I have taken my text this afternoon, dear friends, from the Apostle's words, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

I believe that there is a very important lesson centering in those words. There are certain things in our lives and in our characters that we have nothing to do with. You had nothing to do in sowing yourself in your character that which you received from your parents. You had nothing to do with Adam's sin. You have to do only with what you, yourself, sow. As to all the other things that have come to us by heredity (no matter where, or how, or when it came), if it has come not by our own volition, but is something outside of us, then it is all covered by the great arrangement which our Heavenly Father has made. In Christ He has made provision for covering all the imperfections coming through the fall, so that we are not responsible for anything but what we sow. He will attend to what Adam sowed. We see how definitely God has arranged this, and not along any lines of preference, but He has provided a just sacrifice for the unjust sinner, for, as by man (Adam) came sin and came death, so also through the man Christ Jesus comes deliverance from those things which were upon us through Father Adam.

Now this is not only applicable at the present time to the church, but it will also be applicable to the world during the millennials age. The whole world of mankind will not be held responsible for what their fathers sowed. We now suffer for the things which our father sowed. You will, in the present life, have to do with these things and suffer these things, but in the new life only what you do counts. So with the world. They will have to do with what they do or sow. The seed of the wilful sowing will bring a certain crop, and the same as sowing wheat will bring wheat, the sowing of one kind of grain will bring that kind, just so with the sowing in the moral sense. Whatever we sow that we will reap. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

What are the things the world are sowing at the present time? We see the world sowing to selfishness to self-gratification. Nearly all the world is sowing to selfishness. What are you doing? One might answer, I am trying to serve my tastes, and preferences for food, and for clothing, and for everything under the sun. He is trying to satisfy his desires. As a matter of fact, most of the natural man's desires are to sinful things to his injury. Why? They are so because he is a fallen creature. He still has in his brain a capacity for some good things, but these are not so near to him because he has received a selfish bent, and thus the selfish powers are more active than the other powers. But the higher powers of the mind lie in the top of the brain, such as the sense of right and wrong, reverence, good qualities, those that the Lord approves, those that are the highest blessing.

Whoever can live in the top of his head instead of down in the cellar or base of the brain, his will be the nobler life. There are the organs that belong to the flesh. Some people live for food, live for drink. Some are fond of drinking; some are fond of eating. Some do not care for these things. If we did not have that quality in our minds we would not like to eat, and then it would be a mere matter of form, but we have a love for food, we have a good relish for the dinner, and this leads along to thankfulness to the Lord from whom they came.

Now, that organ being in control and being served particularly and continually, it would mean that the person only lives to eat and drink. He lives down there in that part of his head. He would not have the highest joys. That is an extreme, an overbalance of the brain. It is right for one to have this quality of relish for food. God wanted us to have it. It is only when it runs to an extreme that it is undesirable. It runs to an extreme because we have gotten unbalanced. We got unbalanced away back in Eden, and we have had six thousand years of development in that direction, so that, by this time most of our heads are empty.

We have been too busy with the eating, planting and building, and we have been living more like horses, and dogs and animals. What does the dog do? He spends most of his time running around looking for a bone. The horse has to pull the wagon lest he get the whip, but he wants the oats. These things are alright. There is nothing wrong in a man enjoying his food. It is when we make this to be about all there is in life, it is when we sit and loll around to kill time, and just do this, that and the other thing as it comes along, it is this that shows an empty head. Some very fine people spend much time in playing cards and dancing. I cannot play any game of cards. To me it seems that those who have time to burn, to kill or to destroy, and spend so much time in merely thinking about these things things on the same level with the horse and dog they are living on a very low, animal plane. They do just about like a fine animal would do, like a fine dog would do; not like a cur would do. They are too particular for that.

But God has given man his brain so different from the other animals. Our brains are so arranged that we can calculate. We have the quality and the powers of the mind to reason out matters along theoretical lines. We can study mathematics, dynamics, astronomy, geology, political economy; we can discern between right and wrong; we can know God's will and study His word. Animals cannot do those things. The average natural man does not care to think about God.

