[PE13]
ECHOES FROM SOUTH BOSTON

Let us each one in our daily lives conceal our own personality and show forth the Head. We read in Acts 11:20 that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch, a city where Paul had labored much. They were not "Paulites," for Paul and all the apostles had kept their own personalities buried out of sight, and had always kept Jesus Christ to the front. It was Christ in all their words, and so the people said: "Why these people must be 'Christians.'" So let us speak as the oracles of God. The oracles of old days were either images or natural objects (like the one at Delphi), and the deity worshipped there was supposed to speak through the image or object.

So our words and answers should come from God and not from us.

We are ambassadors of God in the world, and as ambassadors have no right to speak their own mind upon any subject or question, to the enemy or nation to which they are sent, but only the expressed opinion of the government which they represent; so we have no right to give our own opinion upon any matter, for all we have and hold are His, and our answers should come from His Word. Let us weigh every word, not speak hastily. In the figure the head speaks for the whole body.

How little wisdom we possess in comparison to that of our great head. We cannot see our own course. The head is far above all the other members, and how foolish it would be if the hands or the feet should insist on guiding themselves. They would soon be in a snare, or would pull different ways, and discord would result. Only the head, Christ Jesus, can safely direct us.

In the tabernacle types, the high priest had to have a completely formed, healthy body. If a Levite had anything superfluous or insufficient, such as a finger too many or too few, he could never be a priest. So the body of Christ must be complete, and perfect, nothing superfluous, nothing wanting, and if we are not faithful some one will take our crown. (1 Cor. 12:12-30; Rev. 3:11.) Let us attend to this one thing.

Each member has a work to do different from that of the others, and let us do with our might what our hands find to do. God has set every [PE14] member in the body as it has pleased Him, not as it pleased us. So if we think our cross a hard one, and our lot difficult, remember God has placed us there for our good, and we should do our part and glorify him. All the members are helpful one to the other.

As in the figure, the neck would represent the apostles and the shoulders the apostolic days of the church. Here the body broadens out very rapidly, and we read of the wonderful growth of the church then, how hundreds and sometimes thousands were added to the church in a single day. (Acts 2:41.) Later on persecution scattered the church into the two arms and the body (Acts 8:1; 11:19, examples of the later scattering). Here it was that the nails were driven into the hands, the persecution was so great, and here also came the Dark Ages, when as the Psalmist says (Psa. 129:3): "They plowed long furrows upon my back," the persecution was so terrible. We see also that the body here is less solid and firm than at the shoulders, so the church grew less solid, less firm, lost its substance. (Then came the birth of the reformation and the division of the church into Protestant and Catholic.-This not by Bro. Barton.) As we reach the feet we find that they meet more stumbling stones, and so today there is more false doctrines and deceptions than ever before, when the feet-members of that body are being trained. We notice also that while the rest of the body is straight, the feet turn sharply out, so now the call has gone forth: "Come out of her my people."

The separation of the toes might indicate the stopping of the privilege of meeting together in fellowship, the closing of the door. The door will not close everywhere at the same time, but sooner in some places than in others, just as some of the toes come to an end sooner than others. We remember also that nails were driven into our Lord's feet, so the nails of persecution will be driven into the feet members of Christ's body before the end.

Grace to overcome seldom comes instantly; the reason for much of the delay being, that we have not been willing to receive His grace in the way He sends it.