Work!—Work while the dimming light of eventide still lingers, for the blackness of night sweeps on apace, when no man can work. Opportunity's long-opened doors are fast closing in many lands. Human freedom is passing, seemingly never to return —and this even in lands where freedom is axiomatic. These are golden hours that should be capitalized to the full. Too long have we delayed already with our task. What we do, we must do quickly. We must speed the work.
Mandate!—The divine mandate and authorizing commission of this movement, outlined in the matchless syllabus of Revelation 14:6-12, is unparalleled in scope and comprehensiveness by any other commission of Scripture. It calls for a movement among men as distinct, as unique, and as epochal as the exodus movement among Israel of old. It is imperative to our safety, and essential to our success in the accomplishment of that divine commission, that its terms be never lost sight of or forgotten. Departure from this divine charter and charge means tragic failure and futility of effort, and involves the curse instead of the blessing of God. Our safety lies, then, in preserving a clear vision of our allotted place and purpose in the world, and in maintaining an unswerving allegiance to our divine mandate.
Modesty!—T w o theologians holding opposite views obviously cannot both be right—though each one's position may seem invulnerable in his own eyes. Inasmuch as both may be and sometimes are in error, we wonder if it ever occurs to overpositive theologians that they themselves might possibly be wrong, that there might be unknown or uncalculated factors—omissions or errors as to fact, faults, or fallacies in logical reasoning—that would inevitably change the premises, and thus the resultant conclusion. If our too-complacent theologians would only recognize this not-impossible contingency, and would be less dogmatic and more tractable, what a welter of woe and misunderstanding would be avoided! What needless clashes and strong feelings would be saved ! It would he a pronounced victory for truth. Modesty is really a rare virtue. Let us earnestly cherish it.
Influenced!—The incessant din of covert radio propaganda upon the ear, and the ceaseless parade of the distorted views of a godless press before the eyes, are not without their subtle influence upon us and our people. We become accustomed to the abnormal, the defiant, the daring, the risque, the sensual. Earthly standards, lowered morals, and vicious theories seem less obnoxious because of the pressure of this constant repetition. Familiarity breeds indifference, if not contempt, and lessens the gap between us and the world. The constant reiteration of ideas upon the brain cells accustoms us to perverted concepts. So, unless there is definite, conscious, and persistent bracing against these encroachments, our ideals will be lowered, our distinctions of right and wrong will become hazy, and our conceptions of God's clear claims upon us will become confused. Here is manifestly a work for us to do. We must counteract, counteract, counteract!
Secular!—Sacred words set to favorite folksong airs or famous classic tunes do not make sacred music. With the familiar words and sentiment of the original running inevitably through the mind, the spirit of worship is superseded by secularism, and as a result the lofty purpose of the effort is frustrated. Tunes bearing the indelible stamp of the world have no rightful place in the Christian church.
Confidence!—The worker who is careless and inaccurate in his factual, historical, scientific, or expositional statements, thereby forfeits confidence in the general reliability of his utterances on the part of the informed and thoughtful. Surely, when existent, this constitutes a tragic situation. The public representative of this message should win the assent of the mind to the fundamental soundness and accuracy—yes, the invulnerability—of the positions set forth, even if the majority refuse to follow such teachings. The listener should be constrained to covertly—if not openly—acknowledge the presentation to be true and incontrovertible. The trained mind reasons that if a speaker is superficial and careless in things which are known to the auditor to be wrong, he will likely be similarly untrustworthy in matters outside his own sphere of knowledge. Hence he is not to be trusted in life-and-death issues. Superficiality is the bane of many a worker, and contentment with whatever seems plausible has robbed many of their power to persuade. Let us not blame our hearers when their unfavorable reaction may be our own fault. Confidence underlies all successful persuasion.
L. E. F.
