Love on fire

Contents

CHAPTER. PAGE,

I. Origin of Good and Evil, - - - 5

II. Man's Relation to God, - - - - 9

Chapter I. Origin Of Good And Evil

God is love. His infinite nature demands that all finite accountable beings should glorify Him; and His goodness strongly invites us to become partakers of His wonderful grace. He created an innumerable company of holy angels, and a great central world called heaven, in which they might eternally dwell with Him.

God's supreme majesty made Him the sole ruler of the angels and their home. Do you not wish we had such a home on earth? If so, then let us unite in praying, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Matt. 6:10. But alas, there came a time when one of the leaders of the angels dared to presume against the prerogative of God; and assumed that, inasmuch as his power had never been tested, he himself might be equal, if not superior to God. In the great and decisive battle that tested his strength God threw him out of heaven, at which time he transformed himself into "that old serpent, called the Devil." Rev. 12: 7-9. Ever since that overthrow and transformation he has been the incessant enemy of man, of angels and of God. As the poet has said:

" Pride still was aiming at the blessed abode, Men would be angels, and angels would be gods; A striving to be gods angels fell, A striving to be angels man rebelled. "

Thus it was by presumption, pride, and rebellion, that the devil was originated, and by his subsequent acts has caused the fall of the human race, and all the misery known to mankind.

God's love led to the creation of other worlds than heaven, one of which (this earth) became the abode of man. The creation of man, like the creation of angels, was designed for the glory of God. He will protect all beings from evil whom He creates, as long as they are true to Him. Inasmuch as all evil is from the hand of Satan, and all good from the hand of God, it became necessary that the Creator become the protector of His creature man for good, and his safeguard against evil, that he might fill the vacancy caused by the angels that fell. 2 P. 2: 4. Good and evil

ORIGIN OF GOOD AND EVIL. 7

existed before the creation of man, as well as subsequently, and will continue to exist while the probation of man lasts. Therefore he must ever choose the right and reject the wrong. In fact, his eternal weal or eternal woe depends on his own choice.

u The tree of life" planted by God himself "in the midst of the garden of Eden," and afterwards seen in heaven by John (Gen. 2:9; Rev. 22:2), typifies Christ, who is to be obtained and retained only by entering into and meditating upon the things of God. u The tree of knowledge of good and evil" represents man's natural goodness in his fallen state, or the natural man out of Christ.

Presumption, or going outside of God's will to think or act, is eating of the forbidden fruit, which leads to the disfavor of our heavenly Father, to death, and finally to hell. O, beware of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and eat only of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God. Beware of human philosophy and reason, the wrong use of which have robbed heaven, desolated the earth, and peopled hell. Surely "God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions." Eccl. 7:29. Yea, "Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." Eccl. 1:2.

It is true, "The fool hath said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Ps. 53: 1. But the godly "delighteth in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night." Ps. 1:2. If you would he godly, and not as the fool, do not presume in reference to any thing the Lord has not taught; but meditate much on that which He has revealed by His word, and by the Holy Spirit. If sons, "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. The anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." 1 John, 2: 20, 27.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to ail men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed.

For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." James

1:5-7-

MAN S RELATION TO GOD. 9

Therefore, as long as you maintain your cleansing by faith in the blood of Christ, and are led by the Lord, it is impossible for you to presume in reference to the things you do not know.

Chapter II. Man's Relation To God

We value things according to what they cost, and by the time we hope to keep them. God could have created millions of worlds of fine gold, or precious diamonds, without pain to anyone, and without sacrifice to Himself, but the redemption of a lost world cost Him " the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person" — the Bright and Morning Star — the only begotten Son of God. Yea, God laid on Him the iniquity of us all, and forbade men and angels to save Him from the ignominious death of the cross. How great the sacrifice on the part of God, and how inexpressibly great the suffering of His Son when He cried, ^ Eloi, Eloi, lama sabach-

IO LOVE ON FIRE.

thani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Mark 15: 34. How forceful the poet's words concerning the sacrifice the Father made in the giving of His Son to die for us:

" Could I with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies a parchment made, And every stock was made a quill, And every man a scribe by trade, To tell the love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry, Nor could the scroll contain the whole, If stretched from sky to sky."

