Testimonies For The Church Volume Five

Transcription

Testimonies For The Church
Volume Five
Table of Contents
Chapter Title
Page #
Preface ...............................................
The Times of Volume Five ..............................
Testimony 31 (1882)
Camp Meeting Address ..................................
Responsibility of Ministers .........................
Our College ...........................................
The Bible as a Textbook .............................
Object of the College ...............................
Teachers in the College .............................
Parental Training .....................................
Important Testimony ...................................
The Testimonies Slighted ..............................
Workers in Our College ................................
Jealousy and Faultfinding Condemned ...................
The Day of the Lord at Hand ...........................
Unwise Marriages ......................................
Warnings and Reproofs .................................
Dangers of the Young ................................
Labourers for God .....................................
Agents of Satan .......................................
Will a Man Rob God? ...................................
Power of the Truth ....................................
Our Camp Meetings .....................................
Brotherly Love ........................................
Diligence in Business .................................
Moving to Battle Creek ................................
Worldliness in the Church .............................
Shall We Consult Spiritualist Physicians? .............
Looking Unto Jesus ....................................
Calls for Laborers ....................................
The Seal of God .......................................
An Appeal .............................................
Christian Unity .......................................
Testimony 32 (1885)
The Work of the Gospel Minister .......................
Ministers as Educators ..............................
Duty to Reprove Money Lovers ........................
Christian Growth ......................................
Tithes and Offerings ................................
Faithfulness in the Work of God .......................
1
3
9
15
21
24
27
28
36
45
62
84
94
98
105
114
121
132
137
148
157
162
167
178
182
188
191
199
202
207
217
236
249
254
258
263
267
272
Vowing and Not Paying ...............................
Influence of Unbelief .................................
Deceitfulness of Sin ..................................
Criticizing Ministers .................................
Fidelity and Perseverance Needed ......................
Sinfulness of Repining ................................
"Praise Ye the Lord!" .................................
Parental Responsibility ...............................
The Training of Children ..............................
Christian Forbearance .................................
Worldly Ambition ......................................
Love Among Brethren ...................................
Redeeming the Time ....................................
The Manufacture of Wine and Cider .....................
Marriage With Unbelievers .............................
The Support of City Missions ..........................
The True Missionary Spirit ............................
Young Men as Missionaries .............................
Importance of the Canvassing Work .....................
The Publishing Work ...................................
Importance of Economy ...............................
Unity of the Work ...................................
Business and Religion .................................
Worldly-Mindedness a Snare ............................
Responsibilities of the Physician .....................
The Coming Crisis .....................................
The Church the Light of the World .....................
Joshua and the Angel ..................................
Testimony 33 (1889)
Unity and Love in the Church ..........................
Guarding the Interests of Brethren ..................
Behavior in the House of God ..........................
Religion and Scientific Education .....................
The Education of Our Children .........................
Dangers of the Young ..................................
The Exercise of the Will ............................
Suitable Reading for Children .........................
Advice to the Young ...................................
Examples of Heroic Fidelity to God ..................
An Educated Ministry ................................
Worldly-Mindedness ....................................
Practical Godliness ...................................
"Your Reasonable Service" .............................
Worldly Influences ....................................
Needs of Our Institutions .............................
Our Institutions at Battle Creek ......................
The College .........................................
281
285
289
298
302
309
315
319
323
331
336
341
349
354
361
368
385
390
396
407
413
417
422
430
439
449
454
467
477
480
491
501
505
508
513
516
520
526
528
529
532
541
542
549
555
555
Qualifications of Managers ..........................
Board Meetings ........................................
Worldly Policy ......................................
Royalties on Books ..................................
Christian Influence in the Home and the Church ........
An Impressive Dream ...................................
Daily Study of the Bible Necessary ....................
Education of Workers ..................................
Unholy Ambition .......................................
"The Appearance of Evil" ..............................
Love for the Erring ...................................
Church Duties .........................................
Treatment of the Erring .............................
Selection of Leaders ................................
A Letter ..............................................
God's Love for Sinners ................................
Acceptable Confession .................................
Erroneous Ideas of Confession .........................
God's Presence a Reality ..............................
The Presence of Christ in the Schoolroom ............
The Nature and Influence of the Testimonies ...........
Personal Testimonies ................................
Object of the Testimonies ...........................
Not to Take the Place of the Bible ..................
Wrong Use of the Testimonies ........................
To Be Judged by Their Fruits ........................
Doubting the Testimonies ............................
Duty to Give Reproof ................................
Rejection of Reproof ................................
Neglect of the Testimonies ..........................
How to Receive Reproof ..............................
An Unwarranted Distinction ..........................
Unfounded Reports .....................................
A Miracle Counterfeited ...............................
The Mysteries of the Bible a Proof of Its Inspiration .
The Impending Conflict ................................
The American Sentinel and Its Mission .................
Workers in the Cause ..................................
The Inestimable Gift ..................................
The Character of God Revealed in Christ ...............
The Word Made Flesh ...................................
God's Care for His Work ...............................
556
559
561
563
568
571
573
580
586
591
603
613
615
617
621
629
635
642
651
653
654
657
661
663
668
671
672
676
678
680
682
683
692
696
698
711
718
721
729
737
746
749
Testimonies for the Church Volume Five : Page 3
1. THE TIMES OF VOLUME FIVE
A LITTLE LESS THAN A DECADE IS SPANNED BY TESTIMONIES NOS. 31 TO 33, WHICH
COMPRISE VOLUME 5. THE FIRST WAS PUBLISHED IN 1882, BUT INCLUDES MESSAGES
GIVEN IN 1881 AND ONWARD. NO. 32 WAS PUBLISHED IN 1885, AND NO. 33 CAME FROM
THE PRESS IN 1889. THAT SAME YEAR THE THREE WERE UNITED IN ONE BOOK-VOLUME 5.
THIS WAS AN INTENSELY INTERESTING PERIOD IN THE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING WORK
OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS. IN NORTH AMERICA TWO NEW ADVANCED SCHOOLS
WERE STARTED IN THE YEAR 1882, ONE AT SOUTH LANCASTER, MASSACHUSETTS,
AND THE OTHER AT HEALDSBURG, CALIFORNIA. THUS, FROM OUR DENOMINATIONAL
CENTER AT BATTLE CREEK, THE EDUCATIONAL WORK WAS BEGINNING TO REACH
OUT TOWARD THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. TEN YEARS EARLIER OUR FIRST SCHOOL
HAD BEEN OPENED AT BATTLE CREEK, AND TWO YEARS LATER ITS NEW BUILDINGS
HAD BEEN DEDICATED. DURING THESE TEN YEARS MANY PROBLEMS INCIDENT TO
THE PIONEERING OF THIS NEW AND IMPORTANT LINE OF ENDEAVOR WERE MET.
SOMETIMES THE ISSUES WERE LARGE, AND IN NOT A FEW INSTANCES SPECIAL
COUNSEL WAS GIVEN THROUGH THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY TO GUIDE AND GUARD
THIS WORK. THESE MESSAGES DEALING WITH PROBLEMS, FROM DISCIPLINE TO
CURRICULUM, FORM A PART OF THIS BOOK.
THE NINE-YEAR PERIOD OF THIS VOLUME WAS ALSO A TIME OF EXTENSIVE WRITING
AND PUBLISHING ON THE PART OF ELLEN WHITE. IN 1882 ARRANGEMENTS WERE
MADE TO REPRINT A SKETCH OF THE CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND VIEWS OF ELLEN G.
WHITE AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS VOLUME ONE . THE SAME YEAR THESE TWO BOOKS WERE
UNITED IN ONE VOLUME AND ENTITLED EARLY WRITINGS . TO MEET THE CONSTANT
DEMAND FOR THE TESTIMONIES , THE FIRST THIRTY NUMBERS WERE REPRINTED IN
1885 IN FOUR BOOKS--VOLUMES 1 TO 4, AS THEY APPEAR TODAY. SKETCHES FROM
THE LIFE OF PAUL, THE FORERUNNER OF THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, WAS PUBLISHED
IN 1883. IN 1884, MRS. WHITE COMPLETED HER WORK ON SPIRIT OF PROPHECY VOLUME
FOUR -- THE GREAT CONTROVERSY, AND IT WAS PUBLISHED
4
IMMEDIATELY. IT SOON FOUND ITS WAY THROUGH COLPORTEUR CHANNELS TO
MANY THOUSANDS OF HOMES, AND TEN EDITIONS WERE ROLLED FROM THE PRESSES
IN THREE SHORT YEARS OF TIME. IN 1888 THE ENLARGED GREAT CONTROVERSY, THE
BOOK WE KNOW SO WELL TODAY, WAS PUBLISHED, TAKING THE PLACE OF THE
EARLIER, BRIEFER VOLUME.
AT THE DENOMINATIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN BATTLE CREEK THERE WAS A STEADY
GROWTH. NEW EQUIPMENT WAS ADDED IN THE PUBLISHING HOUSE. THE
SANITARIUM AND THE COLLEGE WERE GREATLY PROSPERED AND CONTINUED TO
GROW. THESE DEVELOPMENTS BROUGHT LARGE NUMBERS OF SEVENTH-DAY
ADVENTISTS TO THAT CITY. THE HAZARDS OF SO MANY ADVENTISTS GATHERING IN
ONE CENTER, WITH THE INEVITABLE TENDENCY TO A FEELING OF LESS
RESPONSIBILITY AND TOWARD LOWER STANDARDS, IS POINTED OUT IN THE EARLY
PART OF THIS VOLUME. THESE INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS WERE ALSO
FRAUGHT WITH THE DANGER THAT THE WORK WOULD BECOME MECHANICAL AND
LOSE ITS INITIAL SIMPLICITY. SUCH DANGERS APPEARED ESPECIALLY IN THE
PUBLISHING HOUSE. THE TESTIMONIES OF THIS VOLUME STRESS ECONOMY,
INDUSTRY, ALERTNESS, AND FURNISH MANAGERS AND FOREMEN WITH GUIDING
INSTRUCTION FOR THEIR TASKS.
AT THIS SAME TIME, WHILE PROBLEMS OF LONG-ESTABLISHED WORK WERE BEING
MET AT OUR HEADQUARTERS, OUT IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST NEW FIELDS WERE
BEING DEVELOPED, AND MANY WERE ACCEPTING THE MESSAGE. WITH THE OPENING
OF THESE FRONTIER REGIONS, THERE WERE MANY NEW PROBLEMS. ELLEN WHITE
HERSELF MADE TWO VISITS TO THE NORTHWEST AND IN CONNECTION WITH THE
LAST TRIP WROTE MUCH COUNSEL TO THOSE WHO WERE LABORING THERE-COUNSEL ON PRACTICAL SUBJECTS VITAL TO THE WELFARE OF THE WORK AND THE
MINISTERS WHO WERE WORKING AMONG THE STURDY, INDEPENDENT-MINDED MEN
AND WOMEN WHO HAD PUSHED WESTWARD AND ESTABLISHED THEIR HOMES IN
THESE VAST, NEWLY OPENED REGIONS. THESE WERE MEN AND WOMEN OF ENERGY,
DARING, RUGGED INDIVIDUALITY; AND MANY WERE PERSONS OF DEEP CONVICTION
WHO ACCEPTED THE CALL OF THE ADVENT MESSAGE. THESE VIGOROUS PIONEERS
NEEDED THE STRONG, MOLDING INFLUENCE OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. THEY NEEDED
5
WARNINGS AGAINST THE LOVE OF MONEY AND WORLDLY AMBITIONS.
TO THE MINISTRY WERE SENT EARNEST COUNSELS POINTING OUT THE DANGER
THAT THEIR MESSAGES MIGHT BE SHAPED BY THE OPINIONS OF STRONG-MINDED
CHURCH MEMBERS. COUNSEL WAS GIVEN TO GUARD AGAINST CARELESSNESS IN
THE ERECTION OF CHURCH EDIFICES, AS SEEN IN SOME INSTANCES. WARNINGS WERE
ALSO GIVEN AGAINST LIGHTLY REGARDING PLEDGES OF GIFTS TO GOD'S CAUSE. ALL
THESE AND OTHER COUNSELS DEALING WITH MANY OTHER PROBLEMS CONNECTED
WITH THE WORK IN THESE NEW TERRITORIES OCCUPY A PROMINENT PLACE IN THIS
VOLUME.
THE EYES OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS WERE BEING TURNED MORE AND MORE TO
THE WORLD FIELD. FOR A DECADE WE HAD BEEN CARRYING ON WORK IN EUROPE.
