Show I r PRECIOUS SOUGHT m 1 t I i I I i Diamonds of the First Water I Polished by Dy the Divine Hand t. t 1 i The World of Mankind the Mine ti y I Rough Diamonds In th the Miry Clay t Washed In Blood Most Precious Precious Cut Cut Cuton on the Wheel of Discipline Polished DIscipline Polished by a Famous Reflecting Reflecting and Refracting Light of ot the Divine Character Set Character Set In a Royal Diadem Toronto O 0 n t. t Jan Jun 31 81 Pus Pastor tor Russell is here bere to to- day We report his bis discourse on Y aaY the text They shall be AI Mine I n e t salt b the Lord atHu of at Hu Hosts t in that Day y when I 1 make wuk up 2 8 My fly Jewels Malachi Mala- Mala chi He Be said in part RUSSELL Our text points I to the close of ot the Gospel Age and not only tells us that the the Lord will not oot gather His jewels sooner but also ablo implies that the only class to fir t be ga gathered at that t time will wili be the jewel class class He He comes to make up up His His' Jewels We have here bere a It contradiction con- con of or the ordinary thoughts on this his that subject that He has been gath g ring ering His jewe jewels ls all alon along for the past six nix thousand years evidently an er er- thought since He lIe has haM appointed appointed ap pointed a Day in 10 the end of the Age Me in which He lie will gather or make wake up His jewels and that everybody who f Is respectable balf half wilY way decent dent is lt tobe to tobe t. t be gathered to the Lord and share In r. His Kingdom Kingdom Our text distinctly 1 points out that only a very exceptional class will wUl be sought for tor and gathered v- v The class here described as Jewels is f t t contrasted In the context with other tt i classes classes- the classes tb proud who have much j r success of tnt time and arid Ja 1 the workers of wickedness who tempt tempt God Cod and are not careful to please and and tle serve Him Such evidently are the majority of ot mankind The jewel class Is described as they that feared that Jehovah Jehovah t reverenced d Him and that thou thought bt upon His Hla Word C- C His We W Are Aro Workmanship I But we inquire where are lIre Jewels Jewel Vv usually found The answer Is that I j tiMs t i S r they may mu be be found In very unexpected d 1 pl C places For Instance the diamond III ol South Africa are sometimes sometime mingled with the ordinary gravel I. I and nod same times timet imbedded in bluish black da clay They all require to be searched after and to be washed from the mire be before before bei i fore tore being prepared to retract refract the light bt 8 So some of these Jewels that the Lord LordIs t. t Is now seeking out jut from the till world are nn 11 y found In in tbt Ibe ordinary walks valls or of life and some shine pame tanie front from deep down bi hi th tb mire of sin In the world of mankind the th Lord LoId does dues not oot expect to find the Jewels jew IR In perfect order ordEr shaped shaped cut i polished pol and ready for the setting settin In hi glory On the contrary ry h by one ODe class Ja r- r of ot His servants Hi- Hi I lifts them out of or Co the mire of sin and the horrible pit pitt t cleanses Il the them m through the merit I ut iri r His own precious precious' blood and through t J-t His Word and then through r servants and prO es He tie lolls hi c I l r 1 the them m with Divine skill that they may Ulay f refie reflect refract refrat the light of the t and glory r 3 of God God- the tbt Divine character character- Justice Justie Ic Y Wisdom Love As th the dla diamond ond in its rough state Uncut unpolished would have bave no more mon iii jw f. f value than a common stone for or ordinary l nary purposes so those whom the Lord Lord Is selecting and preparing as His rye Jewels eels are to derive their ultimate r a J i. i value from the cutting shaping pol- pol or of their characters under Di Dt I a i ai vine viDe providence As It t 1 is I written We Weare J. J are His workmanship We Wt cannot jj suppose the Illustration to be perfect M f In every particular yet we may readily readi readi- t f i i t ly see nee that while Divine Grace Is to tobe be credited with the entire outcome- outcome the tie e beauty of the finished Jewel jewel nev nev t f Divine Grace operates according according according ac ac- cording to principles and conditions under Divine Law As the experienced t I diamond miners mine reject the soft rt clay y and various of ot the the- hard bard tones stones n Ii Ep seeking for far those of or the desirable i kind so the great groat Gatherer op mites according to a n principle to Ij i 1 U- U 4 lug Ing fur for HI His Hie Jewels i cf As Many as the tn Lord Shall Call The hardness of or the diamond may be used t to represent character and we are areto areto areto to remember that character belongs to the Individual Each must baye ha his bis own character ter and nd only in pro proportion pro portion as each has bas it ft can be hope to tobe dt be accepted as asa a Jewel for tor those with without Ii ti out Dut it will wUl not endure the tests i L As As th the e seeker diamond-seeker lays bold hold upon t IJ t. t everything in his path that glues gives evl i ti j y dence Bence of or having th the diamond quality BO Divine Grace operating In the din li mond Held field of the world Christendom world Christendom