During the last six or seven years, the Lord has been leading us, his people, in a very remarkable manner:
As we look backward we can see that our pathway has been as “a shining light…shining more and more.”
It has been progressive, bringing us strength with “meat in due season.”
It has caused us to grow both in grace and knowledge and this growth, taken in connection with the fact that we are not obliged to look back and now call darkness what was then called by some of the brethren, “a great flood of light,” is the very strongest grounds for confidence that the same Lord who then supplied us light from the word, is still providing of the same kind.
We say then, “cast not away your confidence” in our Leader, “the great shepherd of the sheep.”
If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us; undoubtedly one human idea would contradict another and that which was light one or two or six years ago would be regarded as darkness now:
But with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is with truth; any knowledge or light coming from God must be like its author.
A new view of truth never can contradict a former truth.
“New light” never extinguishes older “light,” but adds to it.
If you were lighting up a building containing seven gas jets you would not extinguish one every time you lighted another, but would add one light to another and they would be in harmony and thus give increase of light:
So is it with the light of truth; the true increase is by adding to, not by substituting one for another.
Therefore, in mentioning grounds of our confidence that we are in the shining path under the leading of the Spirit, we mention first that the tendency of present truth is to produce the proper fruit of the spirit, of which love is the chief.
The tendency of our growth in knowledge is to growth in grace.
“He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he (Jesus) is pure.”
Our pathway has been one of increase of light in harmony with former light.
Thus we have been led to increased confidence in our leader.
We say then, “cast not away your confidence.”
Source: Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence, February 1881,
“Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence”
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