FIRST BROOKFIELD SEVENTH DAY BAPTIST CHURCH, LEONARDSVILLE, N. Y.,
REV. JOHN T. DAVIS, PASTOR

Sabbath Day, November 18, 1916

By REV. J. T. DAVIS

"I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day" (Acts 23: 1).

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (Jas. 4: 17).

Pardon us if we say by way of introduction, and for explanation to those who may have heard us speak on this subject, that we present it to the readers of the PULPIT at the request or suggestion of another, yet knowing that our position is not a popular one, and that some of our best friends do not agree with the points for which we contend. We therefore do not ask that you accept our view, but that you carefully weigh the evidence and shape the conduct of your life accordingly. tain man of national repute, when dying, said: "Bring me the book." When asked what book, he answered, "There is but one Book." It is from that Book that we bring the evidence we wish you to consider.

We think our theme, "The Two Standards of Right," is justified by the language of the passages taken as a text.

According to the marginal dates, Paul's language in Acts 23: I, was uttered about twenty-five years after the death of Stephen, and according to his own statement he was consenting to his death and aided in his execution, i. e., he stood by and held the clothes of the young men that stoned him. We believe we were justified in stating on a former occasion, that if Paul had been tried in a New York court, the same that tried Lieutenant Becker for the murder of Rosenthal, that had Governor Whitman been the prosecuting attorney, Paul would have gone to the electric chair; for if Becker was particeps crimines in the death of Rosenthal, Paul, by his own acknowledgment, was in the death of Stephen.

But Paul was not executed, and because his judge knew that he was living "in all good conscience," he was miraculously shown that his standard of right was contrary to the divine standard of right.

With all this against Paul God calls him to a great work, a work so great that not only we may say he has left his footprints on the sands of time, but the impress of his life may be seen and felt while time shall last. The fact that with all this black record, yet God so loved Paul that he not only spared his life but has made him a blessing to the world, gives hope that although we may have erred, God may forgive and make of us a blessing. But let us not make the popular mistake of today, of concluding that because we are right with our conscience we are therefore right with God, or that if we think we are right we are, therefore, right, for such reasoning leads. to fatal error.

In all the walks of life there are standards by which we judge. This is true in business or in any of the professions. We have but to go into the marts of trade and we are brought face to face with the standard of values, of weights, of measures, and without them we find ourselves absolutely helpless in the transaction of business. Our standing in society depends upon how we measure up to the social standard of the community, or, if you please, to the community leaders; while in culture and refinement we must stand the test of the educational standard, for it is a fact that often the society leaders are lacking in that true culture and refinement that alone adheres to the truly educated.

When we enter the political field we are much like the boy, who, when asked how he liked his Sunday-school teacher, answered, "I don't know, there are so many of her." You mention democracy and we think of Woodrow Wilson; and in these days, speak of ex-Governor Hughes, and the Republican party looms up before us; while if, perchance, we hear of Bull Moose or Progressive, despite all that may be said against him and his retreat to the old party, a smiling face, with the broad teeth of Teddy, appears on the canvas. The powers of good and the powers of evil stand by smiling, while they talk "Twaddle-de-de and Twaddle-de-dum" for issues, knowing that if either were elected there would be little change.

In the moral and religious world the same is largely true, as is

seen by the various denominations in the world today, so that it is unnecessary to mention the name of the various creeds by which they are governed.

All this but emphasizes our contention that there are two standards of right, viz.: the standard of conscience and the standard of the Divine. Now, how are we to harmonize the two, since we have learned that when we are right with conscience we may be wrong with God? For, remember this: you can not violate your own conscience and be right with God, for James says: "To him that know? eth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." A careful study of this passage leads us to conclude that we do no injustice to the thought if we say, To him that thinketh to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Paul says (Rom. 6: 23): "The wages of sin is death." yet we learn from Acts 22: 3-4, that it was Paul's zeal toward God that caused him to persecute the saints of God, and therefore we must conclude that had Paul refused to follow his honest convictions he would have been an intentional sinner, that is, he would have refused to do that which he conscientiously believed God required at his hand; and according to his own statement, would have been worthy of death.

Lest the points be not clear to all, let us state it thus: Paul honestly believed that it was God's will that he persecute the saints, consent to the death of Stephen and aid in his execution. To have refused would have been intentional disobedience to God's wili, and therefore, he would have been a sinner at heart. Because of his honesty God spared his life, forgave his sin and made him a blessing to the world, but not till he gave evidence of repentance by crying cut, "What shall I do, Lord?"

From this we learn that we must acknowledge our wrong and repent of our sin, even though we are right by our standard of conscience, if we find we are not right with the standard of God. But we are not left to this alone, for Paul teaches by example, in another instance, that when he is wrong, the wrong must be acknowledged.

When Paul used the language of our text, Ananias commanded that he be smitten on the mouth, and Paul said to him, “God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me, after the law, and commandest me to be smitten, contrary to the law?" Those standing by said: "Revilest thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people."

