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Selected Messages Book 2
sworn unto your fathers.... Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he
is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them
that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations”
(
Deuteronomy 7:6-9
).
Again the Lord declares through the prophet Isaiah:
“Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in
pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye
shall be broken in pieces; Take counsel together, and it shall come
to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.
For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me
that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say ye not, A
confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy;
neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts
himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread” (
Isaiah
8:9-13
).
There are those who question whether it is right for Christians to
belong to the Free Masons and other secret societies. Let all such
consider the scriptures just quoted. If we are Christians at all, we must
be Christians everywhere, and must consider and heed the counsel
given to make us Christians according to the standard of God’s Word.
[123]
Cooperation With Divine Agencies
The people of God on earth are the human agents that are to
cooperate with divine agencies for the salvation of men. To the souls
that have joined themselves to Him, Christ says, “You are one with Me,
‘labourers together with God’” (
1 Corinthians 3:9
). God is the great
and unperceived actor; man is the humble and seen agent, and it is
only in cooperation with the heavenly agencies that he can do anything
good. It is only as the mind is enlightened by the Holy Spirit that men
discern the divine agency. And hence Satan is constantly seeking to
divert minds from the divine to the human, that man may not cooperate
with Heaven. He directs the attention to human inventions, leading
men to trust in man, to make flesh their arm, so that their faith does
not take hold upon God.
“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole