Neglect by the Church and the Ministry

In the invitation to the gospel supper the Lord Jesus has specified the work to be done—the work that the churches in every locality, north, south, east, and west, should do.

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The churches need to have their eyes anointed with the heavenly eyesalve, that they may see the many opportunities all about them to minister for God. Repeatedly God has called upon His people to go out into the highways and hedges, and compel men to come in, that His house may be full; yet even within the shadow of our own doors are families in which we have not shown sufficient interest to lead them to think that we cared for their souls. It is this work lying nearest us that the Lord now calls upon the church to undertake. We are not to stand, saying: «Who is my neighbor?» We are to remember that our neighbor is the one who most needs our sympathy and help. Our neighbor is every soul who is wounded and bruised by the adversary. Our neighbor is everyone who is the property of God. In Christ the distinctions made by the Jews as to who was their neighbor are swept away. There are no territorial lines, no artificial distinctions, no caste, no aristocracy.

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Opportunities Slighted The spirit of the good Samaritan has not been largely represented in our churches. Many in need of help have been passed by, as the priest and Levite passed by the wounded and bruised stranger who had been left to die by the wayside. The very ones who needed the power of the divine Healer to cure their wounds have been left uncared for and unnoticed. Many have acted as if it were enough to know that Satan had his trap all set for a soul, and they could go home and care not for the lost sheep. It is evident that those who manifest such a spirit have not been partakers of the divine nature, but of the attributes of the enemy of God.

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Someone must fulfill the commission of Christ; someone must carry on the work which He began to do on earth; and the church has been given this privilege. For this purpose it has been organized. Why, then, have not church members accepted the responsibility? There are those who have seen this great neglect; they have seen the needs of many who are in suffering and want; they have recognized in these poor souls those for whom Christ gave His life, and their hearts have been stirred with pity, every energy has been roused to action. They have entered upon a work of organizing those who will co-operate with them in bringing the truth of the gospel before many who are now in vice and iniquity, that they may be redeemed from a life of dissipation and sin. Those who have been engaged in this Christian help work have been doing what the Lord desires to have done, and He has accepted their labors. That which has been done in this line is a work which every Seventh-day Adventist should heartily sympathize with and indorse, and take hold of earnestly. In neglecting this work which is within their own borders, in refusing to bear these burdens, the church is meeting with great loss. Had the church taken up this work as they should have done, they would have been the means of saving many souls.

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Because of their neglect the Lord has looked with disfavor upon the church. A love of ease and selfish indulgence has been shown by many. Some who have had the privilege of knowing Bible truth have not brought it into the inner sanctuary of the soul. God holds all these accountable for the talents which they have not returned to Him in honest, faithful service in making every effort possible to seek and to save those who were lost. These slothful servants are represented as coming to the wedding supper without the wedding garment, the robe of the righteousness of Christ. They have nominally accepted the truth, but they do not practice it. Professedly circumcised, they are in reality among the uncircumcised.

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Why do we not become enthused with the Spirit of Christ? Why are we so little moved by the pitiful cries of a suffering world? Do we consider our exalted privilege of adding a star to Christ’s crown—a soul cut loose from the chains with which Satan has bound him, a soul saved in the kingdom of God? The church must realize its obligation to carry the gospel of present truth to every creature. I entreat of you to read the third and fourth chapters of Zechariah. If these chapters are understood, if they are received, a work will be done for those who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness, a work that means to the church: «Go forward and upward.»

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Results of Neglect Wherever a church is established, all the members should engage actively in missionary work. They should visit every family in the neighborhood and know their spiritual condition. If professed Christians had engaged in this work from the time when their names were first placed on the church books, there would not now be such widespread unbelief, such depths of iniquity, such unparalleled wickedness, as is seen in the world at the present time. If every church member had sought to enlighten others, thousands upon thousands would today stand with God’s commandment-keeping people.

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And not only in the world do we see the result of the church’s neglect to work in Christ’s lines. By this neglect a condition of things has been brought into the church that has eclipsed the high and holy interests of the work of God. A spirit of criticism and bitterness has come into the church, and the spiritual discernment of many has been dimmed. Because of this the cause of Christ has suffered great loss. Heavenly intelligences have been waiting to co-operate with human agencies, but we have not discerned their presence.