t lays i-lays hold bold upon all who have any anything anything rh thing thinA resembling character The soft sott 1 the lh th pliable the un are not k tf 1 t being sought t EOW now and l c coming In incon ti s j r Itu t it t tact with Divine Grace are p passed ss d by Only such as give evidence of ot character charac charac- ter are thought worthy of ot even washIng washIng wash wash- ln Ing and testing The hard crystallization of ot the dia dla diamond mond corresponds to willingness toward to to- toward ward righteousness in the individual n end net unless ss there be be- such fluch willingness Inward God Hod and righteousness there Is lone jone of the Jewel quality which the is now seeking Those whose tills Mils 1111 are formed crystallized set determined determined de de- t for r righteousness are those whom the Lord seeks But the great Jewel Seeker accepts some in whom the crystallizing process Is s Incomplete and helps their Infirmities developing In thaw by His the quality quaI- quaI quality I ity of 01 firmness for tor ri righteousness atthe atthe at atthe the same time Ume polishing them But even when the rough diamond has been found it would be of no value value value val val- ue except as It could be cut indeed It t would be of ot less value than other stones for tor many purposes So it is with those whom Divine trace race finds In the mire of ot sin ha having In nE nevertheless will or character desiring righteousness righteous ness truth goodness justice th the great must really give them all their value by His ills skill skIn in shaping cutting and polishing them Yet on the other hand He could not cut shape or polish that which had not tb the essential essential es quality or character or will for righteousness Those who are in the hands bands of ot the great and under undergoing His polishing process must first have passed pass ed through the previous experience of having been found of ot the Lord Jesus must have been washed and must have bave been accepted as having wills desirous of at harmony with the Divine mind Therefore they may take pleasure pleasure pleas pleas- ure in all aU the trying experiences es and difficulties through which our oar Lord Jesus Jesus Je- Je sus causes t them their to pass as various parts of the process necessary to their completion as Jehovah's Jewels to be made up by the close ot of of the Gospel Age and to be set in the gold of ot the Divine nature to reflect the beauties of the Divine character It is in harmony with this thought that the Apostle encourages us as to rejoice rejoice reI re re- I joice in tribulation knowing that It is la working out for us patience experience experience ence hope brotherly kindness and love the facets essential to the Jewel Inthe inthe in inthe the eyes of Him who Is shortly to gather His Hla jewels Tb The Apostle again speaks of even the most trying experiences experiences expert of the Christian life lite as light af at dictions and nd of the present tile life as but a moment saying Our light tight affliction af at- fiction which Is but for tor a moment for tor us a far tar more exceeding and eternal weight of ot glory The Wheel of Discipline The earthly takes firm hold bold upon the jewel which he be has bas basal n nl ready tested and proved to have havethe the requisite Jewel quality and encasing It In a suitable instrument be It against a wheel lap-wheel with just the required amount of ot pressure to effect the necessary shaping and polishing The process requires great skill hence bence only skilled workmen are employed Inthis Inthis in inthis this department So with the Lords Lord's jewels their value depends much on proper cutting and this Is entrusted only to the skilled d hands of our Lord Jesus of whom we weare weare weare are assured that H He Himself passed through similar experiences of test testS ings at the Fathers Father's hands He knows know Just what we need to perfect us that we shall be pleasing and acceptable A to the Father to reflect and refract retract the light tight of ot His glory when It shall fall taU upon us In our finished state A part of ot our lesson Is to have nave faith in tit n this great Master Workman whom the Father has bas appointed to shape and polish lIB us We may require much more trimming on some sides sides' of ot our char character a after acter r than on others and often otten the dia dia- position Is 18 to to draw back to be not fully tully submissive to o fear tear that the Lord baa has abandoned Us us to trial But Infinite Wisdom assures us that this Is not so 80 and that to draw back would leave us 0 unfit for the Kingdom The world has haa seen the wheel of discipline which has been cutting the Lords Lord's jewels for tor centuries but it ha has not Dot understood the necessity and nd the value of ot the process It may ma have nave even caught an occasional glimpse gUmpe of the Jewels but not to any advantage- advantage not so as to be able to know the real merit of ot their characters or the value of the cutting and polishing for even the already finished facets are smeared wi with the cement and slime from the But the Tea great loving knows and has bas explained It all aU to the jewels and they know In n part now and by faith are trusting all the remainder The Th Lord knows Just bow how much pressure