Yes, God is love; otherwise He would not have given His only Son to suffer and die in man's stead. But you ask, what is man that God was so mindful of him? Surely he must have been very precious in the sight of God, or He would not have ransomed him at such a wondrous cost. Let us look prayerfully into this matter and see if we can not know ourselves, and understand our true relation to the Creator. God made man to do His will in earth as it is done in heaven, and for nearly six thousand years the Creator has been King and Ruler of the w r orld. His Son was born a king; of a kingdom not of this world. Man was created in the image and likeness of God. It is said, "The proper study of mankind is man." But this is not

MANS RELATION TO GOD. II

enough, for man without God is like a train of cars detached from the engine. Hence, the proper study of mankind is man and his relation and responsibility to God. Man, like his Creator, is a trinity. He has a spirit, a soul, and a body; i Thes. 5: 23. These natures in Adam, prior to the fall, worked as harmoniously as the three persons of the God-head. The spirit, soul, and body, when adjusted to the will of God, are like a set of measures within and filling each other. The spirit dwells in, and fills the soul, while the soul dwells in and fills the body. The body is the house of the soul, and the soul the house of the spirit.

As a wise king rules his kingdom, so the spirit of man should rule his soul, and the soul the body. This world is man's kingdom. Gen. 1 :26. As the world is his kingdom, it having been created and fitted up for him, so the body is the soul's kingdom, and the soul the spirit's kingdom. A kingdom without a king or ruler is like an army without a commander, not prepared to defend itself against foes, much less conquering its enemies.

The mental or intellectual man is the soul which occupies the body and has hands, feet, eyes, ears, and five senses within the senses of the body. The heart of the soul is the will, which dwells in the center of its realm, which center is within the physical heart, the king of the body. The will is the king of the soul. Derange or destroy the will and both soul and body are dead as to the great end for which thev were created. The soul possesses all the attributes necessary to perpetuate its existence endlessly, independent of the body, which dies when separated from it.

The moral man is the spirit that dwells in the soul, and is either of Christ or of Satan, because man is either a Christian or a sinner. When God created man He placed His likeness in his soul and His spirit in his heart; thus God dwelt and reigned in the heart of the soul as "King of kings and Lord of lords." Rev. 19: 16. It is no marvel that the sweet singer of Israel said of himself, " I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Ps. 139: 14. But alas! man has fallen from under the hand of God into the hands of Satan, who rules him soul and body, as a tyrant king with an iron rod. When man fell the image of Satan was man's relation to god. 13

stamped on his soul, and the image of God was removed therefrom. Satan has taken such complete control of the human heart and will, that when one would do good, evil is present to prevent it. Rom.' 7: 21. Yea, Satan has, with his poisonous fang, touched every human soul, and sown the seeds of disease and death in every human body. The poison of his sting brings moral death to the soul, physical death to the body, and damnation to both. "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6: 23. In order to be saved the heart of man must be unreservedly surrendered to God. " My son, give Me thine heart." Prov. 23:26. "Ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart." Jer. 29: 13. Christ or Satan dwells in the heart of man, according as his will is. If a man wills to be saved there is no power that can prevent it; if he wills to be lost, there is no power that can save him. Salvation comes by saying, "Thy will be done "- — damnation by saying, My will be done. Let God in the heart, and He will soon drive out all your and His enemies. Let Satan in your heart and he will soon drive out all your friends and the friends of God.

By conversion " the carnal mind " is removed from the heart, and the holiness of God enters it to cleanse and reign therein. Satan is cast out to make room for the birth of Christ in the soul. The birth of Christ within does not sanctify you wholly, but you should seek to be as soon as born of God.

Chapter III. Fall And Redemption Of Man

Praise the Lord for man's salvation. Oh, how complete and glorious it is. u As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive." i Cor. 15: 22. The life received by faith in Christ brings back to us all we lost in the fall. Then let us "Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good ; for His mercy endureth forever."

The image of God, in which man was created, was blotted from the soul of Adam when he ate the forbidden apple. All his

FALL AND REDEMPTION OF MAN. 1 5

posterity inherited from him a predisposition to sin — all his children's teeth are set on edge. Ezek. 18:2. All of Adam's children that have arrived at the age of accountability have followed the footsteps of their father and have eaten of the forbidden fruit ; therefore every soul must have the touch of the blood of the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. 1 John 1 : 7. The salvation wrought out by the Lord Jesus Christ covers all the natures of man — spirit, soul and body. It not only casts Satan's image out of the heart, but restores the image of God and makes it a fit temple for the Holy Ghost to dwell in. It cleanses the triune man. Matt. 6: 23; 8:16, 17; 10: 7. Mark 3: 14, 15; 5: 8; 6: 13; 16:15-18. Luke 4:40; 6:19; 10:17; 13:11- 17. "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you who also will do it." 1 Thes. 5:23, 24.

God is omniscient. There is no increase of knowledge with Him. All His laws are in force until fulfilled. Unlike man, He never repeals a law on account of imperfecl6 LOVE ON FIRE.

tion. When He first planned the scheme of redemption it was as perfect as at present, and will be as perfect in the day of judgment as in the beginning — no more so, no less so. Eighteen hundred years experience in saving sinners has taught God nothing; neither has the cleansing of the innumerable host of sinners lessened the cleansing power of the blood of the everlasting covenant.

"Dear, dying - Lamb, thy precious blood Shall never lose its power Till all the ransomed church of God Are saved to sin no more."

The blessed Redeemer went about doing good to all men everywhere; preaching the Gospel to the poor and rich alike, healing the sick and casting out evil spirits "with His word." Matt. 8:16. It is the grand privilege of God's ambassadors of the present day to accomplish the very same things "in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, " and by the very same power they had at Pentecost.

'Tis the very same power, The very same power; 'Tis the very same power That they had at Pentecost. 'Tis the pow'r, the power, 'Tis the pow'r, the power; 'Tis the power that Jesus promised should come down.

FALL AND REDEMPTION OF MAN. l*J

We have the same Christ to send us, the same great commission to preach, and the promise of the same power the Apostles had, and any failure to accomplish the same things will be wholly on the human side. The commission given to the Apostles was to hold good to the end of the Gospel dispensation — the end of time.

Hell was not prepared for man, but " for the Devil and his angels." Matt. 25:41. Nevertheless, all who die in the service of Satan must pass an eternity in his home, where the cankerworm of sin never dies,, where the fiery torment is never quenched, and where the smoke of the torment of the damned ascends forever and forever. No one need hope for the salvation of Christ unless he complies with the Gospel of the grace of God, in which this salvation is freely given to all mankind. Friendly reader, how is it with thy soul? If Jesus should come to-day with ten thousand of His saints, with " the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God," would it be well with thy soul? If not, then flee; flee to-day to the Rock that is cleft to take thee in.

How far short of his privileges and duties man has come. He is constantly leaving undone the things he should do, and as constantly doing the things he should not do. In the way of excuse for neglect and wrong-doing, some argue that some other way than the one marked out in the Gospel of God's dear Son will do quite as well. Such thoughts are suggested by the Devil.

A constant watch the devils keep:

They eye us night and day, And never slumber, never sleep,

Lest the}' should lose their prey.

If the Gospel of the Son of God was preached and practiced by Christ's ambassadors of our day, as it was preached and lived by the blessed Master and His holy Apostles, Satan's empire would tremble from center to circumference, and the kingdoms of this world would soon be transformed into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Instead of preaching the whole Gospel of Christ many have changed it to suit the religious dogmas of the day in order to please the itching ears of lukewarm professors. In so doing they check the work of God's grace, and hazard the souls of men. Oh, let us preach the whole Gospel and nothing but the Gospel, and live out the same — for then, and not

SALVATION OF CHRIST. 19

until then, will this wicked world be brought to the feet of the blessed Redeemer.

Chapter IV. Salvation By Christ

"Oh, horrible! A hell here! The flames around me! The fire within me! Burning, agonizing, dying! A hell to go to hell in! My God! But I have no God. I have rejected Christ, and he who rejects Him rejects the Father. Is there no hope for me?" "None but in Christ." "Then I am lost! O, hell, why did I choose you rather than heaven? O, Devil, why did I take heed to you, in preference to taking heed to God?"

"There is life for a look." "Where? How? When? Tell me, oh, ye who can, how I may escape the fire of hell, to which I am fast hastening?" "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." "Ah, that's the trouble. Believe on Jesus — He whom I have spurned, defied and resisted all my life? No! no! After spending a lifetime, that was

given me to love, worship and obey Christ, 2 in the service of Satan, the common enemy of God and man, then to throw the snuffings of a misspent life in the face of so good, gracious and holy a being as God's Son, I can not do it." "Then you are lost! Forever lost!" "I know I am. Lost without hope, plea, or remedy." "No! no! no! There is hope, plea, and a remedy in Him whom you reject. "\ am the way, the truth and the life.' Look and live." ' O, the flames of hell! My conscience, how thou dost goad me! Why have I so long stood against Him who still offers pardon and deliverance? Save me, good Lord, or I perish!"

"Hark! I hear a sound as of a chariot from afar. Nearer it comes. Ah, I see its lone occupant now. How pale he looks! His sweat is like great drops of blood. His hands and feet have imprints, as though cruel spikes have been thrust through them. His body is bruised and scarred, as though He had been terribly beaten and maltreated. O, God, I know who it is! It is Christ, who died that I might have life. He suffered this that I might escape the flames of hell, and rise on wings of love to a mansion in heaven. I will praise Thee for this coming to me, if I am damned, O, thou Christ, the Holy One."

SALVATION BY CHRIST. 21

"But I have come to save thee."

"Not me?"

"Yes, thee."

"But I am lost."

"I came to save the lost."

"Then, truly, Thou didst come to save me."

"I did."

"But, dear Savior, I have nothing to give — no merit of my own, nor none to recommend me to Thee for so great a salvation."

"Be quiet, my child; my gifts are free to those who accept them as such. Will you take salvation now?"

"I will. I do. I am Thine. Oh, glory ! hallelujah!"

The sinner is in that broad and easy road that leads to the open mouth of a yawning hell. Jesus has made provisions to arrest him, by the Holy Ghost, in his mad career, turn him about towards heaven, and put a desire in his soul to run with patience the Christian race to glory.

Conversion includes justification, which is a change of state; and regeneration, which is a change of nature. The first is a work done for us; the second a change wrought in us. God is the author of both.

When God pardons a sinner He changes his heart; so that the love of sin, as well as the guilt of it, is taken away. Thus we see when a sinner is converted he is justified and renewed; his sins are blotted out and he is made a new creature in Christ Jesus. God. through love to man, not only pardons and changes his heart, but He adopts him as His child, puts him into His Church, and sends the Holy Spirit to bear testimony with his spirit that he is a child of a King, an heir of a mansion, of a robe and a crown.

Repentance is essential to salvation. No thief or murderer can enter heaven. There is no other way to heaven but by Jesus. You may try for another, but alas, it will be a failure. Christ is the only source of salvation. If you go into one's house, you want to enter by the door and not at the window or through the roof. There is great danger of being shot or kicked out as a thief if you do. So in entering the Church of Christ, if you would be recognized by God and the angels, you must enter through Christ — the door. The recording angel keeps the register and no man can deceive God. Earth's records do not save any. You may deceive the world and yet live in hell, but it is impossible to deceive God.

SALVATION OF CHRIST. 23

Every man must stand before God in the general judgment and render an account of the deeds done in the body. All must answer for themselves, and stand or fall according to their relation to Christ. If they have repented of all sin, and accepted Christ as their Savior, they stand justified before God and will be saved; if not, they will be lost — eternally lost. So all must repent or perish.

"Time enough yet," cries the oarsman, as his friend on shore warns him of the rapids below, into which he soon glides and is lost. "Time enough yet," shouts the inebriate, as he nears the awful gulf of a drunkard's hell. "Time enough yet," cries the sinner, as he dashes madly down into the flames of the damned.

"Too late," howls the demon, as his victim struggles to escape his fingers of death, "Toolate,"ejaculatesthe lost soul, as an angel reaches forth a helping hand. "Too late," wail all the unsaved sinners, as the flames of hell sweep over them forever and they are lost from earth, heaven, God, angels and the redeemed. Reader, is the above your photograph.

