The Palm Tree Blessing Part 8

4. Power, the positive side of holiness is now particularly manifested.

Also, the night of trouble, trial, testing, temptations, and tears will pa.s.s away. The "morning star" is seen. He is looking toward the sun-rising, toward the morning when the Sun of righteousness shall appear.

5. Now, the "white raiment" of a holy life shines forth particularly.

His outward life and testimony give him away. His hidden life manifests itself outwardly and differentiates itself from all other life. The inward glory is shining out to the surface, and his life is seen and felt. In proportion to the inward glory will the outward effulgence be manifested. Jesus, on the mount of transfiguration, let the inward glory out through His garments, and they became garments of light.

Now comes the announcement that his name will not be blotted out of the book of life. While it is possible to pa.s.s the point in sin, where the soul fixes its destiny for d.a.m.nation, so it seems that there is a point in the progress of spirituality and grace and overcoming, that fixes the soul's destiny for glory. His name is confessed before G.o.d and the angels. The veil is getting very thin here, between the overcoming pilgrim and paradise. In fact he is living mostly in heaven now.

6. He is now counted a pillar in a peculiar sense. Like the pillars of ancient Egypt and Babylon where great monarchs carved their names, battles, victories, marvelous achievements, and chiseled their pedigree and dynasty, so G.o.d takes this time-honored, battle-scarred, self-sacrificing pilgrim at this stage and makes him an ill.u.s.trious pillar in the temple of G.o.d, and writes in his favor his victories and exploits, his overcoming life. He is to go no more out. As some are sealed for eternal d.a.m.nation in this life, so he is sealed for eternal glory.

"I will write upon him." Yes, G.o.d will carve upon him victories and conquests. He will write upon him the city of G.o.d--his sure destination.

Like the address on a sealed letter, with the government of the country back of it to see that it arrives safely at its destination, so with G.o.d's "epistles," "sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise," with the address of his destination plainly written thereon, and with the government of all heaven interested in seeing him through, we see the overcoming saint nearing the Great White Throne. The end is near; he is overcoming to the last. He has been ascending the steps, till now he sees inside the pearly gates, and one step more will put him inside.

7. Here he is in glory at last, and a place with Jesus in His throne.

Exalted place! With Christ, the great Overcomer, he sits down with Him in His throne. It is more than finite minds can comprehend. Surely, it will pay to be true to Jesus and be a final overcomer.

When we read these wonderful promises to the overcomer, and see with what precision and certainty he is made to ascend the spiritual scale to glory, we scarcely wonder, that before we reach the close of Revelation we hear the sudden announcement: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things."

"And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). The overcoming, victorious life is the only kind that satisfies the soul and qualifies for spiritual success in this world.

The outside world is looking upon us, and if they do not see something in us beyond that which they see in themselves, there will be no inducement from our standpoint for them to make any change.

G.o.d has provided a life in which it is possible to "rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks." The psalmist said, "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth." No person can, by mere volition, bring himself into a frame of mind to bless the Lord at all times and have His praise continually in his mouth. The hara.s.sing trials and nagging disappointments incident to earthly life are too many and too severe to admit of the everlasting praise life without the grace of G.o.d within. And many with a measure of G.o.d's grace have not become acquainted with the secret of continual praise. Let us look at two statements, one in the Old Testament, and the other in the New Testament.

"All these things are against me" (Gen. 42:36).

"All things work together for good" (Rom. 8:28).

The first statement comes from Jacob; the second from the Apostle Paul.

Paul said he had learned whatsoever state he was in, therewith to be content (Phil. 4:11). Jacob was looking at the mere external, and judging accordingly. What were the things that were against Jacob? "Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me." But Jacob, you are very much mistaken. The very things you say are against you, are all working together for your good. Joseph, right now is in Egypt, the governor of that land, and is not dead as you suppose. Simeon is all right under Joseph's watchful care, and Benjamin will be in the best of hands. Joseph went before, to be a loadstone to draw Simeon there, and Simeon is a loadstone to draw Benjamin there, and Benjamin will be a loadstone to draw you there and all the rest of the family to preserve you alive and to bring about G.o.d's wonderful plan and providence in the Hebrew nation. No; the trouble with Jacob was with his foresight; had that been half as good as his hindsight he never would have said what he did.

