Open—R.Thonney, C. Hendricks
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Foundation.
They destroyed.
What can the righteous do?
And then in the New Testament, in the book of Two Timothy.
And the second chapter.
In the 19 verse.
Just to get the context, perhaps you could read from the.
17th Verse. Their word will eat as doth a canker, of whom is Hymenius and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is passed already, and overthrow the faith of Son. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure.
Having this seal, the Lord knoweth them.
That are his, and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ.
Depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. The man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor sanctified, and meet for the masters.
Use and prepared unto every good work. Plea also youthful us and follow.
Righteousness.
Faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Just want to share a few brief thoughts, dear brethren.
We're living in the last days of our history in this world.
And God is permitting a lot of shaking to go on, both in our lives as individual believers and also as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.
I don't think any of us will deny that there is a lot of shaking going on.
At that first verse we read in the Psalms, If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? In the Old Testament times, the foundations of the temple. When Nebuchadnezzar came into Jerusalem and carried away captive Judah to Babylon, the foundations were destroyed.
Of that time in the time of Nehemiah, or in the time of Ezra rather, when they were allowed to return.
To Jerusalem to build that temple. When the foundations were laid, there was great rejoicing, especially of those who were younger, who had not seen that first house. The older ones wept.
But what I'd like to draw emphasis to in the.
Verse We have read here, the 19th verse of the second chapter of Second Timothy, is the fact that in our times, even though the ruin of the public testimony is great, we don't have to look outside. Dear brethren, we can point the finger right at our own selves, but the ruin of the public testimony.
We have failed still this principle truth is a great consolation for our souls. The foundation of God standeth sure. The foundation may have been broken up in the Old Testament, but not in the new. Dear brethren, the testimony.
As to its public aspect is in ruins, but the foundation.
Stands sure you know a building.
Is its value is determined largely on the.
A good character of foundation that it has under it, but doesn't have a good foundation for as much as you may build good material into the superstructure, still the the building itself is not that good. But when the foundation is good then that gives extra value in South America, especially in Peru.
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There are a lot of earthquakes.
And those quakes show the value of a good foundation under a building, and building codes, especially in the city of Lima, are quite strict as to how they have to lay that foundation in so that the buildings will stand the test when earthquakes come, as they often do in that nation.
But it really comes home to me, dear brethren, in our times when there is such testing.
Being allowed of the Lord amongst us to go back to those foundation truths upon which we base our souls for all eternity. There we're going to find firmness, stability. Everything else around may increase and it's shaking.
But all here we can find some place we can be sure about.
The foundation of God stands sure, and I'd like to just briefly look at a few places in the New Testament where it speaks of this foundation. First of all, in the 16th chapter of Matthew, a well known portion that all we need to go over these precious truths and challenge our souls as to how much.
In these trials.
That God is allowing we have our feet firmly planted on God's foundation.
Doesn't use the word foundation in this chapter, but it uses something that is very similar and I think we can all see that it is a question of foundation here.
16th chapter of Matthew and verse 13. When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man AM? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist.
And some Elias, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. And he said unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee.
But my father, which is in heaven, and I say unto thee, that thou art Peter.
And upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. So here we have the first announcement of this building that the Lord Jesus says I will build. But I'd just like to draw attention to a few of the things connected with this building.
That to me seems so important.
For the day in which we live, the Lord Jesus asked the disciples.
Whom do men say that I am? He got a response of quite a few different answers that men were speaking.
There were a lot of difference of human opinion as to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. But then he turns to them and says, By whom say ye that I am? And Peter answers, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, and the Lord Jesus said flesh and blood.
Hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. In other words, brethren, the truth of the Church and the place that we are builded upon, is not a question of human opinion. No, it is a question of divine revelation. This was something that.
The father had revealed to Peter.
And that upon that the Lord Jesus said, I will build my church.
The Lord Jesus in speaking to Peter here. Notice he uses in verse.
17 One name for Peter, Simon Barjona. Simon was his name by nature. Bar means son of Jonah. That was his name by nature. But in the next verse when he speaks about Peter as a little stone, I'm sure we all recognize there are two words here. Peter means stone, but it is a small stone.
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Whereas when the Lord Jesus says upon this rock, he's Speaking of an immense rock.
His own person.
And so Peter, when he speaks to him here, he gives him his new name. We occupy a place in this building which the Lord speaks of as His Church, not as men by nature, but by that new position that we occupy because of being believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And oh, how we ought to thank God, dear brethren.
For this that the Lord Jesus shows us here in this verse 18.
