Saint Paul pointing down to our day says, "The fire of that day shall try every man's work of what sort it is." He proceeds to say that some have built with gold, silver and precious stones, and that their work shall stand the fire, whereas there are others who have built with wood, hay and stubble, and that their works shall be burned up, even though they themselves shall be saved, if they have built upon the rock. They shall suffer loss in the destruction of their works, but they themselves shall be saved because they have built upon the rock foundation. The Apostle shows us in this that he is pointing down to the end of the age to our time.

Now, we notice, dear friends, that, all through the Bible our time is referred to as "That Day: the day of Christ, and the day of Jehovah" the various names given to this period of time as indicating a special change from the old order to the new order.

Saint Peter when speaking about this same time speaks about it as a time of fire, saying, the heavens shall be on fire, the earth also, and the works therein shall be burned up. By this we do not understand him to mean the literal earth, the literal heavens, the literal things in the earth, but rather to the symbolical earth, and the things therein, and the symbolical heavens. By the earth he means the social order; and by the heavens he means the ecclesiastical order of things. These pass away, but, in their stead we will have a new order of things. He says we are looking for the new heavens and the new earth wherein will dwell righteousness. We acknowledge that there is much wrong in the present heavens the present ecclesiastical system of the world. We are all subject to the imperfections belonging to our race and to ourselves as Christian people. We recognized more or less wrong because of the doctrines that came in during the dark ages. We are looking for a new heavens and a new earth. The new heavens will be the new church. The new earth will be the new social order. We shall constitute the light of that new order of things. The church will be the light in that day. In the time of harvest the wheat will be gathered into the heavenly barn. The resurrection change will gather them together on the heavenly plane, and then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. We are hoping that we will be that new light and have much to do with the new organization of things. When we see the fire coming upon the world and upon the churches, we say, things are all imperfect anyway; things are not satisfactory. We are not to judge others'not at all. We are merely to judge our own [HGL658] selves. We need not judge them. We have enough to do to judge ourselves, and can't do that perfectly.

Looking forward then to that day, the Apostle says, there will be a fire in that day. The same fire that the Apostle Peter has reference to, when he speaks of the heavens burning. Saint Paul says the fire of that day shall try every man's work of what sort it is. Present institutions are to be consumed, and the church shall be destroyed, because the great majority of the members of churchianity are built with wood, hay and stubble the very things that fire feeds upon things that will be consumed and go up in smoke. Nothing but the true and real shall stand in this day. The fire will try every man's work of what sort it is. Every man building with the wood, hay and stubble of error will surely be unable to stand the trial of this day, but those who have built themselves up in the most holy faith (gold, silver and precious stones used to represent such), they build up true character they shall stand. They are the kind that God has called for the kind that they profess to be real, true, genuine all this class are builders with gold, silver and precious stones. They will all be protected in this day. They will all be spared. The fire of this day will not consume them. This fire, of course, is not to be literal fire. The fire is just as symbolical as the wood, hay, stubble, gold, silver and precious stones. And we see, as we look about us, dear friends, there has been a great deal of building of faith structures character structures, with very flimsy material. Many have claimed certain erroneous things to be doctrines of Christ. Only one thing is right, and that is the truth of God's word. Those who build with that will be able to stand all kinds of tests. We are finding what things are true now. In proportion as we have built up ourselves in the true things of God's word, in that proportion we have strength of character, strength of faith, and we know in whom we have believed, and we have a reasonable hope that makes us not ashamed because God's love has been shed abroad in our hearts. But before this, we were building with more or less of wood, hay and stubble of human theory, traditions, and teachings of various kinds. As an illustration, some thought if they had been sprinkled in infancy, that this would constitute them members of the Church of Christ. They thought that, because of having water sprinkled in their faces, and a few words mumbled over them, that this would somehow protect them, keep them, and they would be heirs of all that God has to give. We can now see how foolish all this is. We no longer think along that line. We are seeing wonderful things in the Bible. We see now the real meaning of baptism, and that it is not applicable to infants at all, but only to those who surrender their wills to God, who consecrate their all to the Lord, and signifies the death and burial of our wills. This is an illustration of what kind of teachings we once had. We also thought that eternal torment would be the portion of nearly all, that our Heavenly Father was the worst being in all the world, and while trying to say "God is Love" were all the time imagining Him as doing what no human being would do.

