THE GOSPEL MESSENGER --June 1888

A beloved brother from a distant State writes a card October 1887, saying, "Will you please give your views through next number of the MESSENGER of Isa. xliii. 6, without stating by whom the request was made, and oblige," etc. The text reads: "I will say to the north give up; and to the south keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;" and the next verse adds, "Even every one that is called by my name; for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him."--Isa. xliii. 6, 7.

The first impression we ever felt with regard to preaching the gospel of the Son of God, came upon us suddenly as a flash of lightning, and with such a shock and power within the soul as caused us to tremble at the awful grandeur, majesty and power of God, for we did feel God had spoken within us while we were reading these words in the 4th chapter of Isaiah: "Declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted." And though more than forty-five years have passed since we first felt the power of that word of God thus speaking so suddenly, and so irresistibly within us saying, "You have to preach and declare God's doings among the people," and though we have by the grace of God tried to preach hundreds and even thousands of times, and also written many letters to private correspondents and through our papers, yet our theme has been during all these 44 years to "Declare God's doings among the people" in reference to the salvation, preservation and eternal glorification of fallen sinners. And now we are old and gray-headed and will soon be called to lay our armor by forever in this mortal state, we see no cause of changing our theme of preaching or writing, but daily feel more and more assured that it is "God's doings" that the heavens and the earth and all that are therein are created by the word of his power; and that it is his doings that man is created, and though it is by "One man that sin entered the world and death by sin," yet it is God's doings that save sinners from their sins. It is his doings to "save and call them with a holy calling, not according to their works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given them in Christ Jesus before the 'world began." And though sin has had dominion and power sufficient to "reign unto death," yet it is God's doings that his grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord, so that where sin abounded and was made fully manifest by the detecting power of the law of God, grace has much more abounded and proved to be an overmatch for sin.

In the text submitted for consideration by our brother, it is God that speaks. And first, he declares in the most absolute manner what he will do for his chosen people, no matter where they are, or how far off, east, west, north or south. He will say to the north give up; to the south keep not back.

It will be seen that here are the firm, absolute and unconditional promises of God. The scriptures abound with them, and though they are exceedingly great and precious promises, yet not one of them can possibly fail to be fulfilled. These promises are freely and sovereignly made, and their fulfillment is not based upon any good to be done or that is foreseen will be done by man, but they are based upon the perfections of God, his immutable oath, and upon the death and righteousness of our Lord Jesus.

There is one other thing which stands prominent in the text and its connection which would be well to notice, and that is, these great promises embrace none but God's own chosen and redeemed people. He identifies them by unmistakable terms, saying, "Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, 0 Israel--Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have Called thee by thy name; thou art mine." Again he saith of those people who are embraced in these wonderful promises, "I have loved thee"--"Fear not,. I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the east and gather them from the west. I will say to the north give up."

In a geographical sense the words North and South signify opposite directions one from the other, and sometimes in the scriptures they are spoken of figuratively to represent cold and heat, terrible calamities, whirlwind and storm. "Cold cometh from the North with God is terrible majesty:" But the most direct idea in the text, "I will say to the north give up, and to the south keep not back"--is, that it matters not where, or in what part of the world the Lord's chosen people are, or what may be their differences in outward surroundings or influences, whether in heathen lands or in civilized countries, the Lord knows them in a peculiar sense as his people, even when in the quary of nature, "dead in sins,"--and at his own appointed and predestinated tithe he will speak an omnipotent--life-giving--irresistible word, that will give life to the dead, which will be personally felt and experienced by each child of God for himself, and Will be followed by seeing, feeling and understanding things about himself and about God in a sense he never before had seen, felt or known. God has spoken by his Spirit, the word is gone forth as the lightning and it has taken effect-a man who was dead in trespasses and in sins is quickened by the omnipotent word of God; that same word that spoke the heavens and the earth into existence from nothing, and the same word of power that brought again our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. And the glory of the matter is that not one of these designated people is to be left out, of this effectual call. They are designated as the Lord's sons and daughters. He says of them, "Thou art mine." His promise engages to bring the sons from far and the daughters from the ends of the earth, even every one that is called by his name. The promise is to all that are afar off, even to as many as the Lord our God shall call.--Acts ii. 40.

But whatever may be the literal application of the text with regard to gathering national Israel from all countries where they had been in captivity, it no doubt has a deeper and more far-reaching prophetic application to the calling of both Jew and Gentile to the knowledge of the truth in the gospel dispensation. The Lord tells us by the prophet both what he will speak and what he will do. "I will say to the north give up, and to the south keep not back; I will bring my sons from far and my daughters from the end of the earth. The Lord calls the sons and daughters even before they are brought into a knowledge of that relation. Christ bare their sins in his own body on the tree of the cross. He died and rose for them, and now his never-failing merits are an all-prevailing and continual intercession for them. They are the Lord's people, and they are so near and dear to him that it is said they are his portion. "The Lord's portion is his people; Jacob the lot of his inheritance, he found him in a waste howling wilderness; he led him about and instructed him; he kept him as the apple of his eye." And in harmony with our text the Lord Jesus speaks of his people among the Gentile nations under the figurative name of sheep, saying, "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold," that is not of the Jewish nation; "them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd."---John x. 16.

