“THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS WITH THEM THAT FEAR HIM: AND HE
WILL SHOW THEM HIS COVENANT”
(The discourse below by Pastor Russell given 10:30 a.m., Sunday, August 19, 1906, at the
St. Paul Convention. 1906 Convention report, starting on page 94.)
Pastor Russell discoursed this morning from Psalm 25:14, “The secret of the Lord is with
Them that Fear [reverence] Him, and He will Show Them His Covenant.” He considered
first the proper and improper kinds of fear and then delved into the “secret.” He said:
The emphasis of our text is upon the word “Him.” “The secret of the Lord is with them
that fear Him.” Many other Scriptures agree with this, and assure us that “the fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Prov. 1:7). Other fears, however, are
discountenanced among the Lord’s people, who are exhorted to be of good courage and
to fear not the fear of others, but to let the fear of the Lord be their only one. (Isa. 8:12,
13.) The Scriptures not only declare that all other fears are tormenting, but assure us that
the fear or reverence of the Lord is comforting and helpful and safe for us. And to these
testimonies our experiences fully agree. We are repeatedly cautioned against the “fear of
men, which bringeth a snare” (Prov. 29:25); and our Lord, emphasizing this matter,
declared the reason for this to be that man can do no more at worst than take from us our
present life, while on the other hand our hopes respecting eternal life are with God. (Matt.
10:26-28.) The world, by reason of sin and its binding effects, is more or less under the
control of “the prince of this world,” Satan, and more or less committed to principles of
unrighteousness, iniquity, in thought and word and deed. On the other hand is the Divine
covenant and law, and those who recognize these are to seek to think, speak and act so far
as possible in accord with their spirit and intent. These, however, are the few addressed
by our Savior, saying, “Fear not, little flock; it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you
the dominion.”—Luke 12:32.
It is this little company of the Lord’s consecrated ones that is addressed in our text as
those who fear Him. Under present circumstances it is a question of whether we will fear
the world or fear “Him.” The Lord is, in a general way, believed in by all civilized
people, but He is realized by but few—only a few recognize His real power and authority
and their responsibility to Him. Consequently these few are, as respects the world in
general “peculiar people,” zealous of good works—zealous both for righteousness and for
all the ways of the Lord as they see them. The majority of mankind, on the contrary,
recognize the Lord but vaguely, and pay little heed to the spirit of His instruction, being
governed more by the god of this world, by self-interest, by the ideas of the majority, by
Mammon.
The Fear of Mammon
Remarking on this condition of things, our Lord forewarned us: “Ye cannot serve God
and Mammon.” (Matt. 5:24.) And since the majority are serving Mammon, fearing to
displease Mammon, seeking to have the approval of Mammon and the emoluments paid
by Mammon. (Matt. 6:31.) And since then only a few are properly fearing and serving
the Lord and looking to Him for the honors and emoluments which He has promised to
His faithful ones—not in the present life, but in the life to come, Mammon controls in
business, leads in every social function, and manages all the finest churches and religious
functions. Mammon is Confucian where Confucianism is in the ascendancy; it is
Mohammedan where the followers of Mohammed are most numerous; it is Greek
Catholic, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc., according to the
locality and the influence. Mammon is too crafty, too wise, to be irreligious. It is well
known that there is a religious element in human nature which must be satisfied with
something, else the present order of things would collapse forthwith.
Thus seen, Mammon’s empire is the world—mankind in general—and from this
standpoint we can readily see the force of the statement that the fear of man bringeth a
snare, for the fear of man is the fear of Mammon. To go contrary to Mammon’s laws in
any part of the world is like rowing against a strong tide—it is very wearisome to the
flesh, and the progress is so small that were it not for the encouragements which lie
beyond the present life none could endure the strain.
