London, June 14 Pastor Russell is here, and in the Princess Theater today presented his famous "Photo-Drama of Creation." It received a royal welcome. This was the opening exhibition of a program on this side of the Atlantic which includes the principal cities of both Great Britain and the continent.
Pastor Russell in his discourse chose that feature of his "Creation Drama" which relates to "The Great Teacher and His School." His text was "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart." Matt. 11:29.
The pastor began his discourse with the statement that there is only one way by which to get rid of one's sins belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. But mere intellectual belief, he declared, does not accomplish this result. The Bible says that devils believe and tremble. They are not justified by their believing. Neither are we justified by merely believing. We must do something more. The believer who acts on his belief and who shows that he really means what he says will make a full consecration of himself to God. From the standpoint of the scriptures a believer is a disciple, a follower, a pupil.
The pastor went on to demonstrate that the school of Christ is not open to everybody. The whole world of mankind are not in the school of Christ, with some taking more lessons and others fewer. There is one definite way of entering this school and becoming a pupil of the great Master Teacher. Hear the terms in His own words, "If any man will come after Me (become My disciple pupil), let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me." Only those who present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God through the merit of the Redeemer imputed to them and received by faith, are enrolled in the school of Christ. In other words, only the members of the church which is the body of Christ are in His school, being taught of God through His word.
Addressing the church, St. Paul says: "We are His workmanship." God has been working in the church by His providences and by His word of truth, working in us by our experiences, which He made for us and which He gives us. All these things are designed by the Lord to bless us and to develop us into His own character likeness that, as the Master said, we may be like unto our Father in heaven that we may be holy, even as He is holy that our intentions, our aims and our desires may be exactly like those of God.
The pastor reminded his audience that when a child enters school for the first time he has merely put himself into the hands of his teacher for instruction. It requires years of patient training and study before he can be said to have an education, and still more instruction before he can become a teacher himself. This, he said, is exactly the picture which God gives us in respect to the church. During this gospel age He has invited the church class to enter the school of Christ and prepare for the great work of human uplift during the incoming age.
The royal priesthood will all be teachers. Under the Jewish arrangement the priests were all teachers, instructors of the people, helping them in every way in respect to morals. The royal priests will also have authority to rule the world for its good. None but those whom God can intrust with this great power will be qualified to use it to uplift the world.
The pastor than explained that those enrolled in the school of Christ are taught a great variety of lessons. The first of these is meekness teachableness. None will be qualified for the great work of the future who has not been thoroughly taught this valuable lesson. He declared that there is probably a greater lack along the line of teachableness than along any other line. Self-conceit and self-will are qualities which prevent their possessors from being teachable meek.
Those who are good pupils in the school of Christ will hear the Master's voice instructing them that of themselves they are nothing and can do nothing; that they need His assistance all along the way; that they need first of all to be taught of God through the great Teacher whom the Father has appointed to give them instruction. Through the prophecies and through His word He teaches all who are in His school. The voice of Jesus comes to all His pupils, speaking to them through the scriptures and the various experiences of life.
Those consecrated children of God who have not learned the lesson of meekness have not learned even the primary lesson. Whoever says, "Lord, I want my own way; this is what I prefer and what I intend to have," is certainly not teachable, and cannot make progress in spiritual things. The Lord will not force such to do His way; during this age He is not seeking those who must be forced to do His will. He will use force on those who need it during the next age.
Throughout the gospel age the call has been for those who declare in their covenant that they desire to do the will of God, and who will sacrifice their lives in order to do that will. After they have made this contract with Him, and He has accepted them and sealed the contract by giving them the earnest of the Holy Spirit, they cannot repudiate their agreement. They must either go on to everlasting life or perish in the second death.
The pastor dwelt for some time upon the subject of meekness. Some people, he declared, find this a difficult lesson to learn. But things are pretty well balanced. The man who is naturally very meek and teachable usually has disadvantages in other ways. People will impose upon him; for they are apt to impose upon the meek, as we all know. The man with a great deal of self-esteem and only a little meekness will get along better by himself, but will have his difficulty in coming under the hand of the Lord. The speaker reminded his hearers that they cannot alter the [HGL596] shape of their heads. Those who were born with a proud spirit have so much more to battle against. Those who were born with a humble mind will have difficulties along other lines, but will find it easier to learn meekness than will the proud-spirited. But since the lord puts meekness first, no one will make progress in the school of Christ until he has learned to be meek; for meekness signifies teachableness.
The pastor then went on to the other subjects taught in this unique school. Next in order come humility, gentleness, patience, long-suffering and brotherly kindness. Gentleness is very important. Whoever is rude and boisterous will not be ready to learn, and therefore will not be in a proper condition to be used of the Lord until he has learned brotherly kindness, until he can be kind to all the brethren and love them all. He must be gentle toward all so as not to offend or hurt them or stumble them. Whoever is gentle will always desire to be assistful to the brethren; this is characteristic of the spirit of the Lord. Whoever is devoid of these qualities which go to make up love must acquire them if he would be graduated from the school of Christ.
Then, lest anyone should be discouraged, the pastor explained that the flesh of some who are really overcomers may never become as gentle as that of others who naturally posses this desirable quality, but that they must have this quality in the mind or will; for the Lord will judge them by their desires, their endeavors, their efforts. Whoever will be of the kingdom class must be meek and gentle, no matter what he may be according to the flesh.