He says Upon this rock I will build my church.
And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it in that beautiful.
And that give you tremendous consolation in the midst of the trouble that is in the world today and in the professing church to realize that that building that Christ is building right now, yes, He's still adding to his church daily. Those that should be saved, He is still building. And the gates of hell are not going to be able to prevail.
Oh, how precious to realize this truth. No wonder in the epistle that Peter writes, he says, Unto whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God. And precious, Do you enjoy that firm foundation? Have you come to the Lord Jesus?
In simple faith, have you planted your feet? If we can put it in this way.
Upon the Rock of Ages, this is the only way that we can be.
Part of his church and so the foundation that we speak of Indiana this.
Verse is the person of our Lord Jesus Christ himself. No Satan and all Hell's hosts will never be able to prevail against this building that Christ is building. I say again, the outward testimony of the church is in ruin. Cannot deny it. We cannot deny that we are part of that ruin.
We cannot point out and say the ruins out there and we're faithful. No, there's ruin right amongst those gathered to the Lord's name. Still, that foundation stands sure, and it ought to be a consolation. It ought to be able to give us firmness in our souls to go on through the raging storms that God permits amongst His people.
Next verse I'd like to look at is in Ephesians chapter 2.
Ephesians chapter 2.
We will read from verse 19. The verse I had in mind is verse 20.
Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles.
And prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly framed together.
Groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builded together for inhabitation of God through the Spirit. Here we have another verse that speaks to the foundation.
And it speaks of it as the foundation of the apostles.
And prophets. In the 4th chapter you see that Christ has given gifts.
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In men to the church and there are 5 gifts mentioned.
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers. The 1St 2 gifts are what we have here in this verse, apostles and prophets and we are filled with the Scripture says upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.
In other words, here in the New Testament Scriptures which deal with the question of the Church.
It is the apostles and prophets that have given us the outline or the basic form, the foundation work upon which we build. There were writers in the New Testament like Luke. Perhaps we don't ever hear that. I remember that Luke was an apostle that I remember. Maybe I'm mistaken, but he could be considered a prophet. But in the book of Acts, we.
Many tremendous principles from that book upon which we build as.
Upon which we are built, as in that building, the church. Oh dear brethren, this comes as a challenge to my own soul, as we are built upon this foundation of the apostles and prophets, to remember that the only firmness.
That we are going to encounter in our lives individually as believers in the Lord Jesus or collectively as seeking to go on in the truth of the church on the ground that there is one body. The only firmness that we're going to encounter is on the doctrine, the doctrine of the apostles that we have here in the New Testament. I don't discount the Old Testament. It brings in many.
Figures that help to understand all scriptures given by inspiration of God, but it says here very clearly we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. Often given the illustration to the brethren in the Southlands. If I want to build an extra room after the house I've had built and I go and just.
The bricks right on top of the ground. Is that going to work? And they all shake their heads. They know and you know that it won't work. There's no foundation. And still sometimes in our lives as believers, we act without the foundation work of the precious doctrine of the apostles that we have here in the New Testament as believers gather to the name of the Lord Jesus.
Sometimes we do the same and we find things are shaky.
Why? Because perhaps we haven't really gotten back to the Scriptures to see if there's foundation work for what we're doing. Oh dear brethren, these things come as challenges to my own soul, and I just want to share them with you. Another verse that corresponds somewhat with this is in First Corinthians chapter 3.
Here we have in this chapter the building looked at in a different aspect as man building. And of course when man builds a lot of material gets in. That is not true.
Let's read from verse nine, First Corinthians 39 For we are laborers together with God. Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building according to the grace of God, which is given unto me as a wise master builder. I have laid the foundation, and another billeth thereon, but let every man take heed how he buildeth.
Four other foundation can no man lay then that is laid which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, Hayes, double, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
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Just want to draw attention to the fact that Paul here says.
The chief of the apostles, the one to whom the mystery of the Church was revealed, calls himself the wise Master Builder as no other apostle. It was to Paul that the truth of the Church, not only as to its origins but as to its present function, was committed.
And so we cannot ignore the teaching of Paul as to the church if we want to build in a way that's going to last. And so he says, I, as a wise master builder, have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereupon. You and I are all builders in this building we're building. But there's two questions that come to my mind.
As challenges, first of all, where are you building? South America. They use mainly brick, sometimes stone for the walls of their home and they use what they call a Plumb line. I don't know how they do it today here, but that Plumb line there always holding it up after every few rows of bricks they put on and they make sure.
