Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary: Collated from his Diary by Benjamin FunkKline, John
Religion
Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, the Martyr Missionary: Collated from his Diary by Benjamin Funk
Kline, John
Kline, John, 1797-1864
MONDAY, September 21, Brother Kline attended a love feast at Brother
Snider's.
WEDNESDAY, September 23, he attended another at Brother Samuel
Mishler's. He spoke beautifully on 1 John 3:2: "Beloved, now are we
the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we
know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him."
A SHORT DISCOURSE.
In my view, there is no passage in the Bible which requires a stronger
faith to believe it fully than the one just quoted. No passage that I
know of sets forth in such lofty terms of description the exaltation
and glory of the redeemed. Often have I heard persons express their
wonder that Jesus did not tell us more about heaven and the future
state. This text itself tells us infinitely more about this than we
are capable of comprehending. Let us think a little.
I. It tells us that we are _now_ the SONS OF GOD. To be the son of a
_rich man_ is esteemed a great boon; to be the son of a king is an
honor and fortune enjoyed by few. But what are favors like these
compared with being a son of God! No wonder John says in another
place: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God!" Take the words of my text
all to yourself, my brother, my sister: believe it; love it; and ever
rejoice in the light of it. You desire to know how you attained to
this high distinction. I will tell you. Jesus came to you in his
blessed Word with the assurance that "as many as receive him, to them
gives he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
his name; which are born, not of blood; nor of the will of the flesh;
nor of the will of man; but of God."
"This promise ever shall endure,
Till suns shall rise and set no more."
You received the Lord by believing on his name. This is faith. You
believed with your heart; that is, your faith was full of love, and
your love was attended and followed by obedience, and this made your
faith complete. It is yours now to rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.
II. But you can hardly believe that you are to be just like Christ. On
the mount you saw him glorified. "His face did shine as the sun, and
his outward form was white as the light." Now Paul says: "He shall
change our vile bodies that they may be fashioned like unto the body
of his glory." "Then shall the righteous shine as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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