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Need of Repentance It is now high time that we repent. All the people of God should interest themselves in the work of doing good. They should unite heart and soul in earnest endeavor to uplift and enlighten their fellow men. They should put on the wedding garment that Christ has provided, that they may be prepared to work in His lines. They should not receive the grace of God in vain. With humble, devoted reverence they should labor on the right hand and on the left, consecrating to God their entire service and all their capabilities.

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There must be an awakening among the people of God. The entire church is to be tested. The worldly-wise man, who meditates and plans, and whose business is ever in his mind, should seek to become wise in matters of eternal interest. If he would put forth as much energy to secure the heavenly treasure and the life which measures with the life of God as he does to secure worldly gain, what could he not accomplish?

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The unfaithful steward did not enrich himself with his master’s goods; he merely wasted them. He let idleness take the place of sincere, wholehearted labor. He was unfaithful in the appropriation of his lord’s goods. Unfaithful steward, do you not see that you will lose your soul if you do not co-operate with God and make the most of your talents for the Master? Your mind was given that you might understand how to work. Your eyes were given that you might be keen to discern your God-given opportunities. Your ears are to listen for the commands of God. Your knees are to bow three times a day in heartfelt prayer. Your feet are to run in the way of God’s commandments. Thought, effort, talent, should be put into exercise, that you may be prepared to graduate into the school above and hear from the lips of One who has overcome all temptations in our behalf the words: «To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.» «Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou shalt also judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.» Revelation 3:21; Zechariah 3:7. If you do not co-operate with the Lord by giving yourself to Him and doing His service you will be judged unfit to be a subject of His pure, heavenly kingdom.

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Neglect by the Ministry While I have been commissioned to point out the danger of swaying things too heavily in the medical missionary line to the neglect of other lines of service, this does not excuse those who have held themselves aloof from the medical missionary work. Those who have not been in sympathy with this work should now be very careful how they speak, for they are not intelligent on this subject. Whatever their position in the conference, they should be very guarded in giving utterance to sentiments that will help no one. The indifference and opposition that some have manifested in reference to this question makes it inconsistent that their words should have a large influence. They are not clear-sighted.

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Some are worried and perplexed because they see that the medical missionary work is becoming disproportionate, because in receiving so much talent and means, this work far exceeds the work being done in other lines. What is the matter? Is it that the leaders of the medical missionary work are doing too much, or that the leaders in other lines of work are doing too little? It is presented to me that in many lines of work we are doing but a small part of what ought to be done. Faith, zeal, and energy are not manifested as they should be in the work of the ministry. The efforts of many are tame and spiritless. It is evident that light given us by God regarding our duty and privileges has not been acted upon. Men have supplanted God’s plans with their own plans. I am commissioned to say that the prosperity of the medical missionary work is in God’s order. This work must be done; the truth must be carried into the highways and byways. And ministers and church members should awake and see the necessity of co-operating in this work.

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With earnest, untiring energy those who have felt the burden of the Christian help work have testified by their works that they are not content to be mere theoretical believers. They have tried to walk in the light. They have put their belief into practice. They have combined faith and works. They have done the very work the Lord has specified should be done, and many souls have been enlightened, and convicted, and helped.

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The indifference among our ministers in regard to health reform and the medical missionary work is surprising. Even those who do not profess to be Christians treat the subject with greater respect than do some of our own people, and these are going in advance of us.

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Why, I inquire, are some of our ministerial brethren so far behind in proclaiming the exalted theme of temperance? 300 My brethren, the word given to you is: «Take hold of the work of health reform; go forward.» If you think that the medical missionary work is assuming undue proportions, take the men who have been working in these lines with you into your fields of labor, two here and two there. Receive these medical missionaries as you would receive Christ, and see what work they can do. You will not find them dwarfs in religious experience. See if in this way you cannot bring much of heaven’s vital current into the churches. See if there are not some who will grasp the education they so much need, and bear the testimony: «God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.» Ephesians 2:4-6. Our great need is unity, perfect oneness in God’s work.

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Those who cannot see the importance and bearing of the medical missionary work should not feel authorized to endeavor to control any phase of it. They need an increased knowledge in every line of health reform. They need to be purified, sanctified, and ennobled. They need to be molded and fashioned after the divine similitude. Then they will see that the medical missionary work is a part of the work of God. The reason why so many church members do not understand this branch of the work is that they are not following their Leader step by step in self-denial and self-sacrifice. The medical missionary work is God’s work and bears His signature, and while means must not be absorbed in this one line so as to hinder or cripple the work that should be done in new fields, it should not be regarded as unimportant.