Our text tells us of the “secret” of the Lord being with those faithful ones who hearken to
His Word, and have respect thereto, with reverence, fearing to such an extent to displease
Him that they dare brave the opposition of the world. This secret is to this class the
power of God working in them to will and to do His good pleasure, regardless of the
sneers and disapproval of Mammon and his more or less blinded devotees. They must
resolve first to be true to the Lord, to reverence Him rather than man and human
institutions, and to trust to Him for the strength, the courage, to follow in the footsteps of
the Lord Jesus, the great Leader whom He has appointed. After they have thus
manifested their loyalty of will, of purpose, of intention, and after He has to some extent
tried them—not suffering them to be tempted above that they are able, but with the
temptation also providing ways of escape—He gradually makes known to them His
“secret” which so illumines and transforms and strengthens them, and develops in them
His spirit of perfect love, that His word is fulfilled in respect to them, namely, that
“perfect love casteth out fear.” Thus it is that those who have the fear of the Lord, and
who are granted an understanding and appreciation of His secret, gradually lose all fear
of man, and become more and more courageous, strong in the Lord, and in the power of
His might, so that they are able to say in the words of inspiration, “I will not fear what
man may do unto me.”
“The Secret of the Lord”
We cannot hope to explain the “secret of the Lord” to any others than the class for whom
it is intended; but since there is a measure of fear of the Lord in many hearts that have a
still greater fear for Mammon and the opinion of the world, we may hope to be able to
make clear the Lord’s “secret” just in the same proportion that each of our hearers
possesses the “fear of the Lord.” Those who have a little fear of the Lord, a little of the
proper reverence for Him, may understand a little about this secret, but they will be
hindered from understanding much respecting it by their fear of Mammon, of
sectarianism—the fear of man that bringeth a snare. These ensnaring fears will be
continually suggesting to them that the way of the Lord is not agreeable to the flesh; that
it is not popular with the world; that it would constitute them a peculiar people; that it
would hinder them from sins and follies in which they are fond of indulging; that it would
break their influence with many of their friends in Churchianity; that it would make them
practical nonentities in the world; because, according to the worldly proverb, they “might
as well be out of the world as out of fashion.” Hearts thus ensnared cannot hope to see,
understand and appreciate the secret of the Lord in any considerable measure, but in
proportion as the fear or reverence of the Lord stands out boldly beyond all fear or
reverence for man or human institutions, in that same proportion it is the privilege of each
of us to appreciate and enjoy the “Secret of the Lord.”
He Has Covenanted to Show Them
The latter part of our text is not the best translation of the original. The whole text should
read, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He has covenanted to show
it unto them.” However, the translation makes no real difference in the matter, because
the Lord’s “Oath-bound Covenant,” which we discussed this afternoon, is really the
kernel or pith of this “Secret of the Lord.”
To some it may seem peculiar that the Scriptures should intimate that God has secrets—
that some are privileged to understand the divine plan, while others are not so privileged.
Such will perhaps say, Where is the revelation of God’s secrets? Surely it is not in the
Bible, for if it were in the Bible it would not be a secret, since the Bible is open,
accessible to all the civilized world today. We answer that the Bible is accessible to all
civilized men, but it is not open to all. To the majority even of professed Christians it is a
sealed book, and to none more so than to the ministry. The Scriptures themselves so
portray the matter, saying, “And the vision of all is become unto you that is learned,
saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed. And the Book is
delivered to one that is not learned saying, Read this I pray thee: and he saith, I am not
learned. Wherefore saith the Lord, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their
mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and
their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. Therefore, I will proceed to do a
marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the
wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall
be hid.” Isa. 29:1-14.