NOW, IN 1885, ELDERS S.N. HASKELL AND J.O. CORLISS, WITH A COMPANY OF
WORKERS, WERE SENT TO AUSTRALIA TO OPEN UP WORK IN THAT SOUTHERN
CONTINENT. AFRICA WAS ENTERED TWO YEARS LATER BY ELDERS D.A. ROBINSON
AND C.L. BOYD, AND THE MESSAGE WAS CARRIED TO HONG KONG THAT SAME YEAR
BY A LAYMAN, BROTHER ABRAHAM LA RUE. THEN, IN 1889, COLPORTEURS
COMMENCED THEIR WORK IN SOUTH AMERICA. EVEN MRS. WHITE WAS CALLED
OVERSEAS, LEAVING FOR EUROPE IN 1885. THERE SHE SPENT TWO AND A HALF
YEARS TRAVELING, COUNSELING, SPEAKING, AND WRITING. IN JUNE, 1887, AT MOSS,
NORWAY, SHE ATTENDED THE FIRST SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CAMP MEETING
HELD OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. HER MINISTRY OVERSEAS WAS MUCH
APPRECIATED.
THERE WAS ALSO, DURING THE TIME REPRESENTED BY VOLUME 5, CONSIDERABLE
OPPOSITION ON THE PART OF A SMALL GROUP OF DISAFFECTED SOULS WHO YEARS
EARLIER HAD LEFT OUR RANKS. THEIR ATTACKS WERE LEVELED PRIMARILY
AGAINST THE AGENT OF THE PROPHETIC GIFT AND HER WRITINGS WHICH HAVE
STRENGTHENED AND BUILT UP THE CHURCH THROUGH THE YEARS. ALSO DURING
THE DECADE OF THIS VOLUME, ONE OF OUR LEADING EVANGELISTS LOST HIS WAY
AND WAS SOON ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN TEARING DOWN A WORK HE HAD FORMERLY
LABORED TO ESTABLISH. TWO COMMUNICATIONS WRITTEN BY ELLEN WHITE TO
RESTRAIN THIS MAN FROM THE PLUNGE
6
HE WAS ABOUT TO TAKE, ARE FOUND IN THIS BOOK. ONE COMMENCES ON PAGE 571
AND THE OTHER ON PAGE 621. THE ATTEMPT TO SAVE HIM WAS FRUITLESS, AND HE
TURNED IN BITTER TIRADE ON MRS. WHITE AND THE PROPHETIC GIFT. WHILE SUCH
ATTACKS, OF COURSE, DID NOT DETER THE WORK OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, IT
IS CLEAR THAT THEY WERE RECOGNIZED AS DISTRACTING ELEMENTS THAT SHOULD
BE COUNTERACTED.
IT IS NOT STRANGE, THEN, THAT SEVERAL VITAL ARTICLES TOUCHING ON THE
PROPHETIC GIFT WERE PENNED DURING THIS TIME. ONE OF THESE FORMS THE BASIS
OF THE INTRODUCTION TO THE GREAT CONTROVERSY, 1888, EDITION. OTHERS ARE
FOUND IN THIS VOLUME. IT WAS AT THIS TIME, TOO, THAT MRS. WHITE GATHERED
FROM ALL THE PUBLISHED TESTIMONIES THAT WHICH SHE HAD WRITTEN ON THE
NATURE AND INFLUENCE OF THE TESTIMONIES FOR THE CHURCH, AND COMPILED
THEM INTO A THIRTY-EIGHT-PAGE ARTICLE FOUND NEAR THE CLOSE OF THIS
VOLUME.
IN THE FALL OF 1888 AN IMPORTANT GENERAL CONFERENCE SESSION WAS HELD IN
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. AT THIS MEETING THERE CAME TO THOSE ASSEMBLED A
BROADER, FULLER CONCEPTION OF THE GREAT TRUTHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY
FAITH. THE FAILURE OF SOME TO OPEN THEIR HEARTS TO THE LIGHT WHICH WAS
THERE CAUSED TO SHINE SO BRIGHTLY SPURRED MRS. WHITE TO LEAD OUT IN AN
ENCOURAGEMENT TO DILIGENT BIBLE STUDY AND TO BREAK DOWN THE BARRIERS
TO ADVANCEMENT IN THE PERCEPTION OF TRUTH. AT THE GENERAL CONFERENCE
SESSION THE NEXT YEAR, 1889, WORKERS AND LAITY ALIKE REPORTED IN THEIR
SOCIAL MEETINGS THAT "THE PAST YEAR" HAD "BEEN THE BEST OF THEIR LIFE; THE
LIGHT SHINING FORTH FROM THE WORD OF GOD HAS BEEN CLEAR AND DISTINCT-JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH, CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. . . . THE UNIVERSAL
TESTIMONY FROM THOSE WHO HAVE SPOKEN HAS BEEN THAT THIS MESSAGE OF
LIGHT AND TRUTH WHICH HAS COME TO OUR PEOPLE IS JUST THE TRUTH FOR THIS
TIME AND WHEREVER THEY GO AMONG THE CHURCHES, LIGHT AND RELIEF AND THE
BLESSING OF GOD ARE SURE TO COME IN."--E.G. WHITE MS. 10, 1889, QUOTED IN THE
FRUITAGE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS, PAGE 234. GOD'S MESSAGE TO HIS PEOPLE
7
TURNED INTO A GLORIOUS VICTORY THE TIDE WHICH THREATENED DEFEAT.
AS THE WRITING OF THIS VOLUME WAS BEING BROUGHT TO A CLOSE, A CRISIS
THREATENED IN THE UNITED STATES IN THE FORM OF A PROPOSED NATIONAL
SUNDAY LAW. IN THIS CONNECTION THERE WAS BROUGHT BEFORE MRS. WHITE THE
VIEWS OF THE IMPENDING CONFLICT AND THE ISSUES WHICH THE CHURCH MUST
MEET AS APOSTATE PROTESTANTISM UNITES WITH CATHOLICISM TO ENFORCE
OPPRESSIVE MEASURES. THE PATHETIC LETHARGY OF THOSE WHO UNDERSTOOD
THE ISSUES WAS CLEARLY PORTRAYED, AND THERE WAS A CALL TO ACTION.
IN VOLUME 5 THERE IS A GREATER DIVERSITY OF SUBJECTS THAN IN ANY OTHER OF
THE NINE VOLUMES OF THE TESTIMONIES. THIS WAS THE LAST OF THE GROUP OF
TESTIMONY VOLUMES TO CONTAIN "PERSONAL TESTIMONIES" ADDRESSED TO
VARIOUS INDIVIDUALS. A PERIOD OF ELEVEN YEARS WAS TO ELAPSE BEFORE THE
ISSUANCE OF VOLUME 6 OF TESTIMONY WRITINGS.
THIS VOLUME IS OF GREAT VALUE TO THE CHURCH TODAY BECAUSE OF THE
PRACTICAL NATURE OF ITS TIMELY WARNINGS AND COUNSELS. STRESSED ALL
THROUGH IT ARE SOLEMN STATEMENTS POINTING OUT THE NEARNESS OF THE END
AND THE PREPARATION WHICH IS NEEDED IN THE LIGHT OF THE IMPENDING
CONFLICT. MINISTERS ARE CALLED TO DEEPER CONSECRATION. EXECUTIVES ARE
ADMONISHED. PHYSICIANS ARE COUNSELED. TEACHERS ARE WARNED AGAINST
ADOPTING WORLDLY PRINCIPLES AND ARE ENCOURAGED TO GUIDE THEIR
STUDENTS INTO SOUL-WINNING SERVICES. COLPORTEUR EVANGELISTS ARE URGED
TO HIGHER STANDARDS OF QUALIFICATION. PARENTS ARE GIVEN INSTRUCTION
REGARDING HOME LIFE AND CHILD TRAINING. THOSE WITH SO-CALLED NEW LIGHT,
BUT WITH A MESSAGE CONTRARY TO THE FUNDAMENTALS OF DOCTRINE, ARE
REPROVED. THE RANK AND FILE OF THE PEOPLE ARE CALLED TO A REVIVAL AND
REFORMATION.
THE INSTRUCTION AND WARNINGS OF THIS VOLUME EXERTED A STEADYING,
SOBERING INFLUENCE UPON SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS AS THEY WERE LAUNCHING
OUT INTO GREATER LINES OF ENDEAVOR. THEY EXERT THE SAME INFLUENCE
TODAY.
THE TRUSTEES OF THE ELLEN G. WHILE PUBLICATIONS.
2. Camp Meeting Address
Boulder, Colorado, September 25, 1881.
Dear Brethren and Sisters Who Shall Assemble at the Michigan Camp Meeting: [THIS APPEAL WAS
WRITTEN FOR THE MICHIGAN CAMP MEETING, BUT BEING FORGOTTEN AT THAT
TIME, WAS READ BEFORE THE GENERAL CONFERENCE, DECEMBER, 1881.]
I feel a deeper interest in this meeting than in any other that has been held this season. Michigan has
not had the labour which she should have had. God has planted important institutions among you, and
this brings upon you greater responsibilities than upon any other conference in the whole field. Great
light has been given you, and few have responded to it; yet my heart goes out in tender solicitude for
our beloved people in Michigan. The warning that the Son of man is soon to come in the clouds of
heaven has become to many a familiar tale. They have left the waiting, watching position. The selfish,
worldly spirit manifested in the life reveals the sentiment of the heart, "My Lord delayeth His coming."
Some are enveloped in so great darkness that they openly express their unbelief, notwithstanding our
Saviour's declaration that all such are unfaithful servants and their portion shall be with hypocrites and
unbelievers. {5T 9.1}
Our ministers are not doing their whole duty. The attention of the people should be called to the
momentous event which is so near at hand. The signs of the times should be kept fresh before their
minds. The prophetic visions of Daniel and John foretell a period of moral darkness and declension;
but at
10
the time of the end, the time in which we are now living, the vision was to speak and not lie. When the
signs predicted begin to come to pass, the waiting, watching ones are bidden to look up and lift up their
heads and rejoice because their redemption draweth nigh. {5T 9.2}
When these things are dwelt upon as they should be, scoffers will be developed who walk after their
own lusts, saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." But "when they shall say, Peace and safety;
then sudden destruction cometh upon them." "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief." Thank God, all will not be rocked to sleep in the cradle of carnal security.
There will be faithful ones who will discern the signs of the times. While a large number professing
present truth will deny their faith by their works, there will be some who will endure unto the end. {5T
10.1}
The same spirit of selfishness, of conformity to the practices of the world, exists in our day as in
Noah's. Many who profess to be children of God follow their worldly pursuits with an intensity that
gives the lie to their profession. They will be planting and building, buying and selling, eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the last moment of their probation. This is the
condition of a large number of our own people. Because iniquity abounds, the love of many waxes
cold. To but few can it be said: "Ye are all ... the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of
darkness." {5T 10.2}
My soul is burdened as I see the great want of spirituality among us. The fashions and customs of the
world, pride, love of amusement, love of display, extravagance in dress, in houses, in lands--these are
robbing the treasury of God, turning to the gratification of self the means which should be used to send
forth the light of truth to the world. Selfish purposes are made
11
the first consideration. The work of qualifying men to labour for the salvation of souls is not
considered of so great consequence as worldly enterprises. Souls are perishing for want of knowledge.
Those who have had the light of present truth, and yet feel no spirit of labour to warn their fellow men
of the coming judgment, must give an account to God for their neglect of duty. The blood of souls will
be upon their garments. {5T 10.3}
The old standard-bearers are fainting and falling. Our young men have not been educated to feel their
accountability to God; little inducement is presented for them to labour in the cause, and they enter the
fields that promise the largest remuneration with the least toil and responsibility. As a people we are
not advancing in spirituality as we near the end. We do not realize the magnitude and importance of
the work before us. Hence our plans are not becoming wider and more comprehensive. There is a sad
lack of men and women prepared to carry forward the increasing work for this time. {5T 11.1}
We are not doing one-twentieth part of what God requires us to do. There has been a departure from
the simplicity of the work, making it intricate, difficult to understand, and difficult to execute. The
judgment and wisdom of man rather than of God has too often guided and controlled. Many feel that
they have not time to watch for souls as they that must give account. And what excuse will they render
for this neglect of the important work which was theirs to do? {5T 11.2}
At our college young men should be educated in as careful and thorough a manner as possible that they
may be prepared to labour for God. This was the object for which the institution was brought into
existence. Our brethren abroad should feel an interest not only to sustain but to guard the college, that
it may not be turned away from its design and be moulded after other institutions of the kind. The
religious interest should be constantly guarded. Time is drawing to a close. Eternity is
12
near. The great harvest is to be gathered. What are we doing to prepare for this work? {5T 11.3}
The leading men in our college should be men of piety and devotion. They should make the Bible the
rule and guide of life, giving heed to the sure word of prophecy as to "a light that shineth in a dark
place." Not one of us should dare to be off guard for a moment, for "in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh." It is only those who continue faithful in well-doing that shall reap the reward.