Perhaps Paul did not have so much to contend with in his day. Let us see. "In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Besides those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches" (2 Cor. 11:23-28). In spite of all these, hear his overcoming, victorious faith say: "All things work together for good."

There is probably no department in the Christian life which is more desired and for which more prayer is offered, than the victory department. There are so many trials, disappointments and annoyances from day to day, that if one allows them to overcome him he is constantly confronting failure and chagrin. But to know that one is from day to day and moment to moment living in the praise and overcoming life, gives him a joy and satisfaction that is simply glorious in the extreme.

There are many Christians who go through the world in a sort of up-and-down, to-and-fro, in-and-out, zigzag way that is certainly discouraging. To have victory today and defeat tomorrow, keeps one on edge all the time, not knowing which way the battle is going to turn. A lesson from the Book of Joshua is encouraging. When he began that wonderful series of conquests just after crossing the Jordan into Canaan, it was victory after victory. Here is a sample of the records: "And he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho."

Then follows like statements in almost the identical language except that the cities are different, showing that he took the last city and conquered it and its king in precisely the same manner as he did the one before. G.o.d had previously promised him that he should have just that kind of victory in Canaan. "Hereby ye shall know that the living G.o.d is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hitt.i.tes, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgas.h.i.tes, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites" (Joshua 3:10).

Notice two things in this: It was to occur in Canaan, and there were to be seven nations conquered. Is not this typical of Holy Ghost victory in the sanctified life? Canaan is a type of holiness, and seven is the perfect number. G.o.d wants us to have perfect victory from day to day over all our foes, and He will supply that which will enable us to overcome.

So many so-called soldiers of the cross are living simply on the defensive with scarcely a thought of spiritual, aggressive warfare. Look at the great battles that have been won in the world's history. Were not most of them won by the aggressive side? Look at the whole armor of G.o.d as the inspired pen of Paul pictures it out in the sixth chapter of Ephesians; the helmet for the head, the breastplate for the vital organs of the body, the shield for the whole man, and a sword to do aggressive execution. We see the whole front of the man protected, but what about the back? There is no protection for that part of the body, for G.o.d's soldiers are not expected to turn their back to the foe. If they do, they are sure to be hit. When the writer was a boy, accompanied by other boys, he discovered an old Indian burying ground on the beach bluff near Santa Barbara, California. They had seen indications of such a place, and were diligently searching for the exact spot. Finally, they discovered some rib bones sticking out of the bank, where the constant washing of the waves had in time crumbled the bank down. With shovels in hand they went about the delightsome task of uncovering the dead, with the hopes of finding wampum, arrowheads, pottery or any other relics which might have been buried with their owner. Finally, a section of an Indian's backbone was unearthed, and upon examination it was found that an arrow head had pierced the vertebra, just missing the spinal cord, and was wedged in like a nail driven into a board. The question might be asked: "How did the arrow head get into that Indian's backbone?"

Evidently, because the Indian was on the retreat, and his enemy shot him in the back.

Where is the victorious life, when life is spent simply in the humdrum of daily routine of selfish interests? No wonder people have an up-and-down experience. No wonder they never get anywhere outside of the treadmill of life. G.o.d wants us to branch out and bless the world and be conquerors. In the Garden of Eden we read about the wonderful river that flowed through it and watered it; but it was not self-centered nor self-contained; it branched out. So it is in sanctified human experience today; the Edenic stream of full salvation flows through the soul, but it does not stop there and center itself in the individual. The stream waters one's life and experience, but it flows out and on to bless others also. The Edenic stream started out as one stream, but the account tells us that it branched out into four streams and watered the world around. So it is with that soul who will let the Holy Ghost have His way with him. Out of his inmost being will flow rivers of living water. This fourfold Edenic stream went out in four directions, to the four quarters of the earth, so to speak. Four is the human number of the Bible, and when one gets the Holy Ghost, he is expected to branch out to the people everywhere and water the world with the precious water of life. Holiness is not self-centered. It consists of two elements--purity and power. If one has the thought of purity alone when he seeks the blessing, he has a one-sided idea of it. There is a power side which enables the possessor to conquer. Purity for the individual, and power for the world; or in other words, power for aggressive warfare.