Our Lord spoke in the same strain at His first advent, saying respecting the humble ones
whom He chose for His apostles, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent [scribes, Pharisees, Doctors
of the Law], and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father, for thus it seemed good
in thy sight.” (Matt. 11:25, 26.) At the first advent the Pharisees were too self-satisfied,
pleased with their own theories, proud of their attainments, and boastful of their progress
and of the divine favors, enjoyed; the scribes were too learned to be associated with such
as constituted the Lord’s companions, and, besides, they were becoming more and more
filled with the “higher criticism” views of the Greek philosophers; the Doctors of the Law
were too proud and too pretentious. All of these were hindered from becoming the
Lord’s disciples and learning from Him the “Secret of the Lord,” because they were all
under the influence of Mammon—the great institution of their time which would
condemn and ostracize all who would not support it. In an earthly way they had
everything to lose and nothing to gain by becoming followers of the lowly one. On the
contrary, those who did come to Jesus and became His disciples had very generally less
to lose of an earthly kind, and hence were the more attracted by the future prospects
which our Lord held out to them. From the worldly standpoint they were foolish babes to
place so much reliance upon things unseen as yet and to measurably ignore the prospects
and opportunities held out to them by Mammon in the present life.
“The Mystery Hid From Ages”
That which is spoken of in our text as “the secret of the Lord” is in the New Testament
called the “mystery of God.” The thought is the same, namely, that God—while
revealing His plan through the law and the prophets in the Old Testament, and through
the words of our Lord and the apostles in the New Testament—has so expressed the
matter that it can be understood only by those who come properly into accord with the
Lord—that fear Him. The worldly man in reading the Scriptures fails to understand His
secret, and only those that fear and reverence Him to the extent of making a full
consecration of their all to Him can comprehend it. The apostle clearly sets this forth in
his letter to the Corinthians, saying, “Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God … but we speak of the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the
hidden vision which God ordained before the world unto our honor, which none of the
rulers of this world knoweth … As it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
Him; but God hath revealed them unto us by His spirit.”—1 Cor. 2:5-15.
St. Paul speaking of this mystery or secret of the Lord, intended for His people, but not
for the world nor for the merely nominal Christian, declares, “I am made a minister
according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you, to fulfill the Word of
God; even the mystery which hath been hidden from ages and generations, but now is
made manifest to His saints.”—Col. 1:25-29. Speaking of the church in the same strain,
he continues, “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love and in all
riches and full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, even
Christ, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden.”—Col. 2:2, 3.
Continuing along the same lines, he exhorts, “Withal praying also for us that God would
open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ.” Col. 4:3. In his epistle
to the Ephesians the apostle also speaks of this mystery, saying, that God’s grace in
Christ “hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known good
pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself; that in the dispensation of the fullness of
times He might gather together in one all things in Christ.” Again in the same epistle he
writes of God’s favor to Himself, “That by revelation He made known unto me the
mystery which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men as it is now revealed
unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit … to make all men see what is the
fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in
God.”—Eph. 1:9, 10; 3:5-9.
St. John, the Revelator, speaking as the mouthpiece of the glorified Lord tells us of this
mystery also (Rev. 10:7), saying, “In the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when
he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God shall be finished, as He hath declared to His
servants the prophets.” Thus we see that the mystery has been in operation from the
beginning of the world and is still a mystery so far as the world is concerned, and will
continue to be a mystery until the end of the present dispensation and the opening of the
millennial age, the only exception being the revelation of the mystery granted to the
saints—to those who are fully consecrated to the Lord, the class mentioned in our text,
“The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; he has covenanted to show it unto
them.”
“He That Hath an Ear Let Him Hear”
It was for this reason that our Lord speaks in parables and in dark sayings that are not yet
understood by the world, neither appreciated by any except the few, His “little flock,” the
consecrated. Thus it is written, “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitudes in
parables, and without a parable spake He not unto them; that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things
which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.” (Matt. 13:34, 35.) The
apostles came unto Jesus privately, saying, Lord, declare unto us the parable; and Jesus
said unto them, “To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto
them that are without [outsiders ensnared by the fear of men] all these things are done in
parables; that seeing they might see and not perceive, and hearing they might hear and
not understand.” (Mark 4:11, 12.)