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The gospel ministry is an organization for the proclamation of the truth to the sick and to the well. It combines the medical missionary work and the ministry of the word. By these combined agencies opportunities are given to communicate light and to present the gospel to all classes and all grades of society. God wants the ministers and the church members to take a decided, active interest in the medical missionary work.

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To take people right where they are, whatever their position or condition, and help them in every way possible—this is gospel ministry. Those who are diseased in body are nearly always diseased in mind, and when the soul is sick, the body also is affected. Ministers should feel it a part of their work to minister to the sick and the afflicted whenever opportunity presents itself. The minister of the gospel is to present the message, which must be received if the people are to become sanctified and made ready for the coming of the Lord. This work is to embrace all that was embraced in Christ’s ministry.

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Then why do not all our ministers heartily co-operate with those who are carrying forward medical missionary work? Why do they not carefully study the life of Christ, that they may know how He labored, and then follow His example? Is it for you, the appointed ministers of Christ, who have His example before you, to stand off and criticize the very work that He came among men to do? The work now being done in medical missionary lines ought to have been done years ago, and would have been done if God’s people had been soundly converted to the truth, if they had studied the word with humble hearts, if they had reverenced the God of the universe and studied His will instead of pleasing themselves. Had our people done this work, many persons of ability and influence would have been converted and joined us in giving the message of Christ’s soon coming. 302

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Those who understand physiology and hygiene will, in their ministerial labor, find it a means whereby they may enlighten others in regard to the proper and intelligent treatment of the physical, mental, and moral powers. Therefore those who are preparing for the ministry should make a diligent study of the human organism, that they may know how to care for the body, not by means of drugs, but from nature’s own laboratory. The Lord will bless those who make every effort to keep themselves free from disease and lead others to regard as sacred the health of the body as well as of the soul.

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The ambassadors of Christ, those to whom have been committed the living oracles of God, can be doubly useful if they know how to help the sick. A practical knowledge of health reform will better qualify men and women to proclaim the message of mercy and retribution to the world.

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Ministers should be educators who understand and appreciate the needs of humanity. They should encourage the church members to obtain a practical knowledge of all lines of missionary work, that they may be a blessing to all classes of people. They should be quick to discern those who appreciate questions relating to spiritual life, who have tact and ability to watch for and care for souls as those who must give an account. They should assist these to organize the working forces of the church, so that men, women, and youth of various temperaments, in various callings and positions, will take hold of the work that must be done, bringing their God-given talents into most solemn service for the Master.

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Our ideas of Christian benevolence must be worked out if we would have them enlarged. Practical work will accomplish far more than sermons. The ideas of our ministers must broaden, and from an earnest personal experience they should speak words that will arouse the dormant energies of the people. By a daily connection with God they should obtain a deeper insight into their own lives and the lives of others, thus enlarging the circle of their influence. In this way they will be co-workers with Christ, able to enlighten others because they are themselves channels of light. —

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As the members of the church dig deeper and make their foundation sure, riveting their souls to the eternal Rock, as they learn to love God supremely, they will learn to love their neighbor as themselves.

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The power of the Lord is magnified when the human heart is tender, sensitive to another’s woe, and pitiful for his suffering. Angels of God are ready to co-operate with human instrumentalities in ministering to souls. When the Holy Spirit works upon our hearts and minds, we shall not shun duty and responsibility, and pass by on the other side, leaving the wounded, helpless soul to its misery. —

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In consideration of the value Christ places upon the purchase of His blood, He adopts men as His children, makes them the objects of His tender care; and in order that they may have their temporal and spiritual necessities supplied, He commits them to His church, saying: Inasmuch as ye do it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye do it unto Me.

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This is to be our watchword: «Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.» And if we faithfully carry it into our daily lives we shall hear the benediction: «Well done, thou good and faithful servant: . . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.» Will it pay to endure as a Christian the tests and trials of God? 304

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In the work of cleansing and purifying our own souls our intense desire to make our own calling and election sure will inspire us with a yearning for others who are in need. The same energy and careful thought which we once brought into worldly matters will be put into the service of Him to whom we owe everything. We shall do as Christ did, seizing every opportunity to work for those who without help will perish in their degradation. We shall extend to others a helping hand. Then with singing and praise and thanksgiving we shall rejoice with God and the heavenly angels as we see sin-sick souls uplifted and helped, as we see the deluded and insane clothed and in their right minds sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning of Him. As we do this work, receiving of God and rendering back to Him that which He has in confidence lent us to dispose of for His name’s glory, His blessing will rest upon us. Then let poor, discouraged, sin-sick souls know that in keeping of His commandments «there is great reward,» and by our own experience show to others that blessing and service are linked together. —