We are glad then, dear friends, we found out in due time the difference between building up characters with proper things, and the building of them with false things. We are glad we have been changed over, and have been privileged to build up our characters with the gold, silver and precious stones of the Word of God.

And now the day has come, we are in this time, and the fire is testing us. Some are being burnt up, that is, their works are being destroyed, their false structures are tumbling down. If you ask the majority of Christians today, what do you believe, how few can tell us what they believe. They would say, I b-e-l-i-e-v-e-, I believe, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Good! Good! We are glad you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. What do you believe about Him? Well, I don't know, but that He is the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son; that He is His own Father, and His own Son, and at the same time they think of Him as being another person. Poor things. We were once there. What more do you know, we ask? Well; I don't know much more not much more. I believe Jesus died for me. Do you believe He died for you? Oh yes. Do you realize that His death was a ransom? I don't know what the word ransom means, they will respond. Think of it! Don't know what the word ransom means. They have certainly built with wood. A little fire destroys it entirely. A little wind blows them away. And some of them were good characters, too. The majority of us now in the truth were consecrated beforehand. And so we should think of some of these who are still holding to these foolish things. We should think of them very generously and very kindly, as being children of God, building upon the rock foundation. For all that, they do not understand what the rock foundation is, they are nevertheless, in a way, holding on to the Lord Jesus Christ. I am glad they believe that much, even though it is not enough. Glad they have gotten on the foundation and have been begotten of the spirit at all, if so be that they have. I fear that many who call themselves by Christian names have never been Christians at all have never known what it means to be a Christian, because they have never taken the steps the Bible tells us of. Ask them: -did you ever make a full consecration of yourself to God? No; I don't know what consecration means. Think of it, my dear brethren, not to know the first steps to be taken to become a Christian, to come into the Father's family. Think of it! After eighteen hundred years of preaching every Sunday, after attending so many prayer meetings, after hearing, seeing and doing all kinds of things, with a quarter of a million clergyman occupying their pulpits, and after sending so many missionaries to the heathen, and then after all, to think that they know so little not even the first steps it is sad indeed. It reminds me of what Saint Paul said in his day, "For the time you ought to be teachers (they had had some opportunities), but you need that someone should teach you again the first principles of Christ." They were babes in Christ, and not able to see how much God has provided, just as the babe is not able to eat the strong food, but has need of milk. The simpler truths have indeed been provided in God's word, but we should go from these and get clearer and clearer understanding of His gracious provisions which He has made to enable us to make our calling and election sure. That is what God intended.

With all these conditions about us, we see that many are losing all that they have ever built. They are beginning to see that nearly all that they have been taught are fables. To fill our minds with the doctrines of devils is a serious matter, [HGL659] and that is what has been done. The children's minds have been filled with these false doctrines, too, so that instead of thinking of God as a kind Father instead of that, we find, they have been taught things that cause them to dread God. As an illustration, I recall a story I read in a newspaper of a little child and its conception of God. A Sunday school superintendent in addressing the Sunday school, asked the question, "What will be the first thing you will do when you get to heaven?" One little girl held up her hand, and the superintendent asked. "What will you do, little girl?" She answered, "I would run and get behind Jesus so that the Father won't see me." What a pity! To think of God sending nearly everybody to eternal torment who didn't walk a straight chalk line. That was the result of teaching such things to little children, as brought out by that Sunday school superintendent. This also is the result of our catechisms, and of all our orthodox teachings. We sing "Jesus loves me." We have changed it to read "Father loves me," because, in the song as it originally reads, the love of Jesus is put in contrast with the lack of love of the Father.