Much that has no part in Christ is allowed a place among us. Unconsecrated ministers, professors, and
teachers assist Satan to plant his banner in our very strongholds. {5T 12.1}
The design of our college has been stated again and again, yet many are so blinded by the god of this
world that its real object is not understood. God designed that young men should there be drawn to
Him, that they should there obtain a preparation to preach the gospel of Christ, to bring out of the
exhaustless treasury of God's word things both new and old for the instruction and edification of the
people. Teachers and professors should have a vivid sense of the perils of this time and the work that
must be accomplished to prepare a people to stand in the day of God. {5T 12.2}
Some of the teachers have been scattering from Christ instead of gathering with Him. By their own
example they lead those under their charge to adopt the customs and habits of worldlings. They link
the hands of the students with fashionable, amusement-loving unbelievers, and carry them an advance
step toward the world and away from Christ. And they do this in the face of warnings from heaven, not
only those given to the people in general, but personal appeals to themselves. The anger of the Lord is
kindled for these things. {5T 12.3}
God will test the fidelity of His people. Many of the mistakes that are made by the professed servants
of God are in consequence of their self-love, their desire for approval, their
13
thirst for popularity. Blinded in this manner, they do not realize that they are elements of darkness
rather than of light. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the
unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." These are the conditions upon which we may be acknowledged as
the sons of God-- separation from the world, and renunciation of those things which delude, and
fascinate, and ensnare. {5T 12.4}
The apostle Paul declares that it is impossible for the children of God to unite with worldlings: "Be ye
not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." This does not refer to marriage alone; any intimate
relation of confidence and copartnership with those who have no love for God or the truth is a snare.
{5T 13.1}
The apostle continues: "For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he
that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the
temple of the living God; as God hath said: I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their
God, and they shall be My people." In consideration of these facts, he exclaims: "Wherefore come out
from among them, and be ye separate." Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." {5T 13.2}
If we comply with the conditions, the Lord will fulfill to us His promises. But there is a work for us to
do which we should in no wise neglect. In the strength of Jesus we can perform it aright. We may press
ever onward and upward, constantly growing in grace and in a knowledge of the truth. {5T 13.3}
The children of the light and of the day are not to gather about them the shades of night and darkness
which encompass
14
the workers of iniquity. On the contrary, they are to stand faithfully at their post of duty as light
bearers, gathering light from God to shed upon those in darkness. The Lord requires His people to
maintain their integrity, touching not--that is, imitating not--the practices of the ungodly. {5T 13.4}
Christians will be in this world "an holy nation, a peculiar people," showing forth the praises of Him
who hath called them "out of darkness into His marvellous light." This light is not to grow dim, but to
shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. Christ's standard-bearers are never to be off duty. They
have a vigilant foe who is waiting and watching to take the fort. Some of Christ's professed watchmen
have invited the enemy into their stronghold, have mingled with them, and in their efforts to please
have broken down the distinction between the children of God and the children of Satan. {5T 14.1}
The Lord never designed that our college should imitate other institutions of learning. The religious
element should be the controlling power. If unbelievers choose this influence, it is well; if those who
are in darkness choose to the light, it is as God would have it. But to relax our vigilance, and let the
worldly element take the lead in order to secure students, is contrary to the will of God. The strength of
our college is in keeping the religious element in the ascendancy. When teachers or professors shall
sacrifice religious principle to please a worldly, amusement-loving class, they should be considered
unfaithful to their trust and should be discharged. {5T 14.2}
The thrilling truth that has been sounding in our ears for many years, "The Lord is at hand; be ye also
ready," is no less the truth today than when we first heard the message. The dearest interests of the
church and people of God, and the destiny of an impenitent and ungodly world, for time and for
eternity, are here involved. We are all judgment bound. "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and
15
the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain [unto the coming of the Lord]
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord." Christ will then be revealed from heaven, "taking vengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not the gospel." {5T 14.3}
These momentous events are nigh at hand, yet many who profess to believe the truth are asleep. They
will surely be numbered with the unfaithful servant who saith in his heart, "My Lord delayeth His
coming," if they remain in their present position of friendship with the world. It is only to those who
are waiting in hope and faith that Christ will appear, without sin unto salvation. Many have the theory
of the truth who know not the power of godliness. If the word of God dwelt in the heart, it would
control the life. Faith, purity, and conformity to the will of God would testify to its sanctifying power.
{5T 15.1}
Responsibility of Ministers
A solemn responsibility rests upon the watchmen. How careful should they be rightly to understand
and explain the word of God. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,
and keep those things which are written therein." Says the prophet Ezekiel: The word of the Lord came
unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the
sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
if when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; then
whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him
away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning;
his blood shall be upon
16
him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and
blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from
among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So
thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the
word at my mouth, and warn them from Me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt
surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his
iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to
turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy
soul." {5T 15.2}
The responsibility of the watchmen of today is as much greater than in the days of the prophet as our
light is clearer and our privileges and opportunities greater than theirs. It is the minister's duty to warn
every man, to teach every man, in all meekness and wisdom. He is not to conform to the practices of
the world, but, as God's servant, he must contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. Satan is
constantly at work to break down the strongholds which debar him from free access to souls; and,
while our ministers are no more spiritually minded, while they do not connect closely with God, the
enemy has great advantage, and the Lord holds the watchman accountable for his success. {5T 16.1}
I would, at this time, sound the note of warning to those who shall assemble at our camp meeting. The
end of all things is at hand. My brethren, ministers and laymen, I have been shown you must work in a
different manner from what you have been in the habit of working. Pride, envy, self-importance, and
unsanctified independence have marred your labours. When men permit themselves to be flattered and
exalted by Satan, the Lord can do little for them or through them. To
17
what unmeasured humiliation did the Son of man descend, that He might elevate humanity! Workers
for God, not the ministers only, but the people, need the meekness and lowliness of Christ if they
would benefit their fellow men. As God, our Saviour humbled Himself when He took upon Him man's
nature. But He went lower still. As a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross." Would that I could find language wherewith to present these thoughts before
you. Would that the veil could be rent away and you could see the cause of your spiritual weakness.
Would that you could conceive of the rich supplies of grace and power awaiting your demand. Those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. We must exercise greater faith in calling upon
God for all needed blessings. We must strive, agonize, to enter in at the strait gate. {5T 16.2}
Says Christ: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My
yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls." I testify to you, my dear brethren, ministers, and people, you have not yet learned this lesson.
Christ endured shame and agony and death for us. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus." Bear reproach and abuse without retaliation, without a spirit of revenge. Jesus died, not only to
make atonement for us, but to be our pattern. Oh, wondrous condescension! matchless love! As you
look upon the Prince of Life upon the cross, can you cherish selfishness? Can you indulge hatred or
revenge? {5T 17.1}
Let the proud spirit bow in humiliation. Let the hard heart be broken. No longer pet and pity and exalt
self. Look, oh look upon Him whom our sins have pierced. See Him descending step by step the path
of humiliation to lift us up; abasing Himself till He could go no lower, and all to save us who were
fallen by sin! Why will we be so indifferent, so cold, so formal, so proud, so self-sufficient? {5T 17.2}
18
Who of us is faithfully following the Pattern? Who of us has instituted and continued the warfare
against pride of heart? Who of us has, in good earnest, brought himself to wrestle with selfishness until
it should no longer dwell in the heart and be revealed in the life? Would to God the lessons given us, as
we view the cross of Christ and see the signs fulfilling which bring us near to the judgment, might be
so impressed upon our hearts as to render us more humble, more self-denying, more kind to one
another, less self-caring, less critical, and more willing to bear one another's burdens than we are today.
{5T 18.1}
I have been shown that, as a people, we are departing from the simplicity of the faith and from the
purity of the gospel. Many are in great peril. Unless they change their course, they will be severed
from the True Vine as useless branches. Brethren and sisters, I have been shown that we are standing
upon the threshold of the eternal world. We need now to gain victories at every step. Every good deed
is as a seed sown, to bear fruit unto eternal life. Every success gained places us on a higher round of
the ladder of progress and gives us spiritual strength for fresh victories. Every right action prepares the
way for its repetition. {5T 18.2}
Some are closing their probation; and is it well with them? have they obtained a fitness for the future
life? Will not their record show wasted opportunities, neglected privileges, a life of selfishness and
worldliness that has borne no fruit to the glory of God? And how much of the work which the Master
has left for us to do has been left undone. All around us are souls to be warned; but how often has the
time been occupied in self-serving, and the record gone up to God of souls passing to their graves
unwarned and unsaved. {5T 18.3}
The Lord still has purposes of mercy toward us. There is room for repentance. We may become the
beloved of God. I entreat you who have put far off the appearing of our Lord,
19
commence now the work of redeeming the time. Study the word of God. Let all at this meeting make a
covenant with God to put away light and trifling conversation and frivolous, unimportant reading, and,
for the coming year, diligently and prayerfully study the Bible, that you may be able to give to every
man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is within you, with meekness and fear. Will you not,
without delay, humble your hearts before God and repent of your backslidings? {5T 18.4}
Let none entertain the thought that I regret or take back any plain testimony I have borne to individuals
or to the people. If I have erred anywhere, it is in not rebuking sin more decidedly and firmly. Some of
the brethren have taken the responsibility of criticizing my work and proposing an easier way to
correct wrongs. To these persons I would say: I take God's way and not yours. What I have said or
written in testimony or reproof has not been too plainly expressed. {5T 19.1}
God has given me my work, and I must meet it at the judgment. Those who have chosen their own
way, who have risen up against the plain testimonies given them, and have sought to shake the faith of
others in them, must settle the matter with God. I take back nothing. I soften nothing to suit their ideas
or to excuse their defects of character. I have not spoken as plainly as the case required. Those who
would in any way lessen the force of the sharp reproofs which God has given me to speak, must meet
their work at the judgment. {5T 19.2}
Within a few weeks past, standing face to face with death, I have had a near look into eternity. If the
Lord is pleased to raise me from my present state of feebleness, I hope, in the grace and strength that
comes from above, to speak with fidelity the words which He gives me to speak. All through my life it
has been terribly hard for me to hurt the feelings of any, or disturb their self-deception, as I deliver the
testimonies given me of God. It is contrary to my nature. It costs me great pain
20
and many sleepless nights. To those who have taken the responsibility to reprove me and, in their finite
judgment, to propose a way which appears wiser to them, I repeat: I do not accept your efforts. Leave
me with God, and let Him teach me. I will take the words from the Lord and speak them to the people.
I do not expect that all will accept the reproof and reform their lives, but I must discharge my duty all
the same. I will walk in humility before God, doing my work for time and for eternity. {5T 19.3}
God has not given my brethren the work that He has given me. It has been urged that my manner of
giving reproof in public has led others to be sharp and critical and severe. If so, they must settle that
matter with the Lord. If others take a responsibility which God has not laid upon them; if they
disregard the instructions He has given them again and again through the humble instrument of His
choice, to be kind, patient, and forbearing, they alone must answer for the results. With a sorrowburdened heart, I have performed my unpleasant duty to my dearest friends, not daring to please
myself by withholding reproof, even from my husband; and I shall not be less faithful in warning
others, whether they will hear or forbear. When I am speaking to the people I say much that I have not
premeditated. The Spirit of the Lord frequently comes upon me. I seem to be carried out of, and away
from, myself; the life and character of different persons are clearly presented before my mind. I see
their errors and dangers, and feel compelled to speak of what is thus brought before me. I dare not
resist the Spirit of God. {5T 20.1}
I know that some are displeased with my testimony. It does not suit their proud, unconsecrated hearts. I
feel more and more deeply the loss which our people have sustained by their failure to accept and obey
the light which God has given them. My younger brethren in the ministry, I entreat you to reflect
21
more upon your solemn responsibility. If consecrated to God, you may exert a powerful influence for
good in the church and the world; but you lack heartfelt piety and devotion. God has sent you to be a
light to the world by your good works as well as by your words and theories. But many of you may
truly be represented by the foolish virgins, who had no oil in their lamps. {5T 20.2}
My brethren, heed the reproof and counsel of the True Witness, and God will work for you and with
you. Your enemies may be strong and determined, but One mightier than they will be your helper. Let
the light shine, and it will do its work. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
{5T 21.1}
3. Our College
[READ IN COLLEGE HALL, DECEMBER, 1881, BEFORE CONFERENCE DELEGATES AND
LEADING WORKERS IN REVIEW AND HERALD OFFICE, SANITARIUM, AND COLLEGE.]