Whoever became a conqueror that stayed always in one little, beaten path? The world is so big, the possibilities are so great, and the grace of G.o.d so boundless, that it looks as if we all ought to set our stakes for bigger results in the Christian life. One day we were pa.s.sing along a street in a certain city and observed a gentleman constructing a very peculiar piece of frame work, and our curiosity was so aroused that we went over and asked him what he was building. He answered, "I am building a razzle-dazzle." He then explained what that was. He said that a razzle-dazzle was something like a merry-go-round, except that as it went round and round it also went up and down. We thought how many people in their so-called Christian life are riding the razzle-dazzle.

They want to be going and moving, but they are going round and round, and not only that, they are going up and down, up and down, and never getting anywhere in their experience. Now, we never were much in favor of running off on tangents, but in this case we think it would be very advantageous to strike a tangent and take a bee-line for Canaan.

Many are hindered in their victorious life by the "little foxes which spoil the vines." Their spiritual wall which surrounds them seems to admit so many of the aggravating cares, that they find themselves frequently overcome thereby. "Salvation, will G.o.d appoint for walls and bulwarks" (Isa. 26:1). "But thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise" (Isa. 60:18). When we remember that "G.o.d is our salvation," and "Our G.o.d is a consuming fire," and this G.o.d, the consuming fire, is the wall of salvation around us, we believe the wall is so high that the devil's little foxes can not jump over it; so thick they can not bore through it, and so deep they can not dig under it.

This is surely a blessed protection for those on the inside. But the promised protection of G.o.d is still more. He will insphere His trusting child and make him doubly safe, and make his surrounding simply glorious. Notice the divine insphering: "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even forever" (Psalm 125:2). Here is the Lord all around us. "Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" (Psa. 16:8). The Lord is by our side. "Underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33:27). The Lord is beneath us. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). The Lord is over us. And we are also taught that we may abide in Him and He will abide in us. Think of this marvelous protection: the Lord all around us, by our side, underneath us, over us, in us and we in Him. Then shall we allow the trifling things of earth to conquer us and spoil our experience? How often we hear one say words like this: "I wouldn't give up my experience for all the world," and then possibly in an unguarded moment go down over something not worth a quarter. We once heard of a sailor that had braved the sea and storms for years, and finally got drowned in a bucket of water. While drinking he had some fit or accident which caused him to fall, so that his face was buried in the water and he was strangled to death. Be careful of the little things; they are sometimes more dangerous than the bigger ones. A brother was once accosted by one of the Lord's workers and asked how he was getting along in his Christian experience. He replied that he got along very well usually through the day, but when he went home from his work in the evening, his wife nagged at him so much that he invariably lost out. He would be blessed along through the day, but when that nagging spirit of his wife got started, even though he would hold out for some time and keep the victory, yet as sure as he would open his mouth, the victory was gone. He told the worker that he had an experience like a pelican.

He then described how the pelican would start out in the morning and load up its big pouch with fish, and then in the evening it would start for home, whereupon the little birds would get after it and peck it first on one side of the bill and then on the other, till the poor pelican would throw its head around from one side to the other, and finally its mouth would fly open and out would go the fish, which was just what the birds were after. He said he had a pelican experience; that he would get along well through the day, but the constant annoyance of the wife in the evening would finally cause him to open his mouth, and away would go his victory. Many a blessing has been lost, simply by opening the mouth. It is much harder sometimes to keep the mouth shut than to open it. "So he openeth not his mouth," was the att.i.tude of Him who was our example.