As we look out today, we see that the nominal church people are members of the church because it is fashionable to be so, the church is a good club, a good place to keep in touch with business men, and business women. They are only social Christians. They think very little, if they think at all, and they are woefully ignorant of what the Bible teaches. They will tell you, when asked about points in the truth, I have wondered about this, and about that. It is all a mere matter of wonder. But it is no wonder, for "to you it is given to know the mysteries of God's Kingdom." Then, there is another class of Christian people who are really Christians and spirit-begotten ones, who are bewildered and are coming to be more greatly bewildered all the time. As matters shall go on from bad to worse, and as they see that "All around their souls give way," they will know that something is wrong. But what is wrong? Their teachings are wrong. They have built upon what the creeds say instead of what God says. We were all too careless. We were too much like the heathen in that respect. We ought to inquire, where is the evidence for what you say? Give me the word of God for what you say. We are now doing this, and we are getting God's words and reasons, and are content with them. As we build up our faith on that word, what a wonderful faith we have. It is compared to gold. What does gold symbolize? It symbolizes that which is divine'divine things. Everything in the Tabernacle was of gold, representing God, the divine nature. So God has given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these we might become partakers of the divine nature. We cannot now be gold, but we can build up our faith with the gold. God has given us the promises, and it is for us to take them, use them, and let them work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Is that the idea? Yes. We see then how important it is to have the real word of God. How weak we are when we have the words of men. That makes our hearts weak. The wonder to me, is, that people have any faith when they have been taught by men. But when, from the Scriptures, we see that we are the seed of Abraham, and that, if faithful, we shall be joint-heirs with Christ in the Kingdom, according to the promise "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne," that is something real to us. It must be a real throne. It will be. Messiah's Kingdom is a reality. It is not mere picture. It is something real. We are glad of this, my dear friends. It gives us confidence before God, as we begin to see His great character how He has been planning from before the foundation of the world for blessing every member of our race. That is the God to go to in the time of trouble, the kind you can go to when you are sick or distressed. He is the One you can trust. He sympathizes with you a real God. David says, in respect to Him, "My heart cries out for the living and true God." There are many false Gods. We want the living and true God. We have found Him, and we have His word. Now this real God His words come to us and transform our hearts and characters. They build us up in the most holy faith. It is a faith that is full of holiness. It is a faith that is teaching us that God declares that we must have His own spirit the spirit of His Son. While He provides for the covering of our imperfections through the merit of Christ, nevertheless He requires of you and me and everyone, that we must have His spirit, the desire to do His will. His promises will work in us first to will right, and then, to do right. We will never succeed in doing all that we would like to do. We cannot do the things that we would. We would be perfect, but we can't. That is the only excuse for not being and doing perfectly, and that is, because we can't. We would if we could. But we must have the mind to do right, the fixed will and endeavor to do His will, for anything less would be coming short. When you and I are willing perfectly, and are doing our very best to be so, the mercy of God has provided, very graciously, a covering of all our blemishes in the flesh which we have received from our fathers. To represent those who are thus building upon God's word, the Apostle uses the most valuable things, gold, silver and precious stones.

Now the fire is on us. What kind of fire? A fire of doubt, a fire of bewilderment, a fire of error. The professors in our colleges, and our leading scholars, are telling us that the hope of the world lies in evolution. It is all a mistake, they think, to say that we were created in God's image. Instead of that, they teach that we began as microbes, and these microbes developed into a tad-pole, the tad-pole into a frog, the frog into a monkey, the monkey into a man, and the monkey made progress for hundreds of thousands of years (some say more, some less), and finally he landed into some chair in some college. They are welcome to believe that and boast about their pedigree and lineage if they choose, but that won't do for us. Now, they say, we are very high up. Man is able to do wonderful things nowadays. He can build up railroads, cast up highways, carry water around the earth in trenches, lay great cables, and communicate by wireless telegraphy. He is able to do so many things. Here is the proof of it, they say. What do you say? Well, those who have not the understanding of God's word are not able to get the right view of things. They cannot tell what is wrong with all this. They accept what the professors tell them. Then go to the minister and ask him about evolution. Reverend, is it right, do you think? Yes; our professors have this pretty well established. Do you believe in evolution? Yes, they say, our professors did not say this in so many words, but we came to see it for ourselves as we progressed. We saw it in the textbooks, and as we listened [HGL660] to lectures, and read the books more and more, we finally came to see it for ourselves. Then you don't believe what the Bible says about Adam and the fall, the death penalty resulting, etc. ? Oh, no; no intelligent person believes that now. No one mow believes it that way. This Genesis account contains some good lessons, and we can get some good lessons from it if we would take the time, but it is not to be believed at all. Then Doctor, don't you think Jesus and the Apostles when they referred to these things were wrong? Well, you know, I am not to contradict Jesus and the Apostles. They certainly did teach something about the deluge and such things, but we now know better. Under such teachings, what do you think about the condition of the people? Nine-tenths of the ministers do not believe in the fall, and consequently cannot believe in a redemption from the fall. Neither do they believe in a restitution from the fallen condition. Neither do they believe in the selection of the church to be joint-heirs with Christ in glory to do this restitution work. So, you see, the whole thing is nil in the average mind. An Episcopal minister to whom I talked a while ago came into the truth. He gave up his parish in the Episcopal church in the United sates because he could no longer teach their doctrines, and had to go to work to make a living for his family, while he preached on Sunday. He said to me, "I went to see one of the chief ministers in our city." I asked him many things about what he believed. Do you believe this, do you believe that, I asked, but received such evasive answers, I finally said, 'Oh you don't believe in anything, do you? ''O yes, 'he said, 'I believe in Jesus. ''What do you believe about Jesus? Do you believe he was miraculously born? ''Well, you know, we cannot believe just that; He was a wonderful man. But what do you really believe about Jesus what was there so wonderful about Him? ''Oh, He was so divinely human. ''What do you mean by that? You are just trying to bluff me, just as you throw dust thereby in the eyes of the people. ''Well, 'he said, 'while Jesus said some very nice things, I think he lost His opportunity for doing good by dying on the cross. 'Now, we know, that there is not an atom of truth in all that. When the great teachers hold these things, what do you think the people have? The stream can hardly rise higher than the fountain from whence it springs. The people are not very definite in their faith. The minister only takes his text from the Bible; that's about all. One took his text from Shakespeare and thought he was taking it from the Bible.