There is danger that our college will be turned away from its original design. God's purpose has been
made known, that our people should have an opportunity to study the sciences and at the same time to
learn the requirements of His word. Biblical lectures should be given; the study of the Scriptures
should have the first place in our system of education. {5T 21.2}
Students are sent from a great distance to attend the college at Battle Creek for the very purpose of
receiving instruction from the lectures on Bible subjects. But for one or two years past there has been
an effort to mould our school after other colleges. When this is done, we can give no encouragement to
parents to send their children to Battle Creek College. The moral and religious influences should not be
put in the background. In times past, God has worked with the efforts of the teachers, and many souls
have seen the truth and embraced it,
22
and have gone to their homes to live henceforth for God, as the result of their connection with the
college. As they saw that Bible study was made a part of their education, they were led to regard it as a
matter of greater interest and importance. {5T 21.3}
Too little attention has been given to the education of young men for the ministry. This was the
primary object to be secured in the establishment of the college. In no case should this be ignored or
regarded as a matter of secondary importance. For several years, however, but few have gone forth
from that institution prepared to teach the truth to others. Some who came at great expense, with the
ministry in view, have been encouraged by the teachers to take a thorough course of study which
would occupy a number of years, and, in order to obtain means to carry out these plans, have entered
the canvassing field and given up all thought of preaching. This is entirely wrong. We have not many
years to work, and teachers and principal should be imbued with the Spirit of God and work in
harmony with His revealed will instead of carrying out their own plans. We are losing much every year
because we do not heed what God has said upon these points. {5T 22.1}
Our college is designed of God to meet the advancing wants for this time of peril and demoralization.
The study of books only cannot give students the discipline they need. A broader foundation must be
laid. The college was not brought into existence to bear the stamp of any one man's mind. Teachers and
principal should work together as brethren. They should consult together, and also counsel with
ministers and responsible men, and, above all else, seek wisdom from above, that all their decisions in
reference to the school may be such as will be approved of God. {5T 22.2}
To give students a knowledge of books merely is not the purpose of the institution. Such education can
be obtained at any college in the land. I was shown that it is Satan's purpose
23
to prevent the attainment of the very object for which the college was established. Hindered by his
devices, its managers reason after the manner of the world and copy its plans and imitate its customs.
But in thus doing, they will not meet the mind of the Spirit of God. {5T 22.3}
A more comprehensive education is needed, an education which will demand from teachers and
principal such thought and effort as mere instruction in the sciences does not require. The character
must receive proper discipline for its fullest and noblest development. The students should receive at
college such training as will enable them to maintain a respectable, honest, virtuous standing in
society, against the demoralizing influences which are corrupting the youth. {5T 23.1}
It would be well could there be connected with our college, land for cultivation and also workshops
under the charge of men competent to instruct the students in the various departments of physical
labour. Much is lost by a neglect to unite physical with mental taxation. The leisure hours of the
students are often occupied with frivolous pleasures, which weaken physical, mental, and moral
powers. Under the debasing power of sensual indulgence, or the untimely excitement of courtship and
marriage, many students fail to reach that height of mental development which they might otherwise
have attained. {5T 23.2}
The young should every day be impressed with a sense of their obligation to God. His law is
continually violated, even by the children of religious parents. Some of these very youth frequent
haunts of dissipation, and the powers of the mind and body suffer in consequence. This class lead
others to follow their pernicious ways. Thus, while principal and teachers are giving instruction in the
sciences, Satan, with hellish cunning, is exerting every energy to gain control of the minds of the
pupils and lead them down to ruin. {5T 23.3}
Generally speaking, the youth have but little moral
24
strength. This is the result of neglected education in childhood. A knowledge of the character of God
and our obligations to Him should not be regarded as a matter of minor consequence. The religion of
the Bible is the only safeguard for the young. Morality and religion should receive special attention in
our educational institutions. {5T 23.4}
The Bible as a Textbook
No other study will so ennoble every thought, feeling, and aspiration as the study of the Scriptures.
This Sacred Word is the will of God revealed to men. Here we may learn what God expects of the
beings formed in His image. Here we learn how to improve the present life and how to secure the
future life. No other book can satisfy the questionings of the mind and the craving of the heart. By
obtaining a knowledge of God's word, and giving heed thereto, men may rise from the lowest depths of
ignorance and degradation to become the sons of God, the associates of sinless angels. {5T 24.1}
A clear conception of what God is, and what He requires us to be, will give us humble views of self.
He who studies aright the Sacred Word will learn that human intellect is not omnipotent; that, without
the help which none but God can give, human strength and wisdom are but weakness and ignorance.
{5T 24.2}
As an educating power the Bible is without a rival. Nothing will so impart vigour to all the faculties as
requiring students to grasp the stupendous truths of revelation. The mind gradually adapts itself to the
subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. If occupied with commonplace matters only, to the
exclusion of grand and lofty themes, it will become dwarfed and enfeebled. If never required to
grapple with difficult problems, or put to the stretch to comprehend important truths, it will, after a
time, almost lose the power of growth. {5T 24.3}
25
The Bible is the most comprehensive and the most instructive history which men possess. It came fresh
from the fountain of eternal truth, and a divine hand has preserved its purity through all the ages. Its
bright rays shine into the far distant past, where human research seeks vainly to penetrate. In God's
word alone we find an authentic account of creation. Here we behold the power that laid the foundation
of the earth and that stretched out the heavens. Here only can we find a history of our race, unsullied
by human prejudice or human pride. {5T 25.1}
In the word of God the mind finds subject for the deepest thought, the loftiest aspiration. Here we may
hold communion with patriarchs and prophets, and listen to the voice of the Eternal as He speaks with
men. Here we behold the Majesty of heaven as He humbled Himself to become our substitute and
surety to cope singlehanded with the powers of darkness and to gain the victory in our behalf. A
reverent contemplation of such themes as these cannot fail to soften, purify, and ennoble the heart, and,
at the same time, to inspire the mind with new strength and vigour. {5T 25.2}
If morality and religion are to live in a school, it must be through a knowledge of God's word. Some
may urge that if religious teaching is to be made prominent our school will become unpopular; that
those who are not of our faith will not patronize the college. Very well, then, let them go to other
colleges, where they will find a system of education that suits their taste. Our school was established,
not merely to teach the sciences, but for the purpose of giving instruction in the great principles of
God's word and in the practical duties of everyday life. {5T 25.3}
This is the education so much needed at the present time. If a worldly influence is to bear sway in our
school, then sell it out to worldlings and let them take the entire control; and those who have invested
their means in that institution will establish another school, to be conducted, not upon the plan
26
of popular schools, nor according to the desires of principal and teachers, but upon the plan which God
has specified. {5T 25.4}
In the name of my Master I entreat all who stand in responsible positions in that school to be men of
God. When the Lord requires us to be distinct and peculiar, how can we crave popularity or seek to
imitate the customs and practices of the world? God has declared His purpose to have one college in
the land where the Bible shall have its proper place in the education of the youth. Will we do our part
to carry out that purpose? {5T 26.1}
It may seem that the teaching of God's word has but little effect on the minds and hearts of many
students; but, if the teacher's work has been wrought in God, some lessons of divine truth will linger in
the memory of the most careless. The Holy Spirit will water the seed sown, and often it will spring up
after many days and bear fruit to the glory of God. {5T 26.2}
Satan is constantly seeking to divert the attention of the people from the Bible. The words of God to
men, which should receive our first attention, are neglected for the utterances of human wisdom. How
can He, who is infinite in power and wisdom, bear thus with the presumption and effrontery of men!
{5T 26.3}
Through the medium of the press, knowledge of every kind is placed within the reach of all; and yet,
how large a share of every community are depraved in morals and superficial in mental attainments. If
the people would but become Bible readers, Bible students, we would see a different state of things.
{5T 26.4}
In an age like ours, in which iniquity abounds and God's character and His law are alike regarded with
contempt, special care must be taken to teach the youth to study, to reverence and obey the divine will
as revealed to man. The fear of the Lord is fading from the minds of our youth because of their neglect
of Bible study. {5T 26.5}
27
Principal and teachers should have a living connection with God, and should stand, firmly and
fearlessly, as witnesses for Him. Never from cowardice or worldly policy let the word of God be
placed in the background. Students will be profited intellectually, as well as morally and spiritually, by
its study. {5T 27.1}
Object of the College
Our college stands today in a position that God does not approve. I have been shown the dangers that
threaten this important institution. If its responsible men seek to reach the world's standard, if they
copy the plans and methods of other colleges, the frown of God will be upon our school. {5T 27.2}
The time has come for me to speak decidedly. The purpose of God in the establishment of our college
has been plainly stated. There is an urgent demand for labourers in the gospel field. Young men who
design to enter the ministry cannot spend a number of years in obtaining an education. Teachers should
have been able to comprehend the situation and adapt their instruction to the wants of this class.
Special advantages should have been given them for a brief yet comprehensive study of the branches
most needed to fit them for their work. But I have been shown that this has not been accomplished.
{5T 27.3}
Brother ----- could have done a much better work than he has done for those who were to be ministers.
God is not pleased with his course in this matter. He has not adapted himself to the situation. Men who
have left their fields of labour at a considerable sacrifice to learn what they could in a short time have
not always received that help and encouragement which they should have had. Men who have reached
mature years, even the meridian of life, and who have families of their own, have been subjected to
unnecessary embarrassment. Brother ----- is himself extremely sensitive, but he
28
does not realize that others can feel the sting of ridicule, sarcasm, or censure as keenly as he. In this he
has wounded his brethren and displeased God. {5T 27.4}
Teachers in the College
There is a work to be done for every teacher in our college. Not one is free from selfishness. If the
moral and religious character of the teachers were what it should be, a better influence would be
exerted upon the students. The teachers do not seek individually to perform their own work with an eye
single to the glory of God. Instead of looking to Jesus, and copying His life and character, they look to
self, and aim too much to meet a human standard. I wish I could impress upon every teacher a full
sense of his responsibility for the influence which he exerts upon the young. Satan is untiring in his
efforts to secure the service of our youth. With great care he is laying his snare for the inexperienced
feet. The people of God should jealously guard against his devices. {5T 28.1}
God is the embodiment of benevolence, mercy, and love. Those who are truly connected with Him
cannot be at variance with one another. His Spirit ruling in the heart will create harmony, love, and
unity. The opposite of this is seen among the children of Satan. It is his work to stir up envy, strife, and
jealousy. In the name of my Master I ask the professed followers of Christ: What fruit do you bear?
{5T 28.2}
In the system of instruction used in the common schools the most essential part of education is
neglected, namely, the religion of the Bible. Education not only affects to a great degree the life of the
student in this world, but its influence extends to eternity. How important, then, that the teachers be
persons capable of exerting a right influence. They should be men and women of religious experience,
daily receiving divine light to impart to their pupils. {5T 28.3}
29
But the teacher should not be expected to do the parent's work. There has been, with many parents, a
fearful neglect of duty. Like Eli, they fail to exercise proper restraint; and then they send their
undisciplined children to college to receive the training which the parents should have given them at
home. The teachers have a task which but few appreciate. If they succeed in reforming these wayward
youth they receive but little credit. If the youth choose the society of the evil disposed and go on from
bad to worse, then the teachers are censured and the school denounced. {5T 29.1}
In many cases the censure justly belongs to the parents. They had the first and most favourable
opportunity to control and train their children, when the spirit was teachable and the mind and heart
easily impressed. But through the slothfulness of the parents the children are permitted to follow their
own will until they become hardened in an evil course. {5T 29.2}
Let parents study less of the world and more of Christ; let them put forth less effort to imitate the
customs and fashions of the world, and devote more time and effort to moulding the minds and
character of their children according to the divine Model. Then they could send forth their sons and
daughters, fortified by pure morals and a noble purpose, to receive an education for positions of
usefulness and trust. Teachers who are controlled by the love and fear of God could lead such youth
still onward and upward, training them to be a blessing to the world and an honour to their Creator.
{5T 29.3}
Connected with God, every instructor will exert an influence to lead his pupils to study God's word and
to obey His law. He will direct their minds to the contemplation of eternal interests, opening before
them vast fields for thought, grand and ennobling themes, which the most vigorous intellect may put
forth all its powers to grasp and yet feel that there is an infinity beyond. {5T 29.4}
The evils of self-esteem and an unsanctified independence,
30
which most impair our usefulness and which will prove our ruin if not overcome, spring from
selfishness. "Counsel together" is the message which has been again and again repeated to me by the
angel of God. By influencing one man's judgment, Satan may endeavour to control matters to suit
himself. He may succeed in misleading the minds of two persons; but, when several consult together,
there is more safety. Every plan will be more closely criticized; every advance move more carefully
studied. Hence there will be less danger of precipitate, ill-advised moves, which would bring
confusion, perplexity, and defeat. In union there is strength. In division there is weakness and defeat.
