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But, the same faith which enabled those holy men of old to refuse the king's meat; enabled them, also, to despise the king's image. They had separated them- selves from defilement, in order that they might enjoy a more intense communion with the true God; and they could not, therefore, bow down to an image of gold, even though it were ever so high. They knew, that God was not an image. They knew He was a reality. They could only present worship to Him, for He alone was the true object thereof.
Nor did it make any matter to them, that all the world was against them. They had only to live and act for God. It might seem, as if they were setting up to be wiser than their neighbors. It might savor of presumption, to stand against the tide of public opinion. Some might feel disposed to ask, if truth lay only with them? Were, all " the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces" sunk in darkness and error? Could it be possible, that so many men of rank, of intelligence, and of learning, were in the wrong, and only a few strangers of the captivity in the right?
With such questions our Nazarites had nothing to do. Their path lay right onward. Should they bow down, and worship an image, in order to avoid the appearance of condemning other people! Assuredly not. And yet, how often are those, who desire to keep a conscience void of offense in the sight of God, condemned for set-ting themselves up, and judging others! Doubtless, Luther was condemned by many for setting himself up in opposition to the doctors, the cardinals and the pope. Should he, in order to avoid such condemnation, have lived and died in error? Who would say so?
"Ah! but," some will reply, "Luther had to deal with palpable error." So thought Luther; but thousands of learned and eminent men thought otherwise. So also, in the case of "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego," they had to do with positive idolatry; but the whole world differed from them, What then? "We must obey God rather than man." "Let others do as they will; as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. If people were to remain in error, and continue to do what they, at least, feel to be wrong, in order to avoid the appearance of judging others, where should we be?
Ah! no; my beloved reader, do you seek to pursue the steady, onward, upward path of pure and elevated discipleship. And, whether or not you, thereby, condemn others, is no concern of yours. "CEASE TO DO EVIL." This is the first thing for the true disciple to do. When he has yielded obedience to this golden precept, lie may expect to "learn to do well," "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." When God speaks, I am not to turn round, to see how my obedience to His voice will affect my neighbors, or, to consider, what they will think about me. When the voice of the risen and glorified Jesus fell upon the ear of the prostrate Saul of Tarsus, he did not begin to inquire, what the chief priest and Pharisees would think of him, were he to obey. Surely not. "Immediately," he says, "I conferred not with flesh and blood" (Gal. 1:16.) "Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19.) This is the true spirit and principle of discipleship. "Give glory to God, before he cause darkness, and your feet stumble upon the dark mountains." Nothing can be more dangerous, than to hesitate, when divine light shines upon the path. If you do not act upon the light, when you get it, you will, assuredly, be involved in thick darkness., Hence, therefore, as another has said, "Never go before your faith, nor lag behind your conscience."