At the conclusion of a meeting in the Boston Opera House at which there were about four thousand people present, an editor of a paper came to see me. He said, "I was much interested in that great audience that was such a wonderful audience, and then, so many of them stayed two hours to listen to it all. I can't understand it. Explain it to me. You know we have some very able ministers here in Boston some very able men, such as Reverend so and so, Doctor so and so. If they had out on the same day some forty, fifty or sixty people, they would think they had a very fair audience for a hot, summer morning, and yet, with you there were four thousand crowded in, and some turned away, on a hot day. How do you account for it?" We answered: The Bible tells us about a time when there would be a famine in the land, not for bread or water, but for hearing the word of the Lord. Those people were hungry, were they not? They had not had a square meal of victuals for a long time. There was a time when they were fed on the doctrine of eternal torment, right here in Boston. Then people became too intelligent to believe such things. Nobody believes that now that God prepared for this before the foundation of the world. Now the professors tell you that your great, great grandfather, a great way back, was a monkey. Cheer up, they say, you are getting along fine. You man not attain unto perfection in this life, but some of your children will in due time, when they have mastered certain things. You ought to rejoice because your children in the future will know all these things. Do you think this will satisfy people? No, not a bit. No wonder, then, the people are hungering. They want the message that God gives them. When the people see that the bankers, merchants, et all are backing up these ministers and churches who teach these things, and then see that the Bible does not back up such doctrines, they do not know what to do, but they are hungry and want something that will satisfy the longing of their souls. Because of prevalent conditions, only a special few are able to see the truth at the present time. Only these are able to build with the gold, silver and precious stones.

The fire of that day will destroy all false works, all errors and false doctrines. They are going down, and going down rapidly. The Salvation Army still holds on to eternal torment, as do also the Plymouth Brethren, but very few people any longer believe it. The Salvation Army and the Plymouth Brethren do show that they believe it by their efforts to keep people out of it. I appreciate this. If I still believed it, I would go wild trying to help people to escape it. I am thankful my eyes are opened so that I can see better. How glad we are that every such thing is passing away. In this time of great shaking, everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and only those things that cannot be shaken will remain. We have the unshakable things. We have received the Kingdom which cannot be shaken. Let us have confidence and rejoice that our eyes have been opened to see these things. Having received them and holding to them, indicates that we have made our connections with the Lord, and that our wireless is operating. We are in communication with the Head, and He is giving us answers. This wireless telegraphy beautifully illustrates our relationship to God. The power house sends out waves that jump through the air, sometimes for thousands of miles. One such sends messages clear across the Atlantic ocean. They use different tuning instruments. If you would take or receive a message you must have what they call a co-hearer. They catch these vibrations, but only certain ones only the ones they are tuned up with. Unless your co-hearer be properly attuned, you would not get the message. Tune up your instrument more and more until you get in tune with the sending instrument, and you can get the message well. So God sends forth His message and very few receive it because only a few people have co-hearers the begetting of the spirit, and some who have the co-hearers are not in tune with the sender. That is for us to do to come into tune with God. What is this tune with God that enables us to receive His message? We get the instructions from the Word of God'the Bible. It tells us what to do. It teaches us to make a full consecration of [HGL661] ourselves to the Lord. This consecration becomes acceptable to God through the great Redeemer who is our justification. We must come into the school of Christ and learn of Him, and by obedience become more and more copies of His dear Son. Let your nay be nay, and your yea, yea. Say what you mean. Do not try to deceive God or man. Speak the things that are true. How shall we act? According to the golden rule. Do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Many in the body of Christ have not built themselves up with these precious things as they should do. If you have a piece of wood in there instead of the golden rule, it will burn out. We should use this golden rule in dealing with our families, our neighbors, our butcher, our baker, and with everybody. Use this with all. Measure your conduct in life by it. You must see to it that you do to me as you would have me do to you not the reverse. You are not responsible for me, but for yourself. This golden rule comes in then. It represents the divine law. Nothing less is satisfactory to God. You need not say that you are acceptable to Him, and pleasing Him unless you are living up to the golden rule. It must be used every day. Saint John was told to measure the temple with a golden reed. So then, the church is being measured by this golden rule, the golden rod. You are to do the measuring for yourself. Thus we are coming nearer and nearer to the golden standard God has given us.