{5T 29.5}
God is leading out a people and preparing them for translation. Are we, who are acting a part in this
work, standing as sentinels for God? Are we seeking to work unitedly? Are we willing to become
servants of all? Are we following our great Exemplar? {5T 30.1}
Fellow labourers, we are each sowing seed in the fields of life. As is the seed, so will be the harvest. If
we sow distrust, envy, jealousy, self-love, bitterness of thought and feeling, we shall reap bitterness to
our own souls. If we manifest kindness, love, tender thought for the feelings of others, we shall receive
the same in return. {5T 30.2}
The teacher who is severe, critical, overbearing, heedless of others' feelings, must expect the same
spirit to be manifested toward himself. He who wishes to preserve his own dignity and self-respect
must be careful not to wound needlessly the self-respect of others. This rule should be sacredly
observed toward the dullest, the youngest, the most blundering scholars. What God intends to do with
those apparently uninteresting youth you do not know. He has, in the past, accepted persons no more
promising or attractive to do a great work for Him. His Spirit, moving upon the heart, has aroused
every faculty to vigorous action. The Lord saw in
31
those rough, unhewn stones, precious material that would stand the test of storm and heat and pressure.
God seeth not as man sees. He judges not from appearance, but He searches the heart and judges
righteously. {5T 30.3}
The teacher should ever conduct himself as a Christian gentleman. He should ever stand in the attitude
of a friend and Counsellor to his pupils. If all our people--teachers, ministers, and lay members--would
cultivate the spirit of Christian courtesy, they would far more readily find access to the hearts of the
people; many more would be led to examine and receive the truth. When every teacher shall forget self
and feel a deep interest in the success and prosperity of his pupils, realizing that they are God's
property and that he must render an account for his influence upon their minds and character, then we
shall have a school in which angels will love to linger. Jesus will look approvingly upon the work of
the teachers and will send His grace into the hearts of the students. {5T 31.1}
Our college at Battle Creek is a place where the younger members of the Lord's family are to be
trained according to God's plan of growth and development. They should be impressed with the idea
that they are created in the image of their Maker and that Christ is the pattern which they are to follow.
Our brethren permit their minds to take too narrow and too low a range. They do not keep the divine
plan ever in view, but are fixing their eyes upon worldly models. Look up, where Christ sitteth at the
right hand of God, and then labour that your pupils may be conformed to that perfect character. {5T
31.2}
If you lower the standard in order to secure popularity and an increase of numbers, and then make this
increase a cause of rejoicing, you show great blindness. If numbers were evidence of success, Satan
might claim the pre-eminence; for in this world his followers are largely in the majority. It is the
32
degree of moral power pervading the college that is a test of its prosperity. It is the virtue, intelligence,
and piety of the people composing our churches, not their numbers, that should be a source of joy and
thankfulness. {5T 31.3}
Without the influence of divine grace, education will prove no real advantage; the learner becomes
proud, vain, and bigoted. But that education which is received under the ennobling, refining influence
of the Great Teacher will elevate man in the scale of moral value with God. It will enable him to
subdue pride and passion and to walk humbly before God, as dependent upon Him for every capability,
every opportunity, and every privilege. {5T 32.1}
I speak to the workers in our college: You must not only profess to be Christians, but you must
exemplify the character of Christ. Let the wisdom from above pervade all your instruction. In a world
of moral darkness and corruption, let it be seen that the spirit by which you are moved to action is from
above, not from beneath. While you rely wholly upon your own strength and wisdom, your best efforts
will accomplish little. If you are prompted by love to God, His law being your foundation, your work
will be enduring. While the hay, wood, and stubble are consumed, your work will stand the test. The
youth placed under your care you must meet again around the great white throne. If you permit your
uncultivated manners or uncontrolled tempers to bear sway, and thus fail to influence these youth for
their eternal good, you must at that day meet the grave consequences of your work. By a knowledge of
the divine law, and obedience to its precepts, men may become the sons of God. By violation of that
law they become servants of Satan. On the one hand they may rise to any height of moral excellence,
or on the other hand they may descend to any depth of iniquity and degradation. The workers in our
college should manifest a zeal and earnestness proportionate to the value of the prize at stake--the
33
souls of their students, the approval of God, eternal life, and the joys of the redeemed. {5T 32.2}
As colabourers with Christ, with so favourable opportunities to impart the knowledge of God, our
teachers should labour as if inspired from above. The hearts of the youth are not hardened, nor their
ideas and opinions stereotyped, as are those of older persons. They may be won to Christ by your holy
demeanor, your devotion, your Christlike walk. It would be much better to crowd them less in the
study of the sciences and give them more time for religious privileges. Here a grave mistake has been
made. {5T 33.1}
The object of God in bringing the college into existence has been lost sight of. Ministers of the gospel
have so far shown their want of wisdom from above as to unite a worldly element with the college;
they have joined with the enemies of God and the truth in providing entertainments for the students. In
thus misleading the youth they have done a work for Satan. That work, with all its results, they must
meet again at the bar of God. Those who pursue such a course show that they cannot be trusted. After
the evil work has been done, they may confess their error; but can they as easily gather up the
influence they have exerted? Will the "well done" be spoken to those who have been false to their
trust? These unfaithful men have not built upon the eternal Rock. Their foundation will prove to be
sliding sand. "Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore
will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." {5T 33.2}
No limit can be set to our influence. One thoughtless act may prove the ruin of many souls. The course
of every worker in our college is making impressions upon the minds of the young, and these are borne
away to be reproduced in others. It should be the teacher's aim to prepare every youth under his care to
be a blessing to the world. This object should never be lost sight of. There are some who profess
34
to be working for Christ, yet occasionally go over to the side of Satan and do his work. Can the
Saviour pronounce these good and faithful servants? Are they as watchmen giving the trumpet a
certain sound? {5T 33.3}
Every man will at the judgment receive according to the deeds done in the body, whether they be good
or evil. Our Saviour bids us: "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation." If we encounter
difficulties, and in Christ's strength overcome them; if we meet enemies, and in Christ's strength put
them to flight; if we accept responsibilities, and in Christ's strength discharge them faithfully, we are
gaining a precious experience. We learn, as we could not otherwise have learned, that our Saviour is a
present help in every time of need. {5T 34.1}
There is a great work to be done in our college, a work which demands the co-operation of every
teacher; and it is displeasing to God for one to discourage another. But nearly all seem to forget that
Satan is an accuser of the brethren, and they unite with the enemy in his work. While professed
Christians are contending, Satan is laying his snares for the inexperienced feet of children and youth.
Those who have had a religious experience should seek to shield the young from his devices. They
should never forget that they themselves were once enchanted with the pleasures of sin. We need the
mercy and forbearance of God every hour, and how unbecoming for us to be impatient with the errors
of the inexperienced youth. So long as God bears with them, dare we, fellow sinners, cast them off?
{5T 34.2}
We should ever look upon the youth as the purchase of the blood of Christ. As such they have demands
upon our love, our patience, and our sympathy. If we would follow Jesus we cannot restrict our interest
and affection to ourselves and our own families; we cannot give our time and attention to temporal
matters and forget the eternal interests of those around us. I have been shown that it is the result of our
own
35
selfishness that there are not one hundred young men where now there is one engaged in earnest labour
for the salvation of their fellow men. "Love one another, as I have loved you," is the command of
Jesus. Look at His self-denial; behold the manner of love He has bestowed upon us; and then seek to
imitate the Pattern. {5T 34.3}
There have been many things displeasing to God in the young men and young women who have acted
as teachers at our college. You have been so absorbed in yourselves, and so devoid of spirituality, that
you could not lead the youth to holiness and heaven. Many have returned to their homes more decided
in their impenitence because of your lack of love for God and Christ. Walking without the spirit of
Jesus, you have encouraged irreligion, lightness, and unkindness in that you have indulged these evils
yourselves. The result of this course you do not realize--souls are lost that might have been saved. {5T
35.1}
Many have strong feelings against Brother -----. They accuse him of unkindness, harshness, and
severity. But some of the very ones who would condemn him are no less guilty themselves. He that is
without sin among you, let him first cast a stone." Brother ----- has not always moved wisely, and he
has been hard to convince where he has not taken the best course. He has not been as willing to receive
counsel, and to modify his methods of instruction and his manner of dealing with his students, as he
should have been. But those who would condemn him because of his defects could in their turn be
justly condemned. Every man has his peculiar defects of character. One may be free from the weakness
which he sees in his brother, yet he may at the same time have faults which are far more grievous in
the sight of God. {5T 35.2}
This unfeeling criticism of one another is wholly satanic. I was shown Brother ----- deserves respect
for the good which he has done. Let him be dealt with tenderly. He has
36
performed the labour which three men should have shared. Let those who are so eagerly searching for
his faults recount what they have done in comparison with him. He toiled when others were seeking
rest and pleasure. He is worn; God would have him lay off some of these extra burdens for a while. He
has so many things to divide his time and attention he can do justice to none. {5T 35.3}
Brother ----- should not permit his combative spirit to be aroused and lead him to self-justification. He
has given occasion for dissatisfaction. The Lord has presented this before him in testimony. {5T 36.1}
Students should not be encouraged in their faultfinding. This complaining spirit will increase as it is
encouraged, and students will feel at liberty to criticize the teachers who do not meet their liking, and a
spirit of dissatisfaction and strife will rapidly increase. This must be frowned down until it shall
become extinct. Shall this evil be corrected? Will teachers put away their desire for the supremacy?
Will they labour in humility, in love, and harmony? Time will tell. {5T 36.2}
4. Parental Training
I have been shown that very many of the parents who profess to believe the solemn message for this
time have not trained their children for God. They have not restrained themselves and have been
irritated with anyone who attempted to restrain them. They have not by living faith daily bound their
children upon the altar of the Lord. Many of these youth have been allowed to transgress the fourth
commandment by seeking their own pleasure upon God's holy day. They have felt no compunctions of
conscience in going about the streets on the Sabbath for their own amusement. Many go where they
please and do what they please, and their
37
parents are so fearful of displeasing them that, imitating the management of Eli, they lay no commands
upon them. {5T 36.3}
These youth finally lose all respect for the Sabbath and have no relish for religious meetings or for
sacred and eternal things. If their parents mildly remonstrate with them, they shield themselves by
telling of the faults of some of the church members. In place of silencing the first approach to anything
of the kind, the parents think just as their children think; if this one or that one were perfect, their
children would be right. Instead of this they should teach them that the sins of others are no excuse for
them. Christ is the only true pattern. The wrongs of many would not excuse one wrong in them or
lessen in the least their guilt. God has given them one standard, perfect, noble, elevated. This they must
meet, irrespective of the course which others may pursue. But many parents seem to lose reason and
judgment in their fondness for their children, and, through these indulged, selfish, mismanaged youth,
Satan in turn works effectually to ruin the parents. I was referred to the wrath of God which came upon
the incredulous and disobedient of ancient Israel. Their duty to instruct their children was plainly
enjoined upon them. It is just as binding upon believing parents in this generation. Give ear, O My
people, to My law: incline your ears to the words of My mouth. I will open My mouth in a parable: I
will utter dark sayings of old: which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will
not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His
strength, and His wonderful works that He hath done." {5T 37.1}
Children are what their parents make them by their instruction, discipline, and example. Hence the
overwhelming importance of parental faithfulness in training the young for the service of God.
Children should early be taught the sacredness of religious obligations. This is a most important
38
part of their education. Our duty to God should be performed before any other. The strict observance
of God's law, from principle, should be taught and enforced. For He established a testimony in Jacob,
and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to
their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born;
who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not
forget the works of God, but keep His commandments: and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn
and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast
with God." {5T 37.2}
Here is seen the great responsibility devolving upon parents. Children who are allowed to come up to
manhood or womanhood with the will undisciplined and the passions uncontrolled, will generally in
afterlife pursue a course which God condemns. These are eager for frivolous enjoyments and
irreligious associates. They have been allowed to neglect religious duties and indulge the inclinations
of the carnal heart, and, as a consequence, Satan controls the mind and principles. In ----- ----- parents
have given him ample room thus to work. Most of the backsliding from God that has occurred in that
place has come in consequence of the parents' neglect to train their children to a conscientious,
religious life. The condition of these children is lamentable. They profess to be Christians; but their
parents have not taken upon themselves the burden of teaching them how to be Christians--how to
recount the mercies of God, how to praise Him, how to exemplify in their lives the life of Christ. {5T
38.1}
When these children enter school and associate with other students, those who have been really trying
to be Christians are ashamed to act out their faith in the presence of those who have had so much light.
