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The Desire of Ages
lake. Here, surrounded by the works of His own creation, He could
turn the thoughts of His hearers from the artificial to the natural. In
the growth and development of nature were revealed the principles of
His kingdom. As men should lift up their eyes to the hills of God, and
behold the wonderful works of His hands, they could learn precious
lessons of divine truth. Christ’s teaching would be repeated to them
in the things of nature. So it is with all who go into the fields with
Christ in their hearts. They will feel themselves surrounded with a
holy influence. The things of nature take up the parables of our Lord,
and repeat His counsels. By communion with God in nature, the mind
is uplifted, and the heart finds rest.
The first step was now to be taken in the organization of the church
that after Christ’s departure was to be His representative on earth. No
costly sanctuary was at their command, but the Saviour led His disci-
ples to the retreat He loved, and in their minds the sacred experiences
of that day were forever linked with the beauty of mountain and vale
and sea.
Jesus had called His disciples that He might send them forth as
His witnesses, to declare to the world what they had seen and heard of
Him. Their office was the most important to which human beings had
ever been called, and was second only to that of Christ Himself. They
were to be workers together with God for the saving of the world. As
in the Old Testament the twelve patriarchs stand as representatives of
Israel, so the twelve apostles were to stand as representatives of the
gospel church.
The Saviour knew the character of the men whom He had chosen;
all their weaknesses and errors were open before Him; He knew the
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perils through which they must pass, the responsibility that would rest
upon them; and His heart yearned over these chosen ones. Alone upon
a mountain near the Sea of Galilee He spent the entire night in prayer
for them, while they were sleeping at the foot of the mountain. With
the first light of dawn He summoned them to meet Him; for He had
something of importance to communicate to them.
These disciples had been for some time associated with Jesus in ac-
tive labor. John and James, Andrew and Peter, with Philip, Nathanael,
and Matthew, had been more closely connected with Him than the
others, and had witnessed more of His miracles. Peter, James, and John
stood in still nearer relationship to Him. They were almost constantly