“NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME.”

BY MRS. S. M. I. HENRY.

CRITICISM, or judgment, will be the portion of man until his mortal shall have put on immortality. By men and God he must be called to account for every word and deed. Judgment can never be gentle or kindly in its operation; it is not built on that plan. Love may be behind it, but it is love which recognizes something in us which must be suppressed for love's sake. The Christian worker must become independent of judgment, or suffer untold miseries. Next to the lesson of abstaining from it, the hardest thing to learn is how to take it when it is thrown at us by others. While God has prohibited his fellow laborers from using this instrument, which is especially his own, until the time  appointed by him, when the work of his saints shall require it, yet he well knows that they will always suffer from it, and so has included even its most cruel and unjust forms among the “all things” that shall “work together for good to them that love God, who are the called according to his purpose.”

No one can fight sin in his own heart or in the world without exposing himself to be compared, to his own disparagement, with the most perfect standard. As soon as he begins to teach the necessity of blameless speech and life, those who hear are sure to say: “Well, but you do this, or say that, which I do not think is the right thing.”

And this is right. While, as the representatives of Christ, commissioned to a work of reconciliation, we are not allowed to judge any, the world, lost and hopeless, has a perfect right to set us on a pinnacle, throw its strongest light upon us, and compare us, as it sees us, with all that we profess to be. It has a right to put the grace of God within us to the proof, to see if it will stand the test. For otherwise how could it believe that salvation saves, and so be left without excuse? The testimony of God is left with us, for the benefit of the world, and we must be ready to account for it at any time.

The right of the unsaved man over every professor of the name of Christ, is the same as that of an accused criminal over every witness summoned by the prosecution. He has full liberty .to cross-question and break down these witnesses if possible. He is not required to have mercy on any. If the witness is not strong enough to stand the test of the cross- examination, he is not true, and must take the consequences. He has no right to be a witness unless he is able to stand questioning. This does not at all mean that he must compel men to accept him or his testimony, but that he should know in his own  consciousness that he has not lifted the spear against truth by word or act, and therefore has the witness of the Spirit that he is approved of God. The criminal, knowing his own guilt, will not believe any man who swears that he is innocent. He will fawn upon him with all pretense of friendship, but will know that the evidence which convicts him is alone worthy of respect; and for that reason he will hate the witness as he does the truth, and slay both if he can.

Much of the criticism of Christians by “the world is in the same spirit as that which the chemist brings to his laboratory; i. e. , for the purpose of finding the constituents of the substance under analysis. The average man has more interest to-day in knowing what the gospel contains that can really help the individual, than in any other subject; and until he is ready, for himself, to prove its power in his own life, he seizes upon every professing Christian, and puts him into the crucible to see if there is really purity and strength, a residuum of Christ, to be found in him.

The experience of one whom I know, will illustrate the point. He had been a leader of a large circle of dissolute companions, but was suddenly converted, and left the old haunts, to begin to live and work for Christ. Several weeks afterward, he met one of the old crowd, and in their talk  together, an engagement was made for him to dine with his friend the next Sunday, after which both were to come to the gospel meeting. He kept his engagement; and while sitting in his friend's room before dinner, one after another the old crowd came in, the last one taking his station at the closed door, and tilting his chair against it. In the midst of the conversation this doorkeeper, as he proved to be, took a flask of whisky from his pocket, drank, and passed it to his neighbor; and it began its circuit of investigation. “Investigation?” you say, “to investigate what?”  It was seeking a proof of the keeping power of God. It was well known that although this young man had “sworn off” many times, he had never been able to stand the test of an open whisky bottle. Was he any stronger to-day? Was there power in this Christ to take him, sober, out of this ordeal which had been “cooked up” for him? This was a momentous question to that circle of “fellows”— upon it hung destiny. They were terribly in earnest, and no one knows what they might have done; but as soon as their guest realized that he was in a trap, he sprang to his feet, seized the doorkeeper, flung him to the floor, and escaped into the passage. Cries of, “Come back! Come

back! We will put it up!” rang after him, and his friend hastened out to try to persuade him to return; but he resolutely said, “No ! You have done that which makes it impossible. I came in good faith, but I must go now.” He walked rapidly away, beyond the city, into the fields, where he could take the sorrow and burden of his soul to God, under the open heaven. He would never have believed these friends capable of such a trick, and could not be comforted until later developments revealed the fact that he had that day simply been put to what the conspirators considered the supreme test as to the reality of his faith; and that they had been compelled to agree that his testimony was true; for he had been strong where heretofore he had always been weak.

Criticism, in this case, ended with the test. “Let him alone; he is true blue,” was the word which they passed about among the crowd, and many of them afterward confessed that they would have considered it a personal misfortune if he had failed. From that day each man knew for himself that if he would seek the same source of strength, it would told him up ; and this was to them a thing worth knowing.

The spirit of investigation has no mercy; and woe to the one who fails! His standing ever afterward will be that of a witness who has been “rattled” by the opposing counsel. If he stands true, he may be hated with that hatred which is meted out to Christ; but he will be known as “true blue.” Of course a true man may, according to the world's opinion, fail to stand the test, and so come under its condemnation, while his heart is still single and true in its love toward God, and he be approved in His sight; for man judges according to the outer imperfections, while God judges from the motives of the heart.

An atmosphere laden with criticism tends to produce moral weakness, so if one would be strong, he must learn self-protection. This consists, first, in knowing that all is right between him and God; then in carefully following the leading of his word and Spirit, and ignoring the world's gossip. His life must be hidden in Christ, his work conscientiously done in His name; and then he must refuse to know, and school himself not to care, what is said about him, either good or bad. He must allow no “dog to drop a bone” at his feet; he must absolutely close his ears and eyes to all the “they say's,” and go quietly along in his Heaven-appointed way. He can never be hurt or hindered by anything outside of himself; if he does not know that he is criticized, it is just the same to

him as though he were praised instead.

But sometimes the word of cruel judgment is forced upon us so that we cannot ignore it. Some one comes and takes us severely to task when we have been unconscious of lack or wrong.  This is a time for the sort of thanksgiving that Paul tells us about. Rom. 5:3-5. The Christian worker has then an opportunity of seeing himself as others see him, and learning a, lesson which no one can afford to lose. Remember how King David, when he was cursed by Shimei (2 Sam. 16:11), said: “Let him alone, and let him curse;” and how, later on, this same Shimei came to sue for pardon, and found it, at the hands of the Lord's anointed whom he had cursed, and who might  have punished him with death. 2 Sam. 19 :18-23.

No blessing ever comes to the one who takes on himself the office of judge; but this shall not hinder the full measure of good that God can wring out of it into your own cup, if so be he finds you teachable. Judgment can never embitter what God's approval has sweetened, and he knows how to cleanse any water of Marah that may cross our path. The criticism of our day is made of the same metal as Paul's bonds ; and if we follow Christ carefully, as he did, we shall have to wear them as he did; but we shall be able to say, with him, “None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20: 24.

ADVENT REVIEW & SABBATH HERALD

Feb. 9, 1897   Vol. 74 No. 6

(Written from the Sanitarium Battle Creek, MI)