They are ashamed to appear singular
39
and deny inclination, and so they throw away their armour at the very time when it is most needed,
when the powers of darkness are working through these irreligious companions to lead them away
from Christ. They enter upon a path that is full of danger without the protection and support of
religious principle, because they think it will be difficult or unpleasant to carry their religion with them
to the schoolroom, the playground, and into all their associations. Thus they lay bare their soul to the
shafts of Satan. Where are the guardians of these youth? Who have taken a firm hold of the throne of
God with one hand while with the other they encircle these youth to draw them to Christ? It is just here
that these children need to know the power of religion, need to be held back with a firm hand. {5T
38.2}
Many of those who have so long rejected divine guidance and guardianship are rushing on in the path
of levity and selfish pleasure, yea, more, into baser acts and defilement of the body. As a consequence
their minds are polluted, and religion is distasteful to them. Some have gone so far in this downward
course, and followed so earnestly in the path of the Sodomites, that they are today nigh unto cursing,
and the voice of reproof and warning is lost upon them. They will never be redeemed, and the parents
are guilty of their ruin. The debasing enjoyments for which they have made such an enormous
sacrifice--health, peace of mind, and eternal life--are bitterness in the end. {5T 39.1}
Parents, for Christ's sake do not blunder in your most important work, that of moulding the characters
of your children for time and for eternity. An error on your part in neglect of faithful instruction, or in
the indulgence of that unwise affection which blinds your eyes to their defects and prevents you from
giving them proper restraint, will prove their ruin. Your course may give a wrong direction to all their
future career. You determine for them what they will be and what
40
they will do for Christ, for men, and for their own souls. {5T 39.2}
Deal honestly and faithfully with your children. Work bravely and patiently. Fear no crosses, spare no
time or labour, burden or suffering. The future of your children will testify the character of your work.
Fidelity to Christ on your part can be better expressed in the symmetrical character of your children
than in any other way. They are Christ's property, bought with His own blood. If their influence is
wholly on the side of Christ they are His colabourers, helping others to find the path of life. If you
neglect your God-given work, your unwise course of discipline places them among the class who
scatter from Christ and strengthen the kingdom of darkness. {5T 40.1}
I speak the things I know; I testify to you the things which I have seen when I say there is among our
youth, among educated young men of professedly Christian parents, a grievous offense in the sight of
God, which is so common that it constitutes one of the signs of the last days. It is so full of evil
tendencies as to call for decided exposure and denunciation. It is the sin of regarding with levity or
contempt their early vows of consecration to God. In a religious interest the Holy Spirit moved upon
them to take their stand wholly under the bloodstained banner of Prince Immanuel. But the parents
were so far from God themselves, so busily engaged in worldly business, or so filled with doubts and
dissatisfaction in regard to their own religious experience, that they were wholly unfitted to give them
instruction. These youth, in their inexperience, needed a wise, firm hand to point out the right way and
to bar with counsel and restraint the wrong way. {5T 40.2}
A religious life should be shown to be in marked contrast to a life of worldliness and pleasure seeking.
He who would be the disciple of Christ must take up the cross and bear it after Jesus. Our Saviour
lived not to please Himself, neither must we. High spiritual attainments will require entire
41
consecration to God. But this instruction has not been given the youth because it would contradict the
life of the parents. Therefore the children have been left to gain a knowledge of the Christian life as
best they could. When tempted to seek the society of worldlings and participate in worldly
amusements, the fond parents, disliking to deny them any indulgence, have--if they have said or done
anything in the matter--taken a position so indefinite and undecided that the children have judged for
themselves that the course they desired to pursue was in keeping with the Christian life and character.
{5T 40.3}
Having once started in this way, they usually continue in it until the worldly element prevails and they
sneer at their former convictions. They despise the simplicity manifested when their hearts were
tender, and they find excuse to elude the sacred claims of the church and of the crucified Redeemer.
This class can never become what they might have been had not the convictions of conscience been
stifled, the holiest, tenderest affections blunted. If in after years they become followers of Christ, they
will still bear the scars which irreverence for sacred things has made upon their souls. {5T 41.1}
Parents do not see these things. They do not foresee the result of their course. They do not feel that
their children need the tenderest culture, the most careful discipline in the divine life. They do not look
upon them as being in a peculiar sense the property of Christ, the purchase of His blood, the trophies of
His grace, and as such, skilful instruments in God's hands to be used for the upbuilding of His
kingdom. Satan is ever seeking to wrest these youth from the hands of Christ, and parents do not
discern that the great adversary is planting his hellish banners close by their sides. They are so blinded
they think it is the banner of Christ. {5T 41.2}
By ambition or indolence, skepticism or self-indulgence, Satan allures the young from the narrow path
of holiness cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in. They do not
42
generally leave this path all at once. They are won away by degrees. Having taken one wrong step,
they lose the witness of the Spirit to their acceptance with God. Thus they fall into a state of
discouragement and distrust. They dislike religious services because conscience condemns them. They
have fallen into the snare of Satan, and there is only one way of escape. They must retrace their steps
and with humility of soul confess and forsake their halfhearted course. Let them renew their first
experience which they have made light of, cherish every divine aspiration, and let those holy emotions
which God's Spirit only can inspire, reign in their souls. Faith in Christ's power will impart strength to
sustain, and light to guide. {5T 41.3}
This practical instruction in religious experience is what Christian parents should be prepared to give
their children. God requires this of you, and you neglect your duty if you fail to perform this work.
Instruct your children in regard to God's chosen methods of discipline and the conditions of success in
the Christian life. Teach them that they cannot serve God and have their minds absorbed in overcareful
provision for this life; but do not let them cherish the thought that they have no need to toil, and may
spend their leisure moments in idleness. God's word is plain on this point. Jesus, the Majesty of
heaven, has left an example for the youth. He toiled in the workshop at Nazareth for His daily bread.
He was subject to His parents, and sought not to control His own time or to follow His own will. By a
life of easy indulgence a youth can never attain to real excellence as a man or as a Christian. God does
not promise us ease, honour, or wealth in His service; but He assures us that all needed blessings will
be ours, with "persecutions," and in the world to come "life everlasting." Nothing less than entire
consecration to His service will Christ accept. This is the lesson which every one of us must learn. {5T
42.1}
43
Those who study the Bible, counsel with God, and rely upon Christ will be enabled to act wisely at all
times and under all circumstances. Good principles will be illustrated in actual life. Only let the truth
for this time be cordially received and become the basis of character, and it will produce steadfastness
of purpose, which the allurements of pleasure, the fickleness of custom, the contempt of the worldloving, and the heart's own clamours for self-indulgence are powerless to influence. Conscience must
be first enlightened, the will must be brought into subjection. The love of truth and righteousness must
reign in the soul, and a character will appear which heaven can approve. {5T 43.1}
We have marked illustrations of the sustaining power of firm, religious principle. Even the fear of
death could not make the fainting David drink of the water of Bethlehem, to obtain which, valiant men
had risked their lives. The gaping lions' den could not keep Daniel from his daily prayers, nor could the
fiery furnace induce Shadrach and his companions to fall down before the idol which Nebuchadnezzar
set up. Young men who have firm principles will eschew pleasure, defy pain, and brave even the lions'
den and the heated fiery furnace rather than be found untrue to God. Mark the character of Joseph.
Virtue was severely tested, but its triumph was complete. At every point the noble youth endured the
test. The same lofty, unbending principle appeared at every trial. The Lord was with him, and His word
was law. {5T 43.2}
Such firmness and untarnished principle shines brightest in contrast with the feebleness and
inefficiency of the youth of this age. With but few exceptions, they are vacillating, varying with every
change of circumstance and surroundings, one thing today and another tomorrow. Let the attractions of
pleasure or selfish gratification be presented, and conscience will be sacrificed to gain the coveted
indulgence. Can such a person be trusted? Never! In the absence of
44
temptation he may carry himself with such seeming propriety that your doubts and suspicions appear
unjust; but let opportunity be presented, and he will betray your confidence. He is unsound at heart.
Just at the time when firmness and principle are most required, you will find him giving way; and if he
does not become an Arnold or a Judas, it is because he lacks a fitting opportunity. {5T 43.3}
Parents, it should be your first concern to obey the call of duty and enter, heart and soul, into the work
God has given you to do. If you fail in everything else, be thorough, be efficient, here. If your children
come forth from the home training pure and virtuous, if they fill the least and lowest place in God's
great plan of good for the world, your life can never be called a failure and can never be reviewed with
remorse. {5T 44.1}
The idea that we must submit to ways of perverse children is a mistake. Elisha, at the very
commencement of his work, was mocked and derided by the youth of Bethel. He was a man of great
mildness, but the Spirit of God impelled him to pronounce a curse upon those railers. They had heard
of Elijah's ascension, and they made this solemn event the subject of jeers. Elisha evinced that he was
not to be trifled with, by old or young, in his sacred calling. When they told him he had better go up, as
Elijah had done before him, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. The awful judgment that came
upon them was of God. After this, Elisha had no further trouble in his mission. For fifty years he
passed in and out of the gate of Bethel, and went to and fro from city to city, passing through crowds
of the worst and rudest of idle, dissolute youth, but no one ever mocked him or made light of his
qualifications as the prophet of the Most High. This one instance of terrible severity in the
commencement of his career was sufficient to command respect through his whole life. Had he
allowed the mockery to pass unnoticed, he might have been ridiculed, reviled, and even murdered by
the
45
rabble, and his mission to instruct and save the nation in its great peril would have been defeated. {5T
44.2}
Even kindness must have its limits. Authority must be sustained by a firm severity, or it will be
received by many with mockery and contempt. The so-called tenderness, the coaxing and the
indulgence, used toward youth by parents and guardians is the worst evil which can come upon them.
Firmness, decision, positive requirements, are essential in every family. Parents, take up your
neglected responsibilities; educate your children after God's plan, showing "forth the praises of Him
who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light." {5T 45.1}
5. Important Testimony
Healdsburg, California, March 28, 1882.
Dear Brother -----: Your letter was received in due time. While I was glad to hear from you, I was
made sad as I read its contents. I had received similar letters from Sister ----- and from Brother -----.
But I have had no communications from Brother ----- or anyone who sustains him. From your own
letters I learn the course which you have pursued in the proceedings against Brother -----. {5T 45.2}
I am not surprised that such a state of things should exist in Battle Creek, but I am pained to find you,
my much-esteemed brother, involved in this matter on the wrong side with those whom I know God is
not leading. Some of these persons are honest, but they are deceived. They have received their
impressions from another source than the Spirit of God. {5T 45.3}
I have been careful not to express my opinion to individuals concerning important matters, for unjust
advantage is often taken of what I say even in the most confidential
46
manner. Persons set themselves to work to draw out remarks from me on various points, and then they
distort and misrepresent, and make my words express ideas and opinions altogether different from
what I hold. But this they must meet at the bar of God. {5T 45.4}
On the occurrence of your present difficulties I determined to keep silent; I thought it might be best to
let matters develop, that those who had been so ready to censure my husband might see that the spirit
of murmuring existed in their own hearts and was still active, now that the man of whom they had
complained was silently sleeping in the grave. {5T 46.1}
I knew that a crisis must come. God has given this people plain and pointed testimonies to prevent this
state of things. Had they obeyed the voice of the Holy Spirit in warning, counsel, and entreaty they
would now enjoy unity and peace. But these testimonies have not been heeded by those who professed
to believe them, and as a result there has been a wide departure from God, and the withdrawal of His
blessing. {5T 46.2}
To effect the salvation of men, God employs various agencies. He speaks to them by His word and by
His ministers, and He sends by the Holy Spirit messages of warning, reproof, and instruction. These
means are designed to enlighten the understanding of the people, to reveal to them their duty and their
sins, and the blessings which they may receive, to awaken in them a sense of spiritual want, that they
may go to Christ and find in Him the grace they need. But many choose to follow their own way
instead of God's way. They are not reconciled to God, neither can be, until self is crucified and Christ
lives in the heart by faith. {5T 46.3}
Every individual, by his own act, either puts Christ from him by refusing to cherish His spirit and
follow His example, or he enters into a personal union with Christ by self-renunciation, faith, and
obedience. We must, each for himself, choose Christ, because He has first chosen us. This union with
Christ
47
is to be formed by those who are naturally at enmity with Him. It is a relation of utter dependence, to
be entered into by a proud heart. This is close work, and many who profess to be followers of Christ
know nothing of it. They nominally accept the Saviour, but not as the sole ruler of their hearts. {5T
46.4}
Some feel their need of the atonement, and with the recognition of this need, and the desire for a
change of heart, a struggle begins. To renounce their own will, perhaps their chosen objects of
affection or pursuit, requires an effort, at which many hesitate and falter and turn back. Yet this battle
must be fought by every heart that is truly converted. We must war against temptations without and
within. We must gain the victory over self, crucify the affections and lusts; and then begins the union
of the soul with Christ. As the dry and apparently lifeless branch is grafted into the living tree, so may
we become living branches of the True Vine. And the fruit which was borne by Christ will be borne by
all His followers. After this union is formed, it can be preserved only by continual, earnest, painstaking
effort. Christ exercises His power to preserve and guard this sacred tie, and the dependent, helpless
sinner must act his part with untiring energy, or Satan by his cruel, cunning power will separate him
from Christ. {5T 47.1}
Every Christian must stand on guard continually, watching every avenue of the soul where Satan might
find access. He must pray for divine help and at the same time resolutely resist every inclination to sin.
By courage, by faith, by persevering toil, he can conquer. But let him remember that to gain the victory
Christ must abide in him and he in Christ. {5T 47.2}
A union of believers with Christ will as a natural result lead to a union with one another, which bond
of union is the most enduring upon earth. We are one in Christ, as Christ is one with the Father.