He does not want to think about dying, about hell. He ought to think, there is a great God; He has a sympathy and love for me, and I would be glad to know what He has to say. It would be natural to ask what God has for us, and to reason, it must be something good, because God is good; something great, because God is great. He is also wise, just and loving. [HGL651] Therefore, if things were right, man would be feeling after God feeling after Him if haply they might find Him. They would want to know about the divine plan of the ages, how sin came into the world, how God had sympathy, how He sent His Son to be our redeemer to make satisfaction for our sins, how His sacrifice makes satisfaction for our sins now and how it will, in due time, make satisfaction for all the world, and how it is that we now know this beforehand so that we may be associated with Jesus in blessing the world bye and bye. How their eyes would open when they would hear that! Why do they not do that? Because false doctrines have come in. Where did they come in? They came from Satan and from the fallen angels. The god of this world has blinded men's minds.

Saint Paul says that the god of this world has blinded the minds of men. They do not believe because their eyes are blinded; because Satan does not want them to see the glorious goodness of God. How could it be seen? Shining in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. If they could only get a glimpse of the goodness of God in Christ, it would convert the whole world.

Why then, does not God do this? He intends to do it in the millennial kingdom. It is to open the blind eyes, unstop the deaf ears and cause all men to know the Lord from the least to the greatest.

Why, then, does He not do this now, and why did He not destroy the devil in the beginning? fallen man may inquire; but, he is asking questions too deep for him. He is trying to get out into the deep things where he cannot swim. God has allowed Satan to take his course. God will take control in due time. He let our first parents know that they would die. It was Satan who said they would not die. If they chose to believe Satan, that is their own responsibility. God allowed them to take that way. Why should He do this? Because He wished to give a great lesson.

To whom give it? First of all, to the angels. The angels are learning every day. The angels desire to look into these things, as the Apostle assures us. They are watching right along, and through the six thousand years in which God has permitted evil, the angels have been looking on. It was a great test to them at first. When some saw the power of Satan at the first, and God did not correct him, they concluded that God did not have the power to correct him. So, some of them decided to follow Satan.

Did God want this? Yes; because if their hearts were not loyal He did not want them associated in the Kingdom regulations; so He let them have the test. He let them take their own course, and now they are over with Satan, they are finding that God has the power, and they have demonstrated that they are not in harmony with Him. The other angels were, for a time, bewildered, but, they trusted God anyhow. They are finding out that they took the right course. All the while God had the power, but He simply did not exercise it. They see how foolish it would have been for them to have chosen sin. They can see that doing the right thing is better than doing the wrong thing. All the holy angels are perceiving that they did the right thing, even though for a while it looked as though God could not stop Satan, and could not restrain sin and save the fallen race.

Then, the world of mankind has been going down into death, but the world is not lost, we see. In one sense of the word, it was lost, but not lost from God's standpoint, because He knew all the time where they were, and all the time He had a plan for them. They were always only asleep in death, so far as He was concerned, because God, before He revealed His plan, had it in mind for man. In fact, He had it all in mind before the foundation of the world. In that plan Jesus was the very essence and center of the divine program. He was to be the great ransom sacrifice for all, and after that, the great King of glory to lift mankind out of death.

All this was known to the Father from the very beginning, and Jesus was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. It is a good thing to find out how great a God we have; to learn that He is not only all-wise and all-powerful, and also all-just, but still more precious to find out that the very essence of His character is love, love.

Now then, this great plan which He is carrying out has a still further purpose in developing sympathy in us, and otherwise benefiting mankind. He is letting the world go down to the tomb, but no one is suffering very much. This has been going on for more than six thousand years, but no one person has suffered for that length of time. Many have been taken away very suddenly; some have died of consumption; others have been killed with bullets; and still others have died from poisonous gases. But, what if they did? It did not last very long. It is not like roasting through all eternity. But, for a person to suffer for a few days, to have a toothache, a corn, a heartache, a headache, or what not, it may do them good for aught I know. I think it will. I think my corns even, have done me good. How? It may develop patience and give me sympathy for other people.

All of our aches and pains only give us sympathy for others. If you did not have any, you could not imagine what was the matter with the people when they talked about having aches and pains.