That that wall is staying directly.
Above that foundation, it's important for the good of the building.
And so it comes as a challenge to my own soul as I seek to serve the Lord, and as you seek to serve the Lord too, to always keep the Plumb line in your hand. I've been amazed, dear brethren.
How that for every situation that we encounter are encountered in this world, there is some principle from the precious word of God, some verse, some set of verses or some principle?
That will give light as to your pathway, if you're willing to search it out, it may not be apparent at the first glance. It may take some exercise on your part of getting into the Lord's presence, of bending your knees, of reading His word. But if you're willing to dig it out, there is a principle, there is some scripture to give you light so that in your building you will build.
That foundation, The second thing that comes as a challenge to my soul is what I am building into that building and the materials that are mentioned here are 6, three that are lasting, 3 that are not lasting. It's not my purpose to speak about that. My main purpose is to speak about the foundation and I'd just like to.
Draw attention to the 11Th verse four other foundation can no man lay.
Then that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
In the second chapter of Ephesians where we read it says Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. Beautiful thought to think about too, dear brethren, as being part of this building. The chief cornerstone is the stone that is put in first, and then from that stone all measurements are taken.
Whether it be the width of the building, the length of the building, the height of the building, even diagonals must be measured with reverence to that stone. How often in our lives as believers we have reference to other things. How has it affected me? How has it affected those that I love? And we form our judgments by that standard. And we get faulty judgments. Oh, dear brethren, we.
To get back to the chief cornerstone, we can form no right judgment until we get back to his blessed person. Now going back to first Second Timothy 2 briefly.
We find that in Second Timothy, which is the last book.
That the Apostle Paul wrote that ruin has come in in the first Timothy. It speaks of the church as the House of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. The pillar and support of the truth is where the truth is upheld.
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And so in our meetings, sometimes something is said and the scripture says let the prophets freak two or three, let the others judge.
All of us are human, all of us can make mistakes, but in that order that God has placed in his precious word, the truth of God is maintained, is upheld, And so we ought not to be strangely upset when mistakes are made. Yes, we are human. We can make mistakes. We ought to be willing to admit it.
The scripture says prove all things.
Hold fast that which is good. And so we ought not to accept merely because some brother has said it, but we ought to prove all things by this precious book that we have in our hands, and hold fast that which is good. Sometimes, perhaps, we look at those who.
Are well respected and we ought to respect them. I'm not saying no, but I say sometimes we think that they ought to be perfect.
Dear brethren, it's not so. We have mistakes, and so we need to prove all things so that the truth will be upheld. But in Second Timothy we do not find that it refers to the church as the House of God. It speaks of it in this chapter as a great house. It is expanded. It is far larger than God originally intended. It includes all.
Of religious profession. This is the great House of Christendom, and we are part of it. We do not have to say that Christendom is out there, brethren. We are part of Christendom as well. And so as we go on, as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, there are principles here as how to go on in the midst of it all, to hold that precious outline of truth that we have in the New Testament as to the Church.
What it is composed of our brother in the address spellingly stated about the Church in the Ephesians 525, that it includes every true believer in the Lord Jesus. Never let us, dear brethren, narrow the scope of our vision, and using that word, the assembly, or the Church to any lesser circle, but to embrace that which.
God Christ embraced when he loved the church and gave himself for it.
And so the church today or this I say this great House of christening includes far greater sphere. It includes a lot of profession in which is not reality. But it is not our place to go and say which are real and which are not real. That's not our responsibility because the foundation has this seal, the Lord.
Knows them that are his. But the second part of this seal is where our responsibility comes in.
Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity, and so we have a responsibility, if we name that precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, not to connect that name with iniquity.
And so there are vessels in this House of wood and of earth, there are vessels of silver and gold, and there are some to honor, some to dishonor. For me to say who's the vessels of gold and silver or of wooden, of earth, No, that's not my place, but my place is when there's iniquity to separate myself from it, I'd like to.
It's been often emphasized in Second Timothy that it is individual responsibility. It is very clear here in verse.
21 If a man purge himself, therefore purge himself from these, so does individual responsibility to challenge ourselves as to every point where we profess to stand in our profession of Christianity, in our profession of faith in the Lord Jesus.
To be willing to be examined.
By the full light of scripture, dear brethren, these scriptures have been an immense consolation to my own soul and I want to share them as the times grow more and more dark and difficult. We don't need to be over occupied with those dark times. We have issues that we must face, yes, but I say what we want to be more familiar with.
