructions on this point, but because they had no book on doc.trine save the New Testament, and they found this truth for themselves as a commonplace of apostolic teaching. Jude speaks of false teachers who ran greedily after the error of Baalam for reward. Looking for the Lord Is a cure, for the greed which has led some into the ways of apostasy. John Wilkinson, the founder of the Mildmay Mission for- the Jews, was once approached at a railway station by two women who had heard him speak. They placed in his hands a large sum of money and one of them explained that God had Intrusted to them of this world’s goods and. they were anxious to prove good stewards lest the Lord at his coming should find his wealth in their hands unused. So, in many directions, looking for the coming of the Lord is a safeguard agatqst sidling from the faith. *-= Verse 1 of this epistle speaks of our being “preserved to Jesus Christ,” or, as the Revised Version renders it, “kept for Jesus Christ.” - We do not bonder that Jude with a confident doxology, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling (or, stumbling), and to present you faultless before -the presence ot his glory with exceeding Joy, to tha only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."