to apply apply just just bow how mueL friction Is 18 necessary ne und necessary and will not cause tribulation which He lie cannot and will not ov overrule for our good Being thus assured that all things are workbag working work work- Ing bag together for good to them that love lore God ills His living jewels can rejoice In tribulation knowing that it Is working out in them the peaceable fruits of ot righteousness meekness patience gentleness brotherly kindness and love that such experiences are essential essential essen and that without these they could never be amongst the gathered jewels The Time Is II at Hand We are not to suppose that those who are now pressed against the wheel of tribulation are thereby made miser able t On 00 the contrary they realize reaUze aJoy a aJoy ajoy joy and peace which the world can neither give nor our take awn away And when we remember that their severe peU dences 8 and llis l ar are but for a I I. I 0 nt is I iI al with ti longer t I is M r thus those who bo will In- In I dealt l with during the Millennium l that In n proportion to their trials they the they y are granted more grace and will win receive r a reward exceedingly abundant more than they could ask or think think- then w we can see that these jewels now being prepared by the Lord are highly favor favored ed ad above all an men The process of seeking and polishing polish ing th the tho Jewels has already been III in prO progress for tor more than thun el eighteen cen centuries en tunes and the Scriptures indicate that now the end nd or of of the Age Ae- IR la is upon us us- us the time for tor gathering the these 1 jewels jewel and setting letting them In the glory of the Divine nature The si signs ns of or the Ibe times time clearly elearly Indicate that the gr great at Time Tim of Trouble with which the G Gospel AgE Ag Is IR to end is even even at t the door t to prepare prepare pre pre- prepare pre pre- pare the world for tor forthe the coming blessings bless bless' blessings ings of Messiahs Messiah's Kingdom Hence Uwe il U we are to be amongst the acceptable jewels we have bave nee need to give diligence and to operate co-operate with the great great Mas Mas- ter- ter Workman ter that the shaping and polishing of our hearts our wills ma maybe may maybe be perfected quickly and and that we mn may maybe be to share a glorious gl rIou part when He lIe comes to make up up His Ills jewels Through ugh the Prophet the Lord inch Indi Indicates cates Gates that as soon as His Ills jewels shall shah have been gathered there will be a general change in His dealings dealings' with the world Our context shown show J how ItIs it itis itis is at the present present time while the pol poi fishing of ot the jewels progresses progress s Frequently Frequently Fre Frequently the unfaithful and the worldly world world- ly s seem em to nave have the advantage but bitt after after- this polishing of ot the Jewels is isco co completed and d they have ve I been eu set sett in inthe inthe inthe the crown rown of r rejoicing at the end ol of this Age Then shall ye return and discern between the right righteous oulI and nd the tbt wicked between him that th God Hod and him bim that Him not f Now while evil predominates while the Prince of or of this world reigns and while white they that tempt God are even d delivered It it would be difficult by outward out outward outward ward evidences to judge who are ure the tilt Lords Lord's favored ones Indeed his liv living livIn In ing jewels seem to be I less ss favored and ami amito to have bave more afflictions trl trials ls perse persecutions persecutions cution and and difficulties than others lathers Consequently amongst them pre re noi not found many great or rich or wise but bin chiefly the poor of ot this world rich richin in faith But Bitt when ben these hese shall Ii in- in glorified with their Lord in tb the King fug dom dome then there will be a 11 genera i change hange No longer will the and those who tempt God be found lu In power Jower influence and prosperity and aoel the meek the godly suffer persecution and tribulation On the contrary ol of the time when Christs Christ's Millennia Kingdom shall be inaugurated It is de d' declared Glared dared prophetically In His His' Day th the righteous shall flourish evildoers evil shall be cut off olt and Satan shall be bp be bound Psalm Psalm 9 Fellowship of the Brethren Our context g gives ves another sugg suggestion respecting the disposition of ot of this jew jewel el eJ class during the time of th their lr pol pot Ishin telling We read They U that nt feared reverenced the Lord often otten oneto one oneto to to another and the Lord hearkened and l heard What could be more nat oat natural urai ural thana desire for communion with witha a all who are of ot like precious precious' ous' ous faith all who are similarly undergoing pol pot polishing fishing at the hands of ot the gr great at darist all who are of ot the same dispo sitton as respects ts God and righteous righteousness ri ness Our Lord points out that love Ion of the brethren will be a marked gual Ity in all the Jewel class an and the ft ency of ot the tbt brethren is to meet fre fr frEquently frequently either in person or through gb the printed page pase and to speak to ea each h other The Apostle |