But now, since we have had aches and pains, corns, bruises, etc., we know what they are and can sympathize with others who have them. Then, besides, these experiences are only for a moment light afflictions, as the Apostle views them.

These things are giving the world a great lesson, and then, they are not going to eternal torment. They are simply falling asleep. It is better that they fall asleep than that they should stay awake; better under present conditions. Better for themselves if they were inclined to do right, for the reason that their experiences were not so prolonged, and not so much of a conflict. Better also for those who know how to do wrong, and to do evil, who know how to make bombs, and all kinds of deadly instruments for injuring their fellow creatures. If they were not cut off, I do not know what they would know in a thousand years. Some would get all the money in the world. It is a good thing they are dying off, my dear friends.

We are glad, however, that they are merely falling asleep, and not dying like a dog. God has a glorious future for them. We are content to see it more and more, that our Heavenly Father has a most wonderful plan. There are some things that we do not fully appreciate, but we are sure that our Father knows what He is about. We need not worry. We see enough to fully convince and satisfy us. We rest it there. That's the way I do. Don't bother about this and that. It doesn't make much difference to us. You ought to think about it, but don't worry about it. Don't worry about anything but about pleasing the Lord. If you do not [HGL652] please the Lord, then you have something to worry about. If not, go right along and trust also in Him.

But these things are going to have a beneficial effect upon the world. The world goes to sleep with certain knowledge and certain experiences. Even those errors God permitted to come in even they will work out some good. How could they ever work for good? In this way: Imagine some of the poor people awakening in the resurrection day and having the next thought to the one with which they fell asleep. They will, therefore, be looking for the devil's horns. They will come out, saying, where am I? Where is the devil? No devil around at all.

Where is the fire? No fire around. You had a bad dream; that is what you had. You had a nightmare. Why, those things told you when you were alive on this side they were simply some scare things which the devil used to drive you away from God. They are the very things that made you hate God, but the Bible tells about the love of God, and nothing about these evil, bad things. They were made up in the dark ages. They are doctrines of the devil. Cheer up, brother, you are just entering into the best time in your life. Are you deceiving me? Oh, no; no deceiving here. Satan is bound for a thousand years that he might not deceive the people any more. You are going to have a good time for a thousand years, trying to get into harmony with God, getting to know Him whom to know is life everlasting.

Will I become an angel? No; you are too late for that. You knew some saintly people when you were alive, did you not? Yes; my father and mother were very devout people. Well, they are in the Kingdom and ruling things now with Jesus. They are joint-heirs with Jesus and are reigning with Him. I am not, then, to be an angel? Oh, no; that was only the call during the Gospel Age, during which anyone who would walk in the footsteps of Jesus might have a change of nature and have a special resurrection to the heavenlies. What can I get? Restitution.

What is restitution? It means to restore you, to bring you back again to what Adam was when God created him in His own likeness. Can I become perfect and lose my imperfections? Yes; they will all gradually disappear from you, and you will be getting more and more nearly perfect every day, week, month and year, until, by the close of the reign of Christ, you will be absolutely perfect (if you have been going on), and in that condition, if you will remain in harmony with God, you will have everlasting life given to you by the Father himself. This is not too good to be true, but too good not to be true. You did not know God before; you only knew the devil. You are now getting to know God's side. He is good. Follow God and be one of those who will live for God. In the past you sowed to the flesh. You wasted your time. You practiced and did things you ought not to have done. You used your being and whole body improperly. You were sowing wrong; were you not? If you had lived over that life as you could have done, you would have been better than you are.

You are quite degraded because you took the course you did. I can show you some much better than you because they sowed better than you. You could have died a noble woman or man, but don't cry over spilled milk. Now is your opportunity. You have learned a lesson. Now put it to good use. Hereafter, try to live in harmony with God's will, and this will be sowing properly, and bye and bye you will get a good crop in the end. But you will have all these things to contend with because you had more knowledge than you put to good use. But never mind the past now. Jesus has died for your sins and made full satisfaction for them not for those blemishes which came from your own willfulness you will have to make up for them yourself. Other things than these Jesus satisfies for, and now, go on and make progress, and help others along the right way. Some who will come forth then, will love God more because of the horrible doctrines that they were taught during their previous experience.

Having looked at the world, we come now more particularly to the church, and to the other application which the Apostle has made: Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. This principle applied to the church means that, whoever has intelligence of mind, whatever such an one sows in life, whatever he sows is the kind he will have, that is the crop he will reap.

Applying this specially to the church; if we live according to the spirit, we shall reap life everlasting; and if we sow according to the flesh, we shall reap corruption death everlasting. Is that more applicable to the church than to the world? Yes; because the church has more enlightenment than the world. Some in the world are brighter than some in the church, naturally. Not many wise, rich, noble are called. But whatever they have, in proportion as they have knowledge, they have an opportunity of getting information that God gives to His people, but not to the world. When? When they become His people. When they consecrate and become living sacrifices, Jesus takes them and makes them acceptable.

Then God gives the begetting of the Holy Spirit, and whoever is begotten of the Holy Spirit, after that begins to have an enlightenment of the mind, and so it was in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus had made His consecration at the River Jordan, and had gone down into the water and had symbolically gone into death, when He came out then the Holy Spirit came upon Him like a dove, and John the Baptist made his remark. We read further that, when He then came up out of the water, the heavens were opened up to Him. All the higher thing began to open to his mind things that He did not see before things not seen by the natural mind things to be seen by this power of the Holy Spirit. Just as soon as the Spirit came upon Him, then He began to make rapid progress.

He then went into the wilderness for forty days. He was not tempted of the devil for forty days, but was there having a Bible Student's Convention for forty days, and was the only Bible student present. His was a very great mind. He had been studying the Bible all His years but had not understood it, except certain things not the deep things, because the natural mind cannot understand the deep things of God's word. Not until He was begotten of the Spirit could He discern spiritual things. He knew the various features of the law, had read the prophecies, and knew they were there, but He did not understand them fully. He was familiar with the writings of Moses, and had read about the serpent lifted up in the wilderness, but did not know what it meant. He had read about the bullock and the sacrifices made on the Day of Atonement, but did not know what they meant. He was acquainted with the prophecies relating to the Messiah, but when He read about Him being led as a lamb to the slaughter, He did not know what it meant. But just as soon [HGL653] as He had made His consecration and His eyes of understanding became anointed with the Holy Spirit, all the higher things began to open up before Him.

What did He begin to see? He was driven of the spirit into the wilderness not driven of the devil but driven by His own spirit, His own mind. His will. He went there to get away from everybody. He wanted to see things, and He went into the wilderness so as to get away from anything that might confuse Him. He knew all about the Bible. In His own town He had been the regular Bible reader. Not many could read at that time, but He, being a perfect man, was a very fluent and able reader.

The leader would hand Him the book when He came into the synagogue, and He would read for them. Now then, during all these years He both read and heard read the Bible, page by page, lesson by lesson, so that by the time He had reached the age of thirty years, He had heard the Bible, in entirety, read many times. Everything He would hear would be fastened in His mind, and He would be able to repeat any part of the Scripture, anywhere, at any time. I have know people with fallen heads who could repeat whatever they heard. But a perfect mind would be able to repeat anything and everything it had heard.

He did not need a Bible or a concordance to refresh His memory or to run references. He went away into the wilderness to think over the things which He knew were in the Bible. Those things there in which He had previously wondered about, He now began to see into and understand. He was now illuminated. He was so busy in His Bible study that He forgot all about eating. After forty days He was an hungered. He was so busy thinking He had no time to get hungry. But after forty days, during which He had studied the whole Bible until all those things became clear which had previously been obscure to Him, He became hungry. He did not understand everything, for He afterwards said, "Of that day and hour knoweth no man, neither the angels nor the Son, but the Father only." He did not know the time for the setting up of the kingdom, because it was not for Him to know. God had not given this out, as yet. But He knew all that was due to be known. He told His disciples that, as His Father would reveal things to Him, He would reveal them to His followers in due time.