Is there anything beyond the golden rule anything beyond? Yes; you can do more. You cannot properly do less. But what more can one do than practice the golden rule everywhere and at all times? You can give up your own rights relinquish your own rights in the interest of others. That is love; that is sacrifice. The golden rule first; sacrifice afterwards. Cases have come to my attention in which parents have been very unjust to their children by not observing the golden rule; cases in which husbands have not treated their wives according to the golden rule, and yet claiming to be followers of Christ. To follow the golden rule is the very least that we should do. Oh, but, you say, this would never do with my husband, or this would never do with my wife. Leave that with God. God points out the path and we must not lean to our own understanding, but take His will take God's standard the golden rule. It should regulate all my conduct and all my affairs with everybody, and thus God will be pleased. You will thus grow in grace; you will grow in knowledge. Then, you will ask; is there not something else I can do? Yes; you can sacrifice. All such are building with gold, silver and precious stones, and are building characters that will pass through the fiery trials that are now here. We have had some already, but do not know how many more are coming.

In their picture of fiery trials concerning the church Elijah and Elisha God has used them as types, as pictures. Their experiences were typical of experiences that would come to God's people Elijah representing the overcomers of the church. God sent him from place to place. When God sent him to a place, he would go, and then God would send him to another place. He knew that he was to be taken away, but he did not know where it would be. While Elijah went from place to place as directed by God, he was expecting his change, and waiting for it, and in this was a type of the church expecting its change but not knowing just when or where. The Lord did not say to Elijah, Go to this place and there you will be taken up. The Lord said go there; then go beyond; but He did not take him up. And then, we read: "As they still went on" going beyond the place where the Lord last sent them as they still went on, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven." What does this mean? In a general way, it seems to me this fire always seems to represent trouble. This represents a destructive trouble. We are expecting to be taken up by some kind of a fiery trial, pictured by that chariot. We don't know just how, nor when, but just as Elijah and Elisha were still going on, so we are still going on. Where would you go if you did not go on? If I did not go on, I would not know where else to go. This is all I know to do. Can't go back to sectarianism. At one time some of Jesus' disciples said to Him, "This is a hard saying; who can receive it; there is no sense in what He is teaching; we will not be His disciples any longer," and they left Him. Then to the twelve, he said, "Will ye also go away?" They said, "Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." So it is with us. We have started out to follow the Lord. He is giving us the Word, and while some have turned back who were unable to understand Him, let us go on! To whom else can we go. There is no one else to whom we can turn.

As they two went on the chariot of fire separated them; so some kind of fiery tribulation will suddenly appear. I know not where; whether in Canada, the States, or where. We will be true to the Elijah picture, true to the Lord, and then, when His time comes, whatever kind of an experience it will be, we will welcome it. We have been expecting the fiery trouble to come. What is the difference, how? Whether by bullet, or what not. Our times are in God's hands. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." He is not indifferent. He is not careless. No accident will come to the Lord's faithful people. In the case of the Lord Jesus, he waited for his hour to come. Until then nothing could come. Our course is not marked out so definitely as was His, but in God's arrangements, we have our place the same as the Master had. We have a place and His providence is over all such. May we then, dear friends, go on like Elijah; waiting on the Lord; content to abide His time; not feeling discouraged or disappointed. We wish the Lord's time, His way, everything to be as He would have it to be; and thus, we shall ultimately have a share in His glorious blessings.