Christians are branches, and only branches, in the living Vine. One branch is not to borrow its
sustenance from another. Our life must come from the parent
48
vine. It is only by personal union with Christ, by communion with Him daily, hourly, that we can bear
the fruits of the Holy Spirit. {5T 47.3}
There has come into the church at Battle Creek a spirit that has no part in Christ. It is not a zeal for the
truth, not a love for the will of God as revealed in His word. It is a self-righteous spirit. It leads you to
exalt self above Jesus and to regard your own opinions and ideas as more important than union with
Christ and union with one another. You are sadly lacking in brotherly love. You are a backslidden
church. To know the truth, to claim union with Christ, and yet not to bring forth fruit, not to live in the
exercise of constant faith--this hardens the heart in disobedience and self-confidence. Our growth in
grace, our joy, our usefulness, all depend on our union with Christ and the degree of faith we exercise
in Him. Here is the source of our power in the world. {5T 48.1}
Many of you are seeking honour of one another. But what is the honour or the approval of man to one
who regards himself as a son of God, a joint heir with Christ? What are the pleasures of this world to
him who is daily a sharer in the love of Christ which passes knowledge? What are the contempt and
opposition of man to him whom God accepts through Jesus Christ? Selfishness can no more live in the
heart that is exercising faith in Christ than light and darkness can exist together. Spiritual coldness,
sloth, pride, and cowardice alike shrink from the presence of faith. Can those who are as closely united
with Christ as the branch to the vine, talk of and to everyone but Jesus? {5T 48.2}
Are you in Christ? Not if you do not acknowledge yourselves erring, helpless, condemned sinners. Not
if you are exalting and glorifying self. If there is any good in you, it is wholly attributable to the mercy
of a compassionate Saviour. Your birth, your reputation, your wealth, your talents, your virtues, your
piety, your philanthropy, or anything else in
49
you or connected with you, will not form a bond of union between your soul and Christ. Your
connection with the church, the manner in which your brethren regard you, will be of no avail unless
you believe in Christ. It is not enough to believe about Him; you must believe in Him. You must rely
wholly upon His saving grace. {5T 48.3}
Many of you at Battle Creek are living without prayer, without thoughts of Christ, and without exalting
Him before those around you. You have no words to exalt Christ; you do no deeds that honour Him.
Many of you are as truly strangers to Christ as though you had never heard His name. You have not the
peace of Christ; for you have no true ground for peace. You have no communion with God because
you are not united to Christ. Said our Saviour: "No man cometh to the Father, but by Me." You are not
useful in the cause of Christ. Except ye abide in Me, says Jesus, ye can do nothing --nothing in God's
sight, nothing that Christ will accept at your hands. Without Christ you can have nothing but a delusive
hope, for He Himself declares: "If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered;
and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." {5T 49.1}
Advancement in Christian experience is characterized by increasing humility, as the result of
increasing knowledge. Everyone who is united to Christ will depart from all iniquity. I tell you, in the
fear of God, I have been shown that many of you will fail of everlasting life because you are building
your hopes of heaven on a false foundation. God is leaving you to yourselves, "to humble thee, and to
prove thee, to know what was in thine heart." You have neglected the Scriptures. You despise and
reject the testimonies because they reprove your darling sins and disturb your self-complacency. When
Christ is cherished in the heart, His likeness will be revealed in the life. Humility will reign where
pride was once predominant. Submission, meekness, patience, will
50
soften down the rugged features of a naturally perverse, impetuous disposition. Love to Jesus will be
manifested in love to His people. It is not fitful, not spasmodic, but calm and deep and strong. The life
of the Christian will be divested of all pretense, free from all affectation, artifice, and falsehood. It is
earnest, true, sublime. Christ speaks in every word. He is seen in every deed. The life is radiant with
the light of an indwelling Saviour. In converse with God and in happy contemplation of heavenly
things the soul is preparing for heaven and labouring to gather other souls into the fold of Christ. Our
Saviour is able and willing to do for us more than we can ask or even think. {5T 49.2}
The church at Battle Creek need a self-abasing unpretending spirit. I have been shown that many are
cherishing an unholy desire for the supremacy. Many love to be flattered and are jealously watching
for slights or neglect. There is a hard, unforgiving spirit. There is envy, strife, emulation. {5T 50.1}
Nothing is more essential to communion with God than the most profound humility. "I dwell," says the
High and Holy One, "with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit." While you are so eagerly
striving to be first, remember that you will be last in the favour of God if you fail to cherish a meek
and lowly spirit. Pride of heart will cause many to fail where they might have made a success. "Before
honour is humility," and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." "When Ephraim spake
trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died." "Many are called, but
few are chosen." Many hear the invitation of mercy, are tested and proved; but few are sealed with the
seal of the living God. Few will humble themselves as a little child, that they may enter the kingdom of
heaven. {5T 50.2}
Few receive the grace of Christ with self-abasement, with a deep and permanent sense of their
unworthiness. They
51
cannot bear the manifestations of the power of God, for this would encourage in them self-esteem,
pride, and envy. This is why the Lord can do so little for us now. God would have you individually
seek for the perfection of love and humility in your own hearts. Bestow your chief care upon
yourselves, cultivate those excellencies of character which will fit you for the society of the pure and
the holy. {5T 50.3}
You all need the converting power of God. You need to seek Him for yourselves. For your soul's sake
neglect this work no longer. All your trouble grows out of your separation from God. Your disunion
and dissension are the fruit of an unchristian character. {5T 51.1}
I had thought to remain silent and let you go on until you should see and abhor the sinfulness of your
course; but back sliding from God produces hardness of heart and blindness of mind, and there is less
and less perception of the true condition, until the grace of God is finally withdrawn, as from the
Jewish nation. {5T 51.2}
I wish my position to be clearly understood. I have no sympathy with the course that has been pursued
toward Brother -----. The enemy has encouraged feelings of hatred in the hearts of many. The errors
committed by him have been reported from one person to another, constantly growing in magnitude, as
busy, gossiping tongues added fuel to the fire. Parents who have never felt the care which they should
feel for the souls of their children, and who have never given them proper restraint and instruction, are
the very ones who manifest the most bitter opposition when their children are restrained, reproved, or
corrected at school. Some of these children are a disgrace to the church and a disgrace to the name of
Adventists. {5T 51.3}
The parents despised reproof themselves, and despised the reproof given to their children, and were not
careful to conceal this from them. The sin of the parents began with their mismanagement at home.
The souls of some of these children
52
will be lost because they did not receive instruction from God's word and did not become Christians at
home. Instead of sympathizing with their children in a perverse course, the parents should have
reproved them and sustained the faithful teacher. These parents were not united to Christ themselves,
and this is the reason of their terrible neglect of duty. That which they have sown they will also reap.
They are sure of a harvest. {5T 51.4}
In the school Brother ----- has not only been burdened by the wrong course of the children, but by the
injudicious management of the parents, which produced and nurtured hatred of restraint. Overwork,
unceasing care, with no help at home, but rather a constant irritation, have caused him at times to lose
self-control and to act injudiciously. Some have taken advantage of this, and faults of minor
consequence have been made to appear like grave sins. {5T 52.1}
The class of professed Sabbathkeepers who try to form a union between Christ and Belial, who take
hold of the truth with one hand and of the world with the other, have surrounded their children and
clouded the church with an atmosphere entirely foreign to religion and the Spirit of Christ. They dared
not openly oppose the claims of truth. They dared not take a bold stand and say they did not believe the
testimonies; but, while nominally believing both, they have obeyed neither. By their course of action
they have denied both. They desire the Lord to fulfill to them His promises; but they refuse to comply
with the conditions on which these promises are based. They will not relinquish every rival for Christ.
Under the preaching of the word there is a partial suppression of worldliness, but no radical change of
the affections. Worldly desires, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life ultimately
gain the victory. This class are all professed Christians. Their names are on the church books. They
live for a time a seemingly religious life and then yield their hearts, too often finally, to the
predominating influence of the world. {5T 52.2}
53
Whatever may be Brother -----'s faults, your course is unjustifiable and unchristian. You have gone
back over his history for years and have searched out everything that was unfavourable, every shadow
of evil, and have made him an offender for a word. You have brought all the powers you could
command to sustain yourselves in your course as accusers. Remember, God will deal in the same
manner with every one of you. "With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Those who have taken part in this disgraceful
proceeding will meet their work again. What influence do you think your course will have upon the
students, who have ever been impatient of restraint? How will these things affect their character and
their life history? {5T 53.1}
What say the testimonies concerning these things? Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire
cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. The prevalence of a sinful desire
shows the delusion of the soul. Every indulgence of that desire strengthens the soul's aversion to God.
The pains of duty and the pleasures of sin are the cords with which Satan binds men in his snares.
Those who would rather die than perform a wrong act are the only ones who will be found faithful.
{5T 53.2}
A child may receive sound religious instruction; but if parents, teachers, or guardians permit his
character to be biased by a wrong habit, that habit, if not overcome, will become a predominant power,
and the child is lost. {5T 53.3}
The testimony borne to you by the Spirit of God is: Parley not with the enemy. Kill the thorns, or they
will kill you. Break up the fallow ground of the heart. Let the work go deep and thorough. Let the
plowshare of truth tear out the weeds and briers. {5T 53.4}
Said Christ to the angry, accusing Pharisees: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a
stone." Were those
54
sinless who were so ready to accuse and condemn Brother -----? Were their characters and lives to be
searched as closely and publicly as they have searched Brother -----'s, some of them would appear far
worse than they have tried to represent him. {5T 53.5}
I dare not longer remain silent. I speak to you and to the church at Battle Creek. You have made a great
mistake. You have treated with injustice one to whom you and your children owe a debt of gratitude
which you do not realize. You are responsible for the influence you have exerted upon the college.
Peace has come because the students have had their own way. In another crisis they will be as
determined and persevering as they have been on this occasion; and, if they find as able an advocate as
they have found in Brother -----, they may again accomplish their purpose. God has been speaking to
teachers and students and church members, but you have cast His words behind you. You have thought
best to take your own course, irrespective of consequences. {5T 54.1}
God has given us, as a people, warnings, reproofs, and cautions, on the right hand and on the left, to
lead us away from worldly customs and worldly policy. He requires us to be peculiar in faith and in
character, to meet a standard far in advance of worldlings. Brother ----- came among you, unacquainted
with the Lord's dealings with us. Having newly come to the faith, he had almost everything to learn.
Yet you have unhesitatingly coincided with his judgment. You have sanctioned in him a spirit and
course of action that have nought of Christ. {5T 54.2}
You have encouraged in the students a spirit of criticism, which God's Spirit has sought to repress. You
have led them to betray confidence. There are not a few young persons among us who are indebted for
most valuable traits of character to the knowledge and principles received from Brother
55
-----. To his training many owe much of their usefulness, not only in the Sabbath school, but in various
other branches of our work. Yet your influence encouraged ingratitude, and has led students to despise
the things that they should cherish. {5T 54.3}
Those who have not the peculiar trials to which another is subjected may flatter themselves that they
are better than he. But place them in the furnace of trial, and they might not endure it nearly as well as
the one they censure and misjudge. How little we can know of the heart anguish of another. How few
understand another's circumstances. Hence the difficulty of giving wise counsel. What may appear to
us to be appropriate, may, in reality, be quite the reverse. {5T 55.1}
Brother ----- has been an earnest seeker after knowledge. He has sought to impress upon the students
that they are responsible for their time, their talents, their opportunities. It is impossible for a man to
have so much care, and carry so heavy responsibilities, without becoming hurried, weary, and nervous.