Now, dear friends, we will do our best to make plain this secret, this mystery, hidden
from ages and dispensations, remembering, however, that only in proportion as our
hearers have ears to hear can we succeed, only in proportion as the fear of God
predominates over the fear of man; only in proportion as perfect love casts out the fear of
man and makes us truly freemen in Christ Jesus—only in that proportion can we hope
that our message on this subject will be understood and appreciated. From our Lord’s
words and from the Apostle Paul’s words already quoted, the mystery is uncovered to
those who have the eyes of their understanding opened and the ears of their hearts
unstopped. It is the message of the coming kingdom—the message of the “Oath-bound
Covenant” discussed this afternoon.
This message explains all the difficulties and perplexities which have hitherto confused
us. It shows us how sin entered into the world through Adam’s disobedience, how death
has been the penalty of that sin, resting upon the whole race of Adam, degrading us
mentally, morally and physically to the tomb. It tells us of God’s love for us while we
were yet sinners, which led to His sending His Son to be our redemption price, “that we
might live through Him”—that we might be recovered from death through Him. It shows
us that Christ Jesus by the grace of God tasted death not merely for a few, but for every
man; and that not merely a few, but every man shall have a resultant blessing from that
great sacrifice for sins, and a full and fair opportunity for returning in heart to the Lord
and for receiving back again all that was lost through Adam’s disobedience, with
superadded blessings and everlasting life if obedient. It shows us that this one purpose of
God to eradicate sin from the world, and to utterly destroy all who will not come into
accord with His righteous arrangements, has never been changed; and although the time
for the accomplishment of these promises seems long to us, it is not really long from the
standpoint of Him with whom a “thousand years are as one day.” It shows us that in the
dawning of the seventh day of the Lord, the millennial day—at the close of man’s 6,000
years—these blessings are to be realized by the world through the establishing of a
glorious kingdom of God under the whole heavens, which will enforce righteousness and
shower blessings upon every creature.
Church’s Identity With Mystery
The unfolding of the mystery shows further that during the Jewish age God dealt with the
house of Israel as a typical people, giving them a typical law, a typical “Day of
Atonement,” typical sacrifices, shadowy promises and during that period selected a few
faithful souls from that Nation to he His special servants in the earth during the millennial
age. These are particularly described by the Apostle in Hebrews 11, all of whom “having
obtained a good report through faith received not the [blessings] promised.” (vs. 39.) It
reveals to us further the Lord’s object in respect to the promulgation of the Gospel during
the period since our Lord’s death, namely, that the preaching of the mystery to the Lord’s
consecrated people who fear Him has been with a view to selecting a little flock from
among all kindreds, peoples and tongues, to be Christ’s bride and joint heir in the
kingdom, to be associated with Him as members of the seed of Abraham for the blessing
of all the families of the earth. The Apostle’s words, we recall, are very explicit on this
subject. He declares, “If ye are Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according
to the promise.”—Gal. 3:29.
Not only is the message itself called a mystery, but the church class, the “little flock,”
now being selected from the world, is Scripturally designated “the Mystery of God,” and
the false systems “the Mystery of Iniquity.” “The Mystery of God” is the class associated
in the divine plan, and, therefore, a part of that which is mystery or mysterious to the
world. As the Apostle declares, “The world knoweth us not, even as it knew Him not.”
The secret of the Lord is with this class. It is their joy, their strength; it is the power of
God working in them to will and do His pleasure. The more they comprehend this
mystery the more of this power of God do they possess, and progress in the mystery
implies progress in obedience and reverence and service. These in turn mean progress in
the graces of God, as the Apostle, explaining and speaking of our advancement as
Christians, says, “I pray God for you that the eyes of your understanding being opened
[gradually as we lose the fear of man and increase in our reverence for God] you may be
able to comprehend with all saints the lengths and breadths and heights and depths [of the
mystery], and to know the love of God which passeth all understanding.”—Eph. 3:18, 19.