Chapter V. The New Birth

Salvation from sin is the free gift of God, through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is to be obtained not by acts of righteousness which we have done or may do; (for "All our righteousness are as filthy rags." Isa. 64: 6.) but as a wholly unmerited gift of an independent king to an utterly unworthy and wholly dependent subject.

Grace first contrived the way

To save rebellious man,

And all the steps that grace displays,

In order to salvation, one must believe himself to be a helpless and lost sinner, Jesus Christ to be the Son of God and only Savior, repent of his sins and turn to the Lord who will delight to have mercy, and to our God who will abundantly pardon, Isa. 55:6,7.

Before conversion the sinner has his back to Christ, to heaven, to angels and to God — his face to sin, to sinners, to devils, and

THE NEW BIRTH. 25

to hell — but when converted he turns his back on the latter and his face to the former. Friendly reader, how is it with thee? Is thy back turned to Christ, thy best friend? Let thy heart answer in the secret chamber of thy immortal soul. Remember that if thy heart condemns thee, God is greater than thy heart and will condemn thee, too. i John 3: 20, 21. When one is born from above, God sends the Holy Spirit into the heart as a witness to the work done, and as an infallible guide to the new-born soul. Rom. 8: 14-16; John 16: 13; 1 John 5: 10; 1 Cor. 3: 16; 6: 19. "Ye must be born again," said the Master. At the spiritual birth, "the carnal mind" (which always is at " enmity against God") is cast out, and the spiritual mind, which is life and peace, is imparted to the soul. Rom. 8: 6-8. This new spiritual life [is the body and blood of Christ, which the dear Savior said we must eat of and drink, in order to have spiritual life. John 6: 53. This spiritual nature escapes with the soul at death, and becomes the spiritual body; which the soul inhabits until the final resurrection, at which time it will receive a glorified body. I Cor. 15: 44. The new birth is the beginning of the existence of this spiritual body within us, and is as real as was our natural birth, or the birth of the human nature of Christ. If true to God and our own souls, we will persevere until the carnal nature is cast out of both soul and body, so that the child Jesus born within may grow, until we are filled with all the fullness of God.

Turning from all sin with a full purpose of heart to forsake it, and turning to God with full purpose of heart to serve Him, constitutes evangelical repentance. The evidence of such repentance is confession of sin to God, and making restitution to those whom we have wronged, to the fullest extent of our ability. We are sorry to say that the latter evidence is too frequently wanting. See Luke 19: 8. This means far more than to join church, and live as thousands are living, with no spiritual life, no power.

We will close this chapter by quoting three golden invitations that fell from the lips of Him who spake as never did man: "Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out." John 6: 37. "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and

TRINITY OF FAITH. 27

cried, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink.'" John 7: 37. "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28.

Chapter VI. Trinity Of Faith

Faith, like the God -head, is a trinity in unity. In it we have asking-faith, receiving-faith, and overcoming-faith, following each other in the order just named. Asking-faith is given first. God gives this with each of His promises. He creates the desire in the heart of the sinner to come to Him. Except the Father draw the sinner he will not come to Jesus. John 6: 44. The desire to come, the knowledge as to how to come, and the asking-faith — all are of God. Asking-faith, and the knowledge how to ask, accompany each gift bestowed on man.

The way of eternal life has been made so plain and easy that they who neglect it are left without a single excuse. In the judgment day all these will be as speechless as, and share the fate of, the man who had not on the wedding garment. Matt. 22: i2 r 13. As the king furnished each invited guest with a wedding garment, so the Lord offers to furnish the garment of salvation to each one who desires and asks for it.

Every desire created in the heart by God, is a promise given by the Holy Spirit, and points to man's need. When man is true to God He will give him desires covering all the needs of both soul and body. The knowledge given with each desire shows our need of the things desired. When God gives a desire for a certain thing, He will grant the thing desired. He never tantalizes His children with a blessing He does not intend to give. Matt 7: 7-1 1.

To obtain the thing desired we must believe the desire is of the Lord, and ask for the witness to this end. God's witness to man is His will spoken in the soul by the Holy Ghost. To get a desire cashed at heaven's bank we must accept it as coming from God, and ask for the witness to that effect. In thus accepting a desire we make up our minds to ask God to cash His check at sight. Getting the consent of the mind