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Is that foundation that stands sure even in these are times and will stand sure until the end, even if the times get far, far more difficult? This is what it's going to give us, strength and courage and firmness to simply go on for His glory and honor.
There will be a testimony to the end when the Lord.
And we talked about that.
We talked about whether we had scripture for it.
It's one thing as our brother was bringing before us.
To be taught by able leading brethren this but it's another thing to.
To have the.
The testimony of Scripture on it.
Turn with me to Philippians 2, Revelation 3 please.
Revelation 3.
I just want to make a few comments, there's not much time.
But the last four churches in the seven churches in chapters 2 and three.
Go down to the coming of the Lord.
Is Laura the Lord's coming is mentioned in Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, where he says, behold, I come quickly. And Laodicea, of course, is the last final stage of the state of the church in the world.
Philadelphia represents that recovery of truth following upon Sardis which is the Protestant Reformation via Tyra Rome in the dark ages, and then the recovery through the reformers, the mighty work of the Spirit of God in Sardis where 2 grand truths were recovered, the all sufficiency of Scripture.
For guidance to the believer.
And justification by faith apart from works altogether.
Wonderful truths, but the movement stopped short of a full recovery. And there was, as we are quite familiar with.
A mighty, mighty work of the Spirit of God in the last century.
One man especially being used of God. Many were used, but one especially to recover.
Truths that were hidden in the Word of God and long lost amidst the ecclesiastical rubble of Christendom.
Philadelphia represents that movement.
The word means brotherly love.
It doesn't mean it means love of the Brethren. It doesn't mean love of the Philadelphians.
That means it's not sectarian.
The Philadelphia has a heart as large as Christ's.
And he loves all the Saints, not just those with whom he walks in practical fellowship.
The Lord Jesus loves all the Saints. He died for all. He has no favorites. He doesn't love us as gathered to His name more than He loves those that are in division.
Loves us all with an everlasting love, and He shed his precious blood to make us His.
So one of the first features of Philadelphia is a heart as large as Christs.
Heart which loves the flock of God, the Saints of God, as Christ loves them.
Now, if we don't qualify for that, we're not Philadelphians. And then it's the Philadelphia answers to the moral character of Christ himself. These things saith He that is holy, he that is true.
He was the holy and the true. You'll notice that all the addresses preceding.
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The Lord Jesus is presented.
In his judicial character as found in the first chapter, the vision that John saw the Son of Man standing in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, and he was there, not a savior, but as judge And the 1St 5.
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus, Thyatira, and Sardis. The Lord presents himself to each one of those assemblies.
In one of the characters described of himself in the first chapter, but not so with Philadelphia. With Philadelphia he presents himself as the holy and the true, and this is what characterizes Philadelphian testimony, holiness, and truth.
That is holiness, the very opposite of the corruption of Thyatira.
And truth, the opposite of the dead, lifeless formalism.
Of Sardis, dead. A name to live, but dead.
Holy and true. So the Philadelphian takes his character from that, from Christ himself. And then he says, I'm just touching the moral features of Philadelphia. He says thou hast a little strength. Verse eight of Revelation 3. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door.
And no man can shut it, for thou hast a little strange.
Philadelphia is marked by feebleness, by weakness.
Not by something that has a great power that can be appreciated by the world and by the religious world, the religious systems represented by Thyatira and Sardis.
But Philadelphia is a picture of a weakness, a little strength, just twos and threes here and there. I've been to many of those kinds of meetings, whether it's just twos and threes gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus.
Political strength, not anything that can make an impact and be accounted out by the world. A little strange, but he says thou has checked my word. And one of the moral features of Philadelphia is faithfulness to Christ, keeping his word, keeping his word.
And there in order to do that, of course we have to know it all, we have to know His word, and we have to put it into practice.
And the Philadelphia is one that keeps his word.
We look at the moral features of Philadelphia. You might have to bow your head and hang it in shame and say, I'm not a Philadelphia, but we ought to desire to be that. We ought to desire it from the depths of our soul. But this Philadelphian testimony goes on to the end. I haven't a shadow of a doubt that the recovery of the truth in the last century.
Was the Philadelphian.
Movement answering to the to its place here in the seven churches. The prophetic history of the Church.
And then he says now it's not denied my name.
Gathered to no other name, refusing to take another name than the precious name of the Lord Jesus.
How many times you've encountered another Christian and you've talked to them and they say, what church do you go to?
What's your name?
And you might rise a little bit and squirm and feel a little squeamish, as you say. Well, we don't have a name.