Our Lord Jesus Christ had the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and thus was an illustration of how all of God's people would receive an illumination. Not in the same degree, however, because His life was a perfect one, and far beyond that of fallen man. He had left the glory He had with the Father and had humbled himself to come down and be made flesh. He was perfect now as a man, and He was having the illumination of a man, and this was instructing and guiding Him. His entire life from that time on was one of daily guidance by this spirit of continuous enlightenment.

This enlightenment was with respect to the Father's will, as to what was His Father's will, for He said, "I come to do my Father's will in heaven." He was on earth and His Father was in heaven. He had come to this earth that He might do the will of His Father in heaven. What did He do? He sowed to the spirit? How? This way: The Father's proposition to Him was that He should present His body a sacrifice, and be faithful even unto death. He was not to settle beforehand how it should be done. All that was for the Father to direct. He kept looking into the word of God, and His mind was kept open to see what the word instructed Him to do, and thus He was guided by it. He ordered His life by God's will. He did the things that the Bible said He was to do. This led Him to be out of accord with the people of His time, and this meant that those who would be in harmony with Him, would be out of harmony with men.

They were to have only one Master. He had the one Master even the Father. He has set us an example that we should walk in His steps.

You and I having received this invitation to be like Him and to cast in our lot with Him, and to consecrate our lives as He did, we are also called to share with Him the sufferings of this present time, and also the glory that shall follow. He had the sufferings and the glory one depends upon the other and He has invited us to have a share with him in these sufferings here below during the present time, that eventually we may have a share with Him in the resultant glories above in the future. We have accepted this offer. We have consecrated. We have received the illumination. What illumination? Your mind began to open to see things more plainly than ever before, and you are now seeing things that your neighbors, children, parents, and others do not see, as the case might be, because you have the mind of Christ, because you have the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

This illumination shows to you the will of God, and it does this to you because you have taken the right steps, and He has accepted you and has given you this earnest of your inheritance the Holy Spirit; and through this Holy Spirit you are able to discern the will of God, which causes you to be separate and different from the world. Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Others did not hear, or see.

The great majority who heard Jesus did not comprehend His teachings. Those who could comprehend, blessed were they. It is for these illuminated ones to sow to the spirit, and not to the flesh. They are to use their wills, and their talents, and their influence for the spiritual things, and not for the natural, earthly things. They have given up the earthly things. They need, of course, to have the necessities of life. Your Father knoweth what things you have need of, and He has promised to give you what you need. You cannot tell Him what you will need. You are not wise enough. He knows, and all will be well. He is our Father with the knowledge of what things we need. If He should grant us so many earthly blessings and privileges, we should feel all the more fearful lest we should make a mistake in using them.

If you have only one hundred dollars, you have only the responsibility for the one hundred dollars. If you should lose one hundred dollars by mistake, you are responsible for that. That is to say, you are responsible only for what you have. Whatever may be your talents, they are given to God, and you are to use them, and according as you use them that is the sowing. You are either sowing these for the earthly, natural things, or else you are sowing them for spiritual things. Which way are you using them? If you sow to the spirit, you are using your time, talents, etc., to the best of your ability, then God is very gracious in dealing with you.

How much can we do? Nobody knows really just all he can do. We must surely do the best we are able, and then leave the matter with the Lord. But if we should give our lives over [HGL654] to the flesh, to live according to our own natural preferences, in the base of the brain, minding natural, earthly things, and give your time and attention to pet cats, dogs, pony, automobile, and the pleasures of every little thing of that kind, and your own gratification in various ways, then, even though you do not murder, steal, or lie, you will be living after the flesh. If you live after the flesh, you shall die. Yes; you will die for that.

How is that? You say you are no murderer, no blasphemer; how would God have us die if we should live after the flesh? Well, you have consecrated yourself. The world has not. You have been begotten again of the spirit. Others cannot come into the condition whereby we may die, now. We have given up these natural things that we might get the spiritual things. The giving to us of His spirit is the indication of our acceptance by the Father, whereby He says, I beget you to a new nature; living according to the spirit and you will attain to the spiritual resurrection. You have given up all the earthly things, so, if you turn around and break your contract with the Lord, and mind earthly things, then you will die. That would not be as favorable for us, as for those who shall be on trial in the future? I believe it would.