It will be seen by this text last quoted that our Lord designates his people among the Gentile nations as his sheep even before they are called by grace to the gospel fold; yea, even hundreds of years before they are born into this world, and says, "they shall hear my voice." The voice of Jesus is a voice of power and life, and no creature in earth or heaven can utter that voice save Jesus himself. He engages to bring his sheep, yea he says, "them I must bring." The north gives up at his omnipotent word and the south cannot keep back when he speaks.

But is there not something experimental in the text, especially in that clause of "Bringing my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth'?" Literally, the words "from far," and "ends of the earth," signify at a great distance off--even to the ends of the earth, so far that none can go any further. And also the Lord's chosen people among Gentile nations are represented in distinction from the Jewish nation as being far off, but by the blood of Christ they are made nigh; and thus it is written, "But now in Christ Jesus, ye who some time were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both (Jew and Gentile) one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us."--Eph. ii. 13.

But does not the holy call of God come home with irresistible power to each child of God? And does not each convicted sinner feel personally and individually for himself that he is guilty before God and justly condemned to eternal banishment from his peaceful presence? And as each one is made sensibly to feel and know his corrupt, sinful and ruined condition, does he not feel the need of salvation? But what are his views of attaining deliverance? Like all others in like condition, he knows nothing of salvation save his visionary and deluded, views of a conditional system as based upon human merit. His views are all earthly upon this point, and he resorts to, and relies upon them for acceptance with God. But what is his astonishment when he finds and feels himself to be far off from God, even a poor outcast, further from God in point of a holy nature and a pure character than he ever felt before; and so far as human merit is concerned, he is at the ends of the earth; all his earthly plans, hopes and systems are cut off, and at an end, and yet he feels to be further from God and further from mercy or deliverance from his burden of sin and guilt than ever at any time before in all his life. Earthly hopes, and earthly religion, ends with him.

Now as the Lord has promised to bring his chosen ones from the ends of the earth, may not the reader take comfort if he has ever felt to be thus far from God, and may he not rejoice that the promises of God embrace him. And still further, may not his faith be strengthened to know that his religious experience, though he feels to be at the ends of earth, is in harmony with the written word of God. The Lord brings all his chosen people from the ends of the earth, saying, "Thou Israel, art my servant Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend--Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called thee from the chief men thereof and said unto thee, Thou art my servant, I have chosen thee and not cast thee away."--Isa, xli. 8, 9. No one ever confides alone in the God of Israel for salvation till in his own experience he feels far from God and at the ends of the earth. Thus the word of God declares, "Thou art the confidence of all the ends of the earth."--Psa, lxv. 5. No other characters confide or trust alone in the Lord for salvation, or ever experience salvation from their sins, save those poor needy ones who are at the ends of the earth. The Lord speaks to them and his word is obeyed. He commands, saying, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God and besides me there is none else."--Isa, xlv. 25. And as it is God that speaks to bring his sons from far and his daughters from the ends of the earth, even every one of them, the promise is in due time fully verified that the "Lord hath made bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."--Isa. lii. 10.

When any poor condemned sinner is led about and instructed of the Lord and brought sensibly to realize that he is at the ends of the earth, and far from God with regard to his salvation from sin, then this blessed promise that "all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God" applies, and comes to him personally and experimentally, and gives him peace, joy and comfort. He then realizes the truth that "The Lord hath remembered his mercy and his truth to the house of Israel, and that all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of God."--Psa. xcviii 3. It is not something then to him as promised, but something that is known, felt and enjoyed. "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of God." None others ever do see, nor will any others ever feel to need and pray for it as they do.

And now in conclusion, we add that in harmony with the views presented above several texts might be quoted, but time and space forbid. It is to these poor, perishing outcasts that the proclamation of the gospel comes, not in word only, but in spirit and in power. They hear, and feel, and believe, and receive the word preached as none others can hear, feel or believe. It has an effect upon them, and in them unknown to others. The word of the Lord has gone forth both as to the certainty of preaching and of its effects, saying, "The great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come that are ready to perish in the land of Assyria and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and they shall worship the Lord in his holy mount at Jerusalem."--Isa. xxvii. It is God's decree that the gospel shall be preached and that these perishing outcasts shall be fed, comforted and brought to the fold of Christ to worship the. Lord in his holy mount at Jerusalem, among his chosen redeemed people.--M.