Well, you don't have a name. Everyone has a name where we're just simply Christians gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. Do you say it's sort of apologetically, or do you say it with a radiancy on your face? I'm gathered to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that name which is above every name.
I refuse every other name gathered by the wonderful, by the power of the Spirit of God.
To that precious name God has exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, and I'm gathered by the grace of God. To that precious name I refuse everything else.
You say it that way. Will it glow on your face and joy in your heart?
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Thou hast kept My word and not denied my name. And then he gives another moral mark, another moral feature in verse 10. Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation or trial which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth, to try the earth dwellers, keeping the word of His patience, waiting the time when He will.
Things right here. We're living in a day when righteousness suffers, a day when to be Christ and to claim His name and to cling to Him brings reproach, brings persecution. Do we feel that? Well, those early Philadelphians felt it. All you have to do is read the letters or the collected writings of Mr. Darby and you'll see all the opposition that was.
By the enemy to the truths that were recovered in the last century.
And we're the spiritual heirs of that movement. And it's to them that he says, Behold, I come quickly. Hold fast what thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Does a Philadelphian testimony continue to the Lord's coming? Yes, it does.
He said so whether I'll be there is another question. Whether you'll be there is another question. Is there such a thing as that which he owns as Philadelphia continuing down to the Lord's coming? Yes, there is, he says. I come quickly.
And he exhorts the Philadelphia to hold fast what they have, that no man take their crown. It's Philadelphia that recovers the truth, that recovers the truth of the assembly that wasn't recovered in Sardis.
What the Church is according to the mind and thought of God was not recovered in Sardis by the Reformers.
But it was recovered in the last century.
There is one body. Our brother was talking about foundation truth. That's a foundation truth. There's one body. Now we cannot be in a Philadelphian if we give that up. And I can't express that as an individual. I can't express that truth. You can't express that truth as an individual. There is one body, and we're all members of that one body. That truth can only be.
Collectively, 2 Timothy 222 Follow righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
So there is a collective testimony down to the Lord's coming. It is not merely individual.
Now if you look at Acts 27 and there are those that have used that chapter to.
Indicate a history of sort of a prophetic history of the church. I don't object to that, but it leads me to a difficulty and that is at the end the ship is entirely broken up and everyone arrives home on an individual plank of the ship it presents.
It presents that which we could draw a false conclusion from if that's really a history of the church, and that is that there is no such thing left at the end as a collective testimony. But I think that Second Timothy 2 Says there is. I believe that Revelation 3, the address to Philadelphia, says there is that which is not just individual.
You know, it's so easy in these last days to get discouraged.
And say there's nothing left collectively, we'll just go it alone.
And I know there's a lot that I've talked to that have become so discouraged.
They feel that's, that's about all that's left as we look around. We dare not say we're Philadelphia. No, I'm not saying that for one moment, don't misunderstand me. But there is to the Lord's coming that which is presented in Revelation 3 as Philadelphia. And there ought to be then the desire at least to be Philadelphian. There ought. And if I have that desire and I and I'm going to carry that desire out, I can't.
Just as an individual, neither can you. We have to do it collectively. We have to do it together. Because there is one body is a fundamental truth that the Philadelphian holds on to and seeks to give expression to. He wants to follow righteousness, do the right thing in connection with the truth of God. And one of the marks of the Philadelphia is, thou hast kept my word. And part of the word is there is one body.
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So you cannot have that commendation.
If you give up collective truth, if you give up a collective path, that should keep us, beloved, from giving up just at the very verge of the Lord's coming, where there is going to be that which goes on to the coming of the Lord, that gives expression, however feebly, and we own it, how feebly we express it, and with what failure we express it, the truth there is one.
Body.
May God encourage us to hold fast what we have that no man take our crown. How sad to be in the path, the collective path with all our failure and we all have to hang our heads in shame. But oh when I hear those that are about to give it all up.
For an individual path, no the word of God.
I trust what's been presented is a help for us all to see that we cannot have. His commendation now has kept my word. If we give up the collective part of it every morning, every Lord's Day morning, we'll have it tomorrow we'll break bread on the table as a loaf. And that says there's one body. There's a collective truth there. It's not just individual. When I remember the Lord, I remember Him not just as an individual, but as a member of the body.
You cannot remember the Lord and do it intelligently and divorce yourself from collective responsibility.
They just encourage us.
To continue with all our weakness, trying to God to help us in our feebleness. Owning it, Not pretending to be something we're not. That's no good. But owning what we are. Casting ourselves upon resources of infinite grace to keep us in the path until we hear the shout.
Thing 318.
318.