To put this in common parlance, Paul said: I beg pardon, for I did not know, or I had forgotten that he was the high priest, and in my haste and under the sting of injustice, from my standpoint of right, I felt the rebuke was justified; but when I compare my standpoint of right with God's word, I see I am wrong, and I must be right with God. O that men today could realize that we can not wrong our fellow-men, we can not say harsh and unkind things to others, and be right with God. We must acknowledge our faults, and strive to right the wrong.

In that most wonderful of all sermons, the Sermon on the Mount, Christ says: "If thou bring thy gift to the altar and there remember

est that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." It was this spirit in Paul, to ever do the right, regardless of suffering or humiliation, that has made him a blessing to the world and an instrument that God could use. God can overrule our mistakes, and even make them a blessing, if we have the true spirit of rightdoing and humility.

I read a story (seemingly reliable) some years ago, forcefully illustrating this fact: A very profane sea captain had beer. converted, retired from sea-faring, married a widow with two sons who came to have the most implicit confidence in their step-father. A friend, the son of a former comrade of the old sea captain, came to visit them. Learning of the confidence of the boys in their step-father, he said, "He will swear like a pirate. I can make him swear." But the boys loyally protested. The young fellow pulled off his joke when the old man was on his knees at time of morning prayers, and so successfully, that the captain sprang to his feet with a terrible oath. But the young man's joy at success was turned into grief, shame, and repentance, finally resulting in his conversion, as he saw the old man fall again upon his knees, the tears streaming down his cheeks, and heard his confession and pleading for forgiveness.

Yes, God can overrule our mistakes and sins, as he did Paul's, but we, like Paul, must have the spirit of humility and confession. "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed" (Jas. 5: 16). Yes, healed in body, soul, and spirit, for we are told that "the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much," but, can we conceive of a righteous man who will not acknowledge when he sees he has done wrong, or confess his fault when he sees his error?

There is another phase of the question that I wish you to consider, viz. being right with our conscientious stand-point, but wrong with God. We have seen by our study that a man can not violate his honest conscientious conviction and be right with God.--that God requires us to be right with our conscience. The world has grasped this thought today, and it seems to me, has settled down into a state of lassitude, saying, "I am right with conscience, and am therefore right with God"; and indifferent to the fact, if not refusing to recognize it that as God is higher than man, so his standard of right is higher than man's.

Let us say, and we think we are justified in the statement, no man can be right with God, who does not desire to know God's will and to bring his standard of right into harmony with God's standard. But the question may be asked, "Why worry about your conscience being right with God if the conscientious man will be saved, for salvation is what we seek?" We answer, we are sorry to admit that from our observation the world, yes, the professed Christian world, cares far more about salvation than about being right with God. But to answer the question directly, we do not believe any man, however conscientious, can be wrong, from the divine standpoint, and not suffer loss, for the record of our lives must ever stand against us. God himself can not change a fact. Will Carlton puts it thus:

"Boys flying kites haul in their white-winged birds;
You can't do that when you are flying words.
Careful with fire, is good advice we know ;

Careful with words is ten times doubly so.

Thoughts unexpressed may sometimes fall back dead,
But God himself can't kill them when they're said."

To bring this nearer our thought, let us put it thus:

Boys flying kites may keep them in control;
You can't do that with every soul.

Careful with fire, is good advice, we know;
Careful with deeds, is ten times doubly so.

Designs may fail because not well begun,

But God himself can't change them when they're done.

If we could impress on the minds of men, that life is the time of character-building, and that the record we are making here must be faced throughout eternity, surely men would be more careful.

Not long since, when speaking along this line, we said that throughout eternity, Paul must face the fact that he was particeps crimines in the death of Stephen, and to this some of our friends demur. They tell us that this will mar the joys of heaven, that the past will be blotted out when we get into the kingdom, that our sins will be remembered no more against us, and we grant that our sins will be remembered no more against us, but that does not say they will not be remembered by us. The strongest argument we have heard against this position is the psychological fact that the mind contains but one thing at a time; that we shall be so filled with the Christ that there will be no room for other thought. At first glance this seems unanswerable, for the experience of life teaches that we think of only one thing at a time, but experience also teaches we can know only that of which we think.

As an illustration, a mother sat at her work, her mind occupied with other things, subconsciously aware that her little son was playing at her feet and asking certain questions, while she answered yes, yes, yes, until awakened by the child saying: "Now, tell the truth, or I'll drive on." Yes, 'tis a fact that we forget the past, on contemplation of the present and the future; and if in the kingdom of God our minds are so filled with the Christ that all things else are obliterated, then I grant you, the argument is unanswerable.

But this brings a condition which makes certain passages meaningless to us. When we have read: "Give a portion to seven and also to eight for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth, . . . if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be," we had supposed it meant that we were to do our work now, and do it well, so our record would be good, for when death comes we must meet our record as it is.

When Paul says, "For now we see through a glass darkly; but