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Though precious time and talent have been spent in caring for and pleasing ourselves, the hand of the Lord is stretched out still; and if we will work today in His vineyard, scattering His invitation of mercy broadcast through the world, He will accept our service. How many will you work for, that they may reach the haven of rest and share the commendation: «Well done, thou good and faithful servant»? How many will you help to crown with glory and honor and eternal life? The Saviour calls for workers. Will you volunteer? (305)

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The Reward of Service «When thou makest a dinner or a supper,» Christ said, «call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.» Luke 14:12-14.

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In these words Christ draws a contrast between the self-seeking practices of the world and the unselfish ministry of which He has given an example in His own life. For such ministry He offers no reward of worldly gain or recognition. «Thou shalt be recompensed,» He says, «at the resurrection of the just.» Then the results of every life will be made manifest, and everyone will reap that which he has sown.

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To every worker for God this thought should be a stimulus and an encouragement. In this life our work for God often seems to be almost fruitless. Our efforts to do good may be earnest and persevering, yet we may not be permitted to witness their results. To us the effort may seem to be lost. But the Saviour assures us that our work is noted in heaven, and that the recompense cannot fail. The apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, says: «Let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.» And in the words of the psalmist we read: «He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.» Galatians 6:9; Psalm 126:6.

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And while the great final reward is given at Christ’s coming, truehearted service for God brings a reward, even in this life. Obstacles, opposition, and bitter heartbreaking discouragements the worker will have to meet. He may not see the fruit of his toil. But in face of all this he finds in his labor a blessed recompense. All who surrender themselves to God in unselfish service for humanity are in co-operation with the Lord of glory. This thought sweetens all toil, it braces the will, it nerves the spirit for whatever may befall. Working with unselfish heart, ennobled by being partakers of Christ’s sufferings, sharing His sympathies, they help to swell the tide of His joy, and bring honor and praise to His exalted name.

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In fellowship with God, with Christ, and with holy angels they are surrounded with a heavenly atmosphere, an atmosphere that brings health to the body, vigor to the intellect, and joy to the soul.

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All who consecrate body, soul, and spirit to God’s service will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical, mental, and spiritual power. The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them the breath of His own spirit, the life of His own life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in heart and mind.

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«Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily.» Thou shalt call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am.» Thy light shall rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.» Isaiah 58:8-11.

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Many are God’s promises to those who minister to His afflicted ones. He says: «Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.» «Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.» Psalms 41:1-3; 37:3. «Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.» «There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.» «He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.» «The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.» Proverbs 3:9, 10; 11:24; 19:17; 11:25.

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And while much of the fruit of their labor is not apparent in this life, God’s workers have His sure promise of ultimate success. As the world’s Redeemer, Christ was constantly confronted with apparent failure. He seemed to do little of the work which He longed to do in uplifting and saving. Satanic agencies were constantly working to obstruct His way. But He would not be discouraged. Ever before Him He saw the result of His mission. He knew that truth would finally triumph in the contest with evil, and to His disciples He said: «These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.» John 16:33. The life of Christ’s disciples is to be like His, a series of uninterrupted victories, not seen to be such here, but recognized as such in the great hereafter.

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Those who labor for the good of others are working in union with the heavenly angels. They have their constant companionship, their unceasing ministry. Angels of light and power are ever near to protect, to comfort, to heal, to instruct, to inspire. The highest education, the truest culture, and the most exalted service possible to human beings in this world are theirs.

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And often our merciful Father encourages His children and strengthens their faith by permitting them here to see evidence of the power of His grace upon the hearts and lives of those for whom they labor. «My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.» Isaiah 55:8-13.

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In the transformation of character, the casting out of evil passions, the development of the sweet graces of God’s Holy Spirit, we see the fulfillment of the promise, «Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree.» We behold life’s desert «rejoice, and blossom as the rose.»

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Christ delights to take apparently hopeless material, those whom Satan has debased and through whom he has worked, and make them the subjects of His grace. He rejoices to deliver them from suffering and from the wrath that is to fall upon the disobedient. He makes His children His agents in the accomplishment of this work, and in its success, even in this life, they find a precious reward.

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But what is this compared with the joy that will be theirs in the great day of final revealing? «Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face;» now we know in part, but then we shall know even as also we are known. 1 Corinthians 13:12.