CHAPTER XVII

THE PALM TREE WILL NOT ADMIT OF GRAFTING

For many years the process of grafting has been known and practiced by horticulturists. This is accomplished by taking a scion, usually of the previous year's growth, from a shrub or tree, and inserting it into another shrub or tree more or less closely related to the first. It must be so inserted that the cambium layer of the scion, that is, the layer of formative tissue between the bark and natural wood, is closely united to that of the stock. In time, these two parts grow together into a perfect union. The scion thus inserted will derive its life and strength from the original root and stock, but will bear its fruit according to the nature of the scion.

When we come to the palm tree, we find something that is opposed to this method and will not respond. It will not yield to any mixture. It has not the qualifications that admit of grafting processes. It can neither be grafted in with any other tree, nor can any other tree be united with the palm. It will not mix. It is an endogenous tree, and the cambium layer does not obtain. It has no joining tissue that can be thus united with any other plant.

Did the Omniscient Inspirer of the Word make any mistake when He said, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree?"

The Word of G.o.d is diametrically opposed to unholy mixtures. Hear the word of the Lord in Deut. 22:9-11. "Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an a.s.s together. Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together."

Who has not seen the evil effects of mixing the planting of various seeds together, such as melons and pumpkins, or other incompatible varieties? Why not yoke an ox and an a.s.s together? They are neither mated in size, breed, nor disposition. It makes a lopsided pair. One is cla.s.sed with the clean animals, and the other with the unclean. We once saw an oriental picture in the back part of a Bible where some native was plowing with an ox and an a.s.s together, and they had the appearance of being ashamed of themselves. It looked as if the poor plowman would have a hard job to get any work out of the pair.

But why not the mixed garment, of woolen and linen? "They shall be clothed with linen garments, and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat" (Eze. 44:17, 18). G.o.d did not want them to chafe and sweat in performing their religious service; hence, the prohibition of the mixture in garments.

In this we find a beautiful lesson for spiritual experience. We have too much of the linsey-woolsey type of religion in our day. How G.o.d must abhor unholy mixing up!

In this threefold prohibition we see the three sides of religion. Pure religion consists of three things: doctrine, service, and experience.

First, they were not to mix the seed. What does seed typify? Read the parable of the sower in the eighth chapter of Luke. "The seed is the word of G.o.d." Here we have the thought: it is the doctrine of G.o.d. One part of religion is doctrine, and we must not be mixed in this respect.

When the Bible speaks of that teaching which comes from G.o.d, it is put in the singular and called "doctrine." When it comes from men or devils it is called "doctrines." G.o.d's doctrine is one; men and devils' are many. Paul admonished Timothy to take heed unto the doctrine. In Paul's time, and in the times of the early fathers, heresy abounded. In our own time, Christendom is rent with heresy. Unscriptural doctrine obtains everywhere. Universalism proclaims the mercy of G.o.d reaching "from everlasting to everlasting." So, in the ultimate outcome, all, because Christ died for all, will be housed safely, in spite of a Christ-rejecting life. Unitarianism, as the name suggests, believes in one G.o.d; hence, rejects the deity of Jesus Christ, and being Universalists also in belief, they are all going to get in by the example of the Savior. While the Universalist believes that G.o.d is too good to d.a.m.n him, the Unitarian believes that he is too good to be d.a.m.ned. Then comes along the soul-sleeper, who mixes with his doctrine the heresy of no conscious existence after death till the resurrection, and the utter annihilation of the wicked following the judgment, all of which is in direct opposition to the plain teaching of the Word.