In the future, while no one may live a thousand years unless he be obedient to the terms of the kingdom, and unless he shall turn his heart to the Lord and seek to do His will, and manifest outwardly the Lord's spirit, yet he would not be accounted worthy of everlasting life at the end of the thousand years. They must all have the spirit by that time, for during that thousand years He will pour out His spirit upon all flesh the spirit of the Lord in the human nature.

The human nature perfected is able to have God's spirit working in his body. If, at the end of the thousand years, anyone chose to live according to the flesh, selfishly, he would not be granted everlasting life. But I do not believe, if we choose the spiritual things, He will begrudge us the gift. He is willing. It won't do for one to say, if I can only crowd in, in some little place, that will do me.

No one will enter in in that way. It will either be an abundant entrance, or none at all. If you are worthy, you will get the abundant entrance. If not, no entrance at all. The bride must be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. That will be our time of triumph when the great Redeemer shall present us blameless and unreprovable in the Lord's presence, because we have manifested the Lord's spirit. You have lived according to the spirit of the Lord, not according to the will of the flesh.

You have been willing to sacrifice all these earthly things. Then, the Lord says, you are a jewel. I gave you these trials to polish you. I wanted polished jewels. I have given you these trials because I loved you. The more I gave you, the more I loved you. A very fine stone gets the most attention, and extra care. After being polished on one side, it will get polished on the other side. And thus it is with God's chosen ones. He wants them to shine forth through all eternity.

Ye are God's workmanship just what He is making. He made you. God did not make everything. He made the Lord Jesus nothing else. All else was by and through Him. But now, He steps out and does His work. Christ is the great elder brother, but the whole matter is the Father's workmanship. We are His children. We are begotten by His spirit, and we are to reflect His glory throughout all eternity. He is showing us His favor now, but this is going to continue in the future. In the ages to come He will continue to show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. There will be plenty of opportunity.

I do not know what the Father is to do. But, for the present, here is a great contractor, and you are working on his building. He does not tell you about other buildings, but about the one you are working on. He might have many others, but that is not your business.

Our Father has many other things to do. We will not sit down through eternity and be idle. I cannot imagine any great being being idle. Inferior beings might do that, but any great being will always have plenty to do. Our Father is great. What will we do then? We see this great world whirling about us at night. What are those stars?

By the use of great telescopes we now see that these are suns hundreds, thousands, millions of them. Astronomers tell us that they figure about one hundred twenty-five millions of these suns, and around each one of them revolves a planetary system like our own, which would make about one billion worlds. Are these empty? So far as we know yes. So far as we know, His work will extend to these planets. The foundation may have been laid and we are to have a work to do in connection with them all under our Father's direction, and in association with our Lord Jesus. In the ages to come God will continue to show the exceeding riches of His grace toward us, and His loving kindness in Christ Jesus.

I tell you, my dear brethren, I am getting to know my Heavenly Father better, and as I find out more of His loving kindness, it begets more of this loving kindness in us. Not that we first loved Him, but He first loved us. The more we see, the more we love in return.

Here we are. What are we going to do? Shall we sow to the flesh and reap corruption, and reap death? Certainly not. On the other hand, are you going to sow to the spirit and reap life everlasting? Yes, we want to do that. How much? There are different degres Remember what the Scriptures say: He that soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly. You are sowing to the spirit, are you? How much? If we sow abundantly, we shall reap abundantly. There will be a great difference in the reaping.

As star differeth from star in glory, so great will be the difference in the rewards of God's people. Jesus illustrated this himself. He showed that some will have dominion over two cities, others over five cities, and still others over ten. There is a difference; isn't there? Yes, indeed. That is only for all those that sow bountifully. Those that sow sparingly will not get a share of that at all. Many spirit-begotten ones will not get the Kingdom part. They will come in as bridesmaids. The Lord invites us to be His bride. Let us not be content to be anything else. In order to be in that class we must have the Lord's own spirit. In a small degree? No. We must be filled with the spirit. We must be copies of God's dear Son in order to get the best of the blessings which God has promised.