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It is the reward of Christ’s workers to enter into His joy. That joy, to which Christ Himself looks forward with eager desire, is presented in His request to His Father: «I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.» John 17:24.

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The angels were waiting to welcome Jesus as He ascended after His resurrection. The heavenly host longed to greet again their loved Commander, returned to them from the prison house of death. Eagerly they pressed about Him as He entered the gates of heaven. But He waved them back. His heart was with the lonely, sorrowing band of disciples whom He had left upon Olivet. It is still with His struggling children on earth, who have the battle with the destroyer yet to wage. «Father,» He says, «I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.»

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Christ’s redeemed ones are His jewels, His precious and peculiar treasure. «They shall be as the stones of a crown»—«the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.» «Zechariah 9:16; Ephesians 1:18. In them «He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.» Isaiah 53:11.

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And will not His workers rejoice when they, too, 310 behold the fruit of their labors? The apostle Paul, writing to the Thessalonian converts, says: «What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? for ye are our glory and joy.» 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20. And he exhorts the Philippian brethren to «be blameless and harmless,» to «shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.» Philippians 2:15, 16.

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Every impulse of the Holy Spirit leading men to goodness and to God is noted in the books of heaven, and in the day of God everyone who has given himself as an instrument for the Holy Spirit’s working will be permitted to behold what his life has wrought.

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The poor widow who cast her two mites into the Lord’s treasury little knew what she was doing. Her example of self-sacrifice has acted and reacted upon thousands of hearts in every land and in every age. It has brought to the treasury of God gifts from the high and the low, the rich and the poor. It has helped to sustain missions, to establish hospitals, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, and preach the gospel to the poor. Multitudes have been blessed through her unselfish deed. And the outworking of all these lines of influence she, in the day of God, will be permitted to see. So with Mary’s precious gift to the Saviour. How many have been inspired to loving service by the memory of that broken alabaster box! And how she will rejoice as she beholds all this!

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Wonderful will be the revealing as the lines of holy influence, with their precious results, are brought to view. What will be the gratitude of souls that will meet us in the heavenly courts as they understand the sympathetic, loving interest which has been taken in their salvation! All praise, honor, and glory will be given to God and to the Lamb for our redemption; but it will not detract from the glory of God to express gratitude to the instrumentality He has employed in the salvation of souls ready to perish.

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The redeemed will meet and recognize those whose attention they have directed to the uplifted Saviour. What blessed converse they have with these souls! «I was a sinner,» it will be said, «without God and without hope in the world, and you came to me, and drew my attention to the precious Saviour as my only hope. And I believed in Him. I repented of my sins, and was made to sit together with His saints in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.» Others will say: «I was a heathen in heathen lands. You left your friends and comfortable home, and came to teach me how to find Jesus and believe in Him as the only true God. I demolished my idols and worshiped God, and now I see Him face to face. I am saved, eternally saved, ever to behold Him whom I love. I then saw Him only with the eye of faith, but now I see Him as He is. I can now express my gratitude for His redeeming mercy to Him who loved me and washed me from my sins in His own blood.»

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Others will express their gratitude to those who fed the hungry and clothed the naked. «When despair bound my soul in unbelief, the Lord sent you to me,» they say, «to speak words of hope and comfort. You brought me food for my physical necessities, and you opened to me the word of God, awakening me to my spiritual needs. You treated me as a brother. You sympathized with me in my sorrows and restored my bruised and wounded soul so that I could grasp the hand of Christ that was reached out to save me. In my ignorance you taught me patiently that I had a Father in heaven who cared for me. You read to me the precious promises of God’s word. 312 You inspired in me faith that He would save me. My heart was softened, subdued, broken, as I contemplated the sacrifice which Christ had made for me. I became hungry for the bread of life, and the truth was precious to my soul. I am here, saved, eternally saved, ever to live in His presence, and to praise Him who gave His life for me.»

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What rejoicing there will be as these redeemed ones meet and greet those who have had a burden in their behalf! And those who have lived, not to please themselves, but to be a blessing to the unfortunate who have so few blessings—how their hearts will thrill with satisfaction! They will realize the promise: «Thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.»

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«Thou shalt delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.» Isaiah 58:14. —

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«Fear not: . . . I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.» Genesis 15:1. —

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«I am thy part and thine inheritance.» Numbers 18:20. —

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«Where I am, there shall also My servant be.» John 12:26.