Mormonism comes in with its deluded adherents and claims a new revelation in the Book of Mormon, and repudiates h.e.l.l, flaunts its mantle of polygamous fornication over its dupes, and gives the world a mixture indeed. Christian Science, the greatest misnomer in modern parlance, foists its counterfeit religious currency over our fair land and makes the unwary deny the existence of sin, death, Devil, and the real personality of G.o.d himself. The blood atonement of our Savior is obnoxious to them, and h.e.l.l is not in their creed. Surely theirs is a mixed seed, with scarcely any real truth. Then springs up the _ignis fatuus_ fallacy of Russellism with its promised "Millennial Dawn,"

spreading out the "Plan of the Ages" so that its deceived votaries discount the deity of Christ until His resurrection. They claim that His body was not resurrected, but may have pa.s.sed off into gases; that one is not born again till he is resurrected; that h.e.l.l is a farce; that the world will have a further chance of being saved after death. Not content with these forces, the disseminator of mixed seeds raises up a regiment of Higher Critics, who, with their Jehoiakim penknives, have cut and slashed the blessed, inspired Word of G.o.d till it is beyond recognition as it comes from their hands. To follow their vandalism is to get into the meshes of mysticism and doubt, and wonder what part, if any, is to be relied upon as actual inspiration. Then we have the "New Thought,"

and the "New Theology," and the "Aquarian Gospel," and their name is Legion, the "isms" that are foisted upon gullible humanity in these latter days. Occasionally one pokes up his personality above the horizon and declares himself Jesus Christ, when, lo, and behold a following! Sad indeed is it that so many people and many good people, have been beguiled into the unscriptural teaching couched in the creed of the so-called "Tongues Movement." When it first claimed the attention of the Christian world their theory was first, justification, in which all sins were forgiven; then following this experience came sanctification, which involved the cleansing of the heart from all inbred sin; following this definite work, comes the baptism with the Holy Ghost, accompanying which is the speaking in tongues as an evidence of said baptism. No one must rest satisfied that he has received his Pentecost till he has spoken in tongues. Then the factions began to arise. Leaders opposed each other, and all spoke in tongues as claimed. Their creed began to change, and now one of the leading factions of the movement ridicules the thought of sanctification as a second work of grace, and declares, that while sanctification does come in, yet all the cleansing one gets is in the first work when pardon takes place; that is, all inbred sin is then eradicated from the heart. They still hold to the baptism with the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues. Many of the good people of the land have been caught in this theological mix-up, and have dropped out of the old-time holiness ranks. What does it all signify? It signifies a mixing of seed--a mixing of doctrine. The theocracy of the Old Testament forbade it in the literal, and the inspired Word also forbids it in the spiritual, in the present dispensation.

A person who is mixed in his doctrine is a dangerous element in the community. His work is not to settle, root and ground others in the faith, but rather to unsettle them. "A heretic after the first and second admonition, reject." Has it ever occurred to the reader that heresy is one of the works of the flesh, or carnal mind? Read it in Gal.

5:20. The Conservator of orthodoxy is the Holy Ghost in a purified heart. Outside of that, where is the hope of preserving inviolate the purity of the doctrine of G.o.d? Let me ill.u.s.trate how this works. There enters an intelligent, so-called expounder of the truth, into a pulpit, and he proceeds to teach the people. There sits in the congregation one with a purified heart, in whom dwells the Holy Ghost, the Author of the inspired Word. As this ingenious mixer of seed throws out some good truth, he adroitly mixes into it his heresy, and makes it so plausible, that, if possible, it would deceive the very elect. His arguments are so clear, and he uses the Scriptures so well to prove his statements, that even to the minds of the most spiritual, it seems that he has made the points scripturally plain. The head responds and says, "It looks that way," but the Holy Ghost dwelling in that purified heart causes a shrinking. The soul closes in, and the listener says, "I do not feel right somehow. I am not comfortable." What is the matter? It is the blessed Conservator of orthodoxy, the Preserver of the purity of the Word of G.o.d operating in that heart to hinder it from accepting heresy.