The pastor illustrated the methods by which the Master teaches His pupils to acquire these essential graces of the Holy Spirit. If a disciple of Jesus does something wrong, the Master expects him to be meek enough to go to the person injured and acknowledge that he is wrong. This discipline will be good for the unruly pupil, and will help him to be more meek the next time he is tempted. If a follower of the Lord has been rude in some respects, he should offer suitable apologies. This will teach him to be more gentle in the future.
So by their difficulties the pupils in the school of Christ learn the required lessons. If they cannot learn in one way, they must try another, for learn they must. Otherwise they will not be fit for the kingdom; for these are qualities of heart and mind which the Lord demands from all who would be acceptable to Him. If the Lord finds that the pupil's mind is meek, humble, gentle, patient, kind and loving, He will make allowance for the faults of the body; and in the resurrection He will give that pupil a body which will carry out the intentions of the mind.
The pastor urged all who know themselves to be disciples of Jesus, pupils in the great Teacher's school to keep their hearts right with God and then to do the very best that they can do. He advised such to see to it that the body gets the proper discipline. The new mind must keep the body under control. If it was rude to somebody, humble it, teach it to be meek by saying "You must go and tell that person that you are sorry for what you have done." Of course, he declared, this will go "against the grain"; but it is better to yield and thus learn the needed lesson than to lose the kingdom. All such self-discipline is part of the process of preparation for the kingdom work.
The standard of character development which the pastor upholds is very high. He declared that whoever would be graduated with honors from the school of Christ must be so meek, so humble, so teachable, so patient, that he will be ready to receive instruction from the Master in whatever way He may see fit to send it whether through trials, difficulties, sickness, etc., or through books, hymns, or in any other way. No matter how it comes, if it brings us "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God," if it scatters our darkness, ignorance, superstition, if it brings us out into His marvelous light, we may be sure that God has done it for us, because we could not have done it for ourselves.
The pastor then showed that ultimately two classes will be graduated from the school of Christ. One class will receive very high honors glory, immortality, joint heirship with our Lord Jesus Christ in His millennial kingdom. The other class will be servants of God and will serve Him by rendering assistance to the kingdom class. Under another figure these classes are designated in Psa. 45, as "the king's daughter" and "the virgins her companions, that follow her."
The speaker next showed why there are to be those two classes and what has made the difference between them. The first class is constituted of those pupils that are so intent upon learning their lessons and of being graduated with honors that they not only study carefully their textbook, the Word of God, but they watch the Lord's eye, as it were, bent upon seeing what is His will concerning them. To these He has given the precious promise, "I will guide thee with Mine eye." Their reply is, "As the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that He have mercy upon us." Psa. 123:2.
The thought is that this class are all attention to see what they can render to the Lord, watching to see what He wishes them to do. They do not wait until He disciplines them severely. This little flock class will be composed of such as can be guided by the will of the Lord, such as are so anxious to do His will, so alert, so willing, to do anything they can do at any time He may choose, as to be "instant in season, out of season," to themselves. Those who possess this spirit will be of the first class to be graduated from the school of Christ.
The second class to be graduated will be very large in number, the pastor said. It will consist of those pupils who are rather slow, and who busy themselves with unimportant things. In figurative language, they are inclined to play during study hours and to forget the rules. Yet they are neither bad nor unruly. They are well-intentioned pupils, but somehow they do not properly study their lessons. They are inclined to study a little, then play a little, then study a little more, etc. These pupils require to be "kept in" after school frequently, and occasionally need a little switching. But they finally finish their course and are graduated. [HGL597] Dropping the figure of the schoolroom the pastor discussed this second class for a time. These, he declared, will not be on the throne, as will the little flock class. Instead of wearing golden crowns, this great company will have palm branches in their hands; instead of receiving the divine nature, they will be of a spirit nature like unto the angels. But their condition will be very blessed, for anything which the Master has to give will be good.
This class, the speaker said, will be composed of very good people, well-meaning people; but they are not up to the standard which the Lord desires for the Kingdom class. Whoever would be of the highest class should see to it that he reaches that standard. Those who will get the first place are those who catch the spirit of the Master and are loyal to Him and His cause, thus proving themselves to be worthy of His love. As He has said, "He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me."
The pastor then declared that according to the Scriptures we are on the eve of a great change of dispensation, that the One who redeemed the world is about to take His great power and reign. Those pupils in the school of Christ who are most attentive to the Master's voice speaking through the Word of God are hearing wonderful things pertaining to God's plan of salvation. Those who are obedient to what they hear are getting a clearer understanding in proportion to their obedience. Those who are in-attentive and those who refuse to hear will not understand, but will surely suffer in the coming time of trouble- "such as never was since there was a nation"; "no, nor ever shall be," as Jesus said.
By way of conclusion, the pastor exhorted all consecrated Christians to greater earnestness in striving to make their calling and election sure. He reminded such that they were not called merely to make a consecration, but to enter the school of Christ, to learn of the Master, to be taught by Him, in order to be developed in heart and mind and in every way qualified to be with the Lord and to share with Him in His glory, honor and immortality.
To accomplish this result, they must receive chiseling and polishing blow after blow, experience after experience, trial after trial. To all who are rightly exercised by this discipline the blessed result will be character-likeness to our dear Redeemer, who as a new creature was also "perfected by the things which He suffered." With all such who are faithful to their Lord the experiences of life will develop meekness, gentleness, patience, long suffering, brotherly kindness and love. And thus, having finished their course in the school of Christ, there shall be ministered unto them an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.