The Church as a Secret Society
From the foregoing it will be discerned that the Lord’s saints constitute the most
exclusive and most secret society on earth. No one can be fully inducted into this society
and its mysteries except as the reverence of the Lord abounds in his heart, and as he
becomes free from human bondage, sectarian bondage—free in the liberty wherewith
Christ makes free indeed those who are truly His. This secret society needs not to hide its
books, neither to withhold its secrets, neither to speak quietly, for while telling the good
tidings of great joy to all people, the limitations are upon those who hear—for none can
hear the secret of the Lord; none can understand this mystery except in proportion as he
has reverenced the Lord and His Word and made a consecration of himself thereto.
I wonder how many of my audience this morning are members of this society? How
many are able to comprehend with all saints the lengths and breadths and depths of the
Divine plan? I am sure that all such have love for the brethren in their participation in the
fellowship of this mystery. I am sure that all such have the hopes set before us in this
mystery as an anchor sure and steadfast, entering into that which is within the vail. I am
sure that all such realize that the blessings and favors thus conferred upon us no man can
take from us, and that they shall continue to be ours so long as we shall continue to have
fellowship in this mystery, which is: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”—Col. 1:27.
I wonder further how many of you are still blinded in greater or lesser degree by the god
of this world and the creeds of the dark ages which he assisted in formulating, and has
since fostered, so that you are unable to appreciate what we have just been saying
respecting the mystery of God. I wonder how many such are desiring to have the eye-
salve of truth, which our Lord specially commended to this Laodicean stage of the
Church, saying, “I counsel thee to buy of Me eye-salve to anoint thine eyes that thou
mayest see.” (Rev. 3:17, 18.) The eye-salve must be bought by the individual who
desires to use it; it cannot be bought by one for another; even as we cannot have
experiences one for another. The cost of eye-salve is the spirit of self-sacrifice—the
willingness to make a full consecration of ourselves to the Lord. Our Lord expresses the
matter thus, saying, “He that doeth the will of My Father which is in Heaven, he shall
know of My doctrine.” Whosoever will resolve that he will no longer fear man, neither
be in subjection to the creeds of the dark ages, but that he will accept the Lord as his
Shepherd and be a true sheep, and listen only for the voice of His Word, and walk only in
accordance to the directions of that Word, fearing God and not fearing man—he shall be
blessed. “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; He hath covenanted to show
it unto them.”
I trust, dear friends, that some who have heretofore felt indifferent respecting the Divine
plan—the mystery of God kept secret from the world, intended only for them that fear
Him—may become so deeply interested, so desirous of cooperating with the Lord in their
hearts, in their thoughts, in their words, in their actions, that they will make full
consecration of themselves to Him. Just now is the moment to make this resolve,
accepting the grace of God and the forgiveness of sins through faith in the blood of Jesus,
and at once starting on the way to a clearer comprehension of the mystery, and ultimately
to a participation in some part of the glorious work which the Lord is preparing us for.
From this standpoint we realize that the great work of God is future; that our special work
in the present time is to be the Lord’s witnesses before men, to endure hardness as good
soldiers, to crystallize character, to learn obedience by the things which we experience,
and to be squared and fitted and polished, and thus made meet for participation in the
glories of the Kingdom, and for usefulness as members of it in the blessing of all the
earth in the millennial age, and for the enjoyment of our Heavenly Father’s favor to all
eternity.
This was a most impressive service, at the close of which the beautiful hymn, No. 208
Dawn Hymnal:
Thy Grace Impart
1. O Lord, thy promised grace impart,
And fill my consecrated heart.
Henceforth my chief concern shall be,
To live and speak and toil for thee.
2. While joyfully in thine employ,
The thought shall fill my soul with joy,
That my imperfect work shall be
Acceptable through Christ to thee.
3. Renouncing every worldly thing,
And safe beneath thy shelt’ring wing,
My sweetest thought henceforth shall be,
That all I want I find in thee.