But here sits another who has not been so fortunate as to have the element of inbred sin purged from the heart; hence, has not the abiding fulness of the Holy Spirit in the heart. The speaker appeals to him in the same way he did to the other. The head nods a.s.sent, for he certainly makes it plain. But he has that in his heart from which heresy springs, and so the heresy from this man appeals to its kindred spirit in the listener, and the result is, it is swallowed down, the poison has done its work, and another victim is numbered. Oh, reader, is it of small import that we should be filled with the Holy Ghost, and thus have our spiritual Protector always guarding us from poisonous seed? We would not want to take the stand that this is the infallible rule with all people, but we do certainly believe that this is the secret of some remaining firm and immovable in doctrine, while others are swept from their moorings.

The next department of religion we wish to notice in connection with wrong mixtures is that of service. The ox and the a.s.s were not to be yoked together. This signifies service. Service const.i.tutes a large portion of our religion. Without proper service to G.o.d we could not hope to continue in the grace of G.o.d. Certainly it stands one in hand to know what kind of service he should engage in.

The world and the religion of Jesus Christ were never calculated to mix.

It is the unholy mixtures all down the ages that have brought the stigma upon the Church of G.o.d. It always causes trouble. "And the mixed mult.i.tude that was among them fell a l.u.s.ting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?" The children of Israel fell into line with the murmurings of the mixture they had on hand. G.o.d's plan has always been for His people to be separated people.

That is the reason He took them out of Egypt. He warned them before they ever got to Canaan, that they must remain separated from the inhabitants of the land. They were not to intermarry; they were not to mix. When Balaam utterly failed to curse the children of Israel for Balak's sake, because the Lord would not let him, yet on his departure he told Balak how he could succeed anyway. He told him to mix up with the children of Israel in an unholy and abominable alliance. He did so and brought the curse and plague of G.o.d upon Israel, and thousands were slain thereby.

When Nehemiah was sent to rebuild Jerusalem, he found a terrible state of affairs had arisen by the intermarriage of the Jews with the women of Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. There were a lot of little half-breeds running around that could not talk the Jews' language. So Nehemiah had a great cleaning up time on his hands.

G.o.d has called His Church to stand out clean and spotless from the world. What a power she would have been had she always taken the separated, clean way! But how sad to see those who profess to be followers of the meek and lowly Nazarene, courting the world and mixing with them in their pleasures, pride, popularity, and polluted politics!

One of the saddest things to behold today is the reckless transgression of that plain command, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." See the unhappy homes everywhere, because Christians did not counsel with G.o.d and His Word in taking a life-partner. Oh, the anguish, and heartaches, and backslidings, because the plain Word was not followed! There was a certain Christian lady, who neglected to follow the Guide Book in this important step, and right soon after the marriage she knelt down to offer a little prayer to G.o.d, and His voice was heard clear and distinct: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." It was too late now to remedy the affair, but the same word was in the Book before she got into trouble. For thirty years this lady wandered on in darkness thereafter and never heard the voice of G.o.d, till in mercy she was brought back to saving grace.

How many there are who take upon them the name of Jesus Christ and yet are mixed up in secret societies and labor unions. Let the world have these inst.i.tutions if they want, for they are simply worldly. Their methods and practices and pleasures are not conducive to spiritual life.

It is a wrong mixture. "Come out from among them and be ye separate."

Let me not pa.s.s by another mixing which does not have the blessing of G.o.d upon it. It is that of partnership in business with the unsaved. How many of G.o.d's people have found themselves in serious difficulty on account of unscriptural business partnership. More than once G.o.d has had to force the alternative upon one of His children to buy out or sell out; that he could not continue in such alliance to the glory of G.o.d. We have been astonished and grieved at the careless and reckless way so many professing Christians, yea, holiness people have disregarded this command of separation, and allowed themselves to be drawn into stock companies with the unsaved. Is it not an unequal yoking together? Shall we take G.o.d's money, and put it in the control of the world? No wonder so many who have been so fortunate as to possess a little of this world's goods have suddenly found their money taking wings and flying away. Had they counseled with G.o.d in the business, they would not have been beguiled into the unequal yoking with unbelievers. Let us not think we can fly in the face of the plain Word of G.o.d and take matters in our own hands with impunity.