Those who refuse to accept burdens which will tax their strength to the utmost know nothing of the
pressure brought to bear upon those who must bear these burdens. {5T 55.2}
There are some in the college who have looked only for what has been unfortunate and disagreeable in
their acquaintance with Brother -----. These persons have not that noble, Christlike spirit that thinketh
no evil. They have made the most of every inconsiderate word or act, and have recalled these at a time
when envy, prejudice, and jealousy were active in unchristian hearts. {5T 55.3}
A writer has said that "envy's memory is nothing but a row of hooks to hang up grudges on." There are
many in the world who consider it an evidence of superiority to recount the things and persons that
they "cannot bear," rather than the things and persons that they are attracted to. Not so did the great
apostle. He exhorts his brethren: "Whatsoever things
56
are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these
things." {5T 55.4}
Envy is not merely a perverseness of temper, but a distemper, which disorders all the faculties. It began
with Satan. He desired to be first in heaven, and because he could not have all the power and glory he
sought, he rebelled against the government of God. He envied our first parents and tempted them to sin
and thus ruined them and all the human race. {5T 56.1}
The envious man shuts his eyes to the good qualities and noble deeds of others. He is always ready to
disparage and misrepresent that which is excellent. Men often confess and forsake other faults, but
there is little to be hoped for from the envious man. Since to envy a person is to admit that he is a
superior, pride will not permit any concession. If an attempt be made to convince the envious person of
his sin, he becomes even more bitter against the object of his passion, and too often he remains
incurable. {5T 56.2}
The envious man diffuses poison wherever he goes, alienating friends and stirring up hatred and
rebellion against God and man. He seeks to be thought best and greatest, not by putting forth heroic,
self-denying efforts to reach the goal of excellence himself, but by standing where he is and
diminishing the merit due to the efforts of others. {5T 56.3}
Envy has been cherished in the hearts of some in the church as well as in the college. God is displeased
at your course. I entreat you, for Christ's sake, never treat another as you have treated Brother -----. A
noble nature does not exult in causing others pain, or delight in discovering their deficiencies. A
disciple of Christ will turn away with loathing from the feast of scandal. Some who have been active
on this occasion are repeating the course pursued toward one of the Lord's
57
servants in affliction, one who had sacrificed health and strength in their service. The Lord vindicated
the cause of the oppressed and turned the light of His countenance upon His suffering servant. I then
saw that God would prove these persons again, as He has now done, to reveal what was in their hearts.
{5T 56.4}
When David had sinned, God granted him his choice, to receive his punishment from God or at the
hand of man. The repentant king chose to fall into the hand of God. The tender mercies of the wicked
are cruel. Erring, sinful man, who can himself be kept in the right path only by the power of God, is yet
hardhearted, unforgiving toward his erring brother. My brethren at Battle Creek, what account will you
render at the bar of God? Great light has come to you, in reproofs, warnings, and entreaties. How have
you spurned its heaven-sent rays! {5T 57.1}
The tongue that delights in mischief, the babbling tongue that says, Report, and I will report it, is
declared by the apostle James to be set on fire of hell. It scatters firebrands on every side. What cares
the vendor of gossip that he defames the innocent? He will not stay his evil work, though he destroy
hope and courage in those who are already sinking under their burdens. He cares only to indulge his
scandal-loving propensity. Even professed Christians close their eyes to all that is pure, honest, noble,
and lovely, and treasure up what ever is objectionable and disagreeable, and publish it to the world.
{5T 57.2}
You have yourselves thrown open the doors for Satan to come in. You have given him an
HONOURED place at your investigation, or inquisition meetings. But you have shown no respect for
the excellencies of a character established by years of faithfulness. Jealous, revengeful tongues have
coloured acts and motives to suit their own ideas. They have made black appear white, and white
black. When remonstrated with for their statements, some have said: "It is true." Admitting that the
58
fact stated is true, does that justify your course? No, no. If God should take all the accusations that
might in truth be brought against you, and should braid them into a scourge to punish you, your
wounds would be more and deeper than those which you have inflicted on Brother -----. Even facts
may be so stated as to convey a false impression. You have no right to gather up every report against
him and use them to ruin his reputation and destroy his usefulness. Should the Lord manifest toward
you the same spirit which you have manifested toward your brother, you would be destroyed without
mercy. Have you no compunctions of conscience? I fear not. The time has come for this satanic spell
to lose its power. If Brother ----- were all that you represent him to be,-- which I know he is not, your
course would still be unjustifiable. {5T 57.3}
When we listen to a reproach against our brother, we take up that reproach. To the question, "Lord,
who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in Thy holy hill?" the psalmist answered, "He that
walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth
not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour."
{5T 58.1}
What a world of gossip would be prevented if every man would remember that those who tell him the
faults of others will as freely publish his faults at a favourable opportunity. We should endeavour to
think well of all men, especially our brethren, until compelled to think otherwise. We should not
hastily credit evil reports. These are often the result of envy or misunderstanding, or they may proceed
from exaggeration or a partial disclosure of facts. Jealousy and suspicion, once allowed a place, will
sow themselves broadcast, like thistledown. Should a brother go astray, then is the time to show your
real interest in him. Go to him kindly, pray with and for him, remembering the infinite price which
Christ has paid for his
59
redemption. In this way you may save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins. {5T 58.2}
A glance, a word, even an intonation of the voice, may be vital with falsehood, sinking like a barbed
arrow into some heart, inflicting an incurable wound. Thus a doubt, a reproach, may be cast upon one
by whom God would accomplish a good work, and his influence is blighted, his usefulness destroyed.
Among some species of animals, if one of their number is wounded and falls, he is at once set upon
and torn in pieces by his fellows. The same cruel spirit is indulged by men and women who bear the
name of Christians. They manifest a pharisaical zeal to stone others less guilty than themselves. There
are some who point to others' faults and failures to divert attention from their own, or to gain credit for
great zeal for God and the church. {5T 59.1}
A few weeks since I was in a dream brought into one of your meetings for investigation. I heard the
testimonies borne by students against Brother -----. Those very students had received great benefit
from his thorough, faithful instruction. Once they could hardly say enough in his praise. Then it was
popular to esteem him. But now the current was setting the other way. These persons have developed
their true character. I saw an angel with a ponderous book open in which he wrote every testimony
given. Opposite each testimony were traced the sins, defects, and errors of the one who bore it. Then
there was recorded the great benefit which these individuals had received from Brother -----'s labours.
{5T 59.2}
We, as a people, are reaping the fruit of Brother -----'s hard labour. There is not a man among us who
has devoted more time and thought to his work than has Brother -----. He has felt that he had no one to
sustain him, and has felt grateful for any encouragement. {5T 59.3}
One of the great objects to be secured in the establishment of the college was the separation of our
youth from the spirit
60
and influence of the world, from its customs, its follies, and its idolatry. The college was to build a
barrier against the immorality of the present age, which makes the world as corrupt as in the days of
Noah. The young are bewitched with the mania for courtship and marriage. Lovesick sentimentalism
prevails. Great vigilance and tact are needed to guard the youth from these wrong influences. Many
parents are blind to the tendencies of their children. Some parents have stated to me, with great
satisfaction, that their sons or daughters had no desire for the attentions of the opposite sex, when in
fact these children were at the same time secretly giving or receiving such attentions, and the parents
were so much absorbed in worldliness and gossip that they knew nothing about the matter. {5T 59.4}
The primary object of our college was to afford young men an opportunity to study for the ministry
and to prepare young persons of both sexes to become workers in the various branches of the cause.
These students needed a knowledge of the common branches of education and, above all else, of the
word of God. Here our school has been deficient. There has not been a man devoted to God to give
himself to this branch of the work. Young men moved upon by the Spirit of God to give themselves to
the ministry have come to the college for this purpose and have been disappointed. Adequate
preparation for this class has not been made, and some of the teachers, knowing this, have advised the
youth to take other studies and fit themselves for other pursuits. If these youth were not firm in their
purpose, they were induced to give up all idea of studying for the ministry. {5T 60.1}
Such is the result of the influence exerted by unsanctified teachers, who labour merely for wages, who
are not imbued with the Spirit of God and have no union with Christ. No one has been more active in
this work than Brother ----- The Bible should be one of the principal subjects of study. {5T 60.2}
61
This book, which tells us how to spend the present life, that we may secure the future, immortal life, is
of more value to students than any other. We have but a brief period in which to become acquainted
with its truths. But the one who had made God's word a study, and who could more than any other
teacher have helped the young to gain a knowledge of the Scriptures, has been separated from the
school. {5T 61.1}
Professors and teachers have not understood the design of the college. We have put in means and
thought and labour to make it what God would have it. The will and judgment of those who are almost
wholly ignorant of the way in which God has led us as a people, should not have a controlling
influence in that college. The Lord has repeatedly shown that we should not pattern after the popular
schools. Ministers of other denominations spend years in obtaining an education. Our young men must
obtain theirs in a short time. Where there is now one minister, there should be twenty whom our
college had prepared with God's help to enter the gospel field. {5T 61.2}
Many of our younger ministers, and some of more mature experience, are neglecting the word of God
and also despising the testimonies of His Spirit. They do not know what the testimonies contain and do
not wish to know. They do not wish to discover and correct their defects of character. Many parents do
not themselves seek instruction from the testimonies, and of course they cannot impart it to their
children. They show their contempt for the light which God has given, by going directly contrary to
His instructions. Those at the heart of the work have set the example. {5T 61.3}
You have published your contentions to the world. Do you think you stand, as a people, in a more
favourable light in Battle Creek? Christ prayed that His disciples might be one, as He was one with the
Father, that the world might know that God had sent Him. What testimony have you borne during the
62
past few months? The Lord is looking into every heart. He weighs our motives. He will try every soul.
Who will bear the test? {5T 61.4}
6. The Testimonies Slighted
Healdsburg, California, June 20, 1882.
Dear Brethren and Sisters in Battle Creek: I understand that the testimony [REFERENCE IS HERE
MADE TO THE PRECEDING ARTICLE.] which I sent to Brother -----, with the request that it be
read to the church, was withheld from you for several weeks after it was received by him. Before
sending that testimony my mind was so impressed by the Spirit of God that I had no rest day or night
until I wrote to you. It was not a work that I would have chosen for myself. Before my husband's death
I decided that it was not my duty to bear testimony to anyone in reproof of wrong or in vindication of
right, because advantage was taken of my words to deal harshly with the erring and to unwisely exalt
others whose course I had not in any degree sustained. Many explained the testimonies to suit
themselves. The truth of God is not in harmony with the traditions of men, nor does it conform to their
opinions. Like its divine Author, it is unchangeable, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Those who
separate from God will call darkness light, and error truth. But darkness will never prove itself to be
light, nor will error become truth. {5T 62.1}
The minds of many have been so darkened and confused by worldly customs, worldly practices, and
worldly influences that all power to discriminate between light and darkness, truth and error, seems
destroyed. I had little hope that my words would be understood; but when the Lord moved upon me so
decidedly, I could not resist His Spirit. Knowing that
63
you were involving yourselves in the snares of Satan, I felt that the danger was too great for me to keep
silent. {5T 62.2}
For years the Lord has been presenting the situation of the church before you. Again and again
reproofs and warnings have been given. October 23, 1879, the Lord gave me a most impressive
testimony in regard to the church in Battle Creek. During the last months I was with you I carried a
heavy burden for the church, while those who should have felt to the very depths of their souls were
comparatively easy and unconcerned. I knew not what to do or what to say. I had no confidence in the
course which many were pursuing, for they were doing the very things which the Lord had warned
them not to do. {5T 63.1}
That God who knows their spiritual condition declares: They have cherished evil and separated from
Me. They have gone astray, every one of them. Not one is guiltless. They have forsaken Me, the
Fountain of living waters, and have hewed out to them broken cisterns that can hold no water. Many
have corrupted their ways before Me. Envy, hatred of one another, jealousy, evil surmising, emulation,
strife, bitterness, is the fruit that they bear. And they will not heed the testimony that I send them. They
will not see their perverse ways and be converted, that I should heal them. {5T 63.2}
Many are looking with self-complacency upon the long years during which they have advocated the
truth. They now feel that they are entitled to a reward for their past trials and obedience. But this
genuine experience in the things of God in the past makes them more guilty before Him for not
preserving their integrity and going forward to perfection. The faithfulness for the past year will never
atone for the neglect of the present year. A man's truthfulness yesterday will not atone for his falsehood
today. {5T 63.3}
Many excused their disregard of the testimonies by saying: "Sister White is influenced by her husband;
the testimonies
64
are moulded by his spirit and judgment." Others were seeking to gain something from me which they
could construe to justify their course or to give them influence. It was then I decided that nothing more
should go from my pen until the converting power of God was seen in the church. But the Lord placed
the burden upon my soul. I laboured for you earnestly. How much this cost both my husband and
myself, eternity will tell. Have I not a knowledge of the state of the church, when the Lord has
presented their case before me again and again for years? Repeated warnings have been given, yet
there has been no decided change. {5T 63.4}
I saw that the frown of God was upon His people for their assimilation to the world. I saw that the
children of Brother ----- have been a snare to him. Their ideas and opinions, their feelings and
statements, had an influence upon his mind and blinded his judgment. These youth are strongly
inclined to infidelity. The mother's want of faith and trust in God has been given as an inheritance to
her children. Her devotion to them is greater than her devotion to God. The father has neglected his
duty. The result of their wrong course is revealed in their children. {5T 64.1}
As I spoke to the church I tried to impress upon parents their solemn obligation to the children,
because I knew the state of these youth and what tendencies had made them what they are. But the
word was not received. I know what burdens I bore in the last of my labours among you. I would never
have thus tasked my strength to the utmost had I not seen your peril. I longed to arouse you to humble
your hearts before God, to return to Him with penitence and faith. {5T 64.2}
Yet now when I send you a testimony of warning and reproof, many of you declare it to be merely the
opinion of Sister White. You have thereby insulted the Spirit of God. You know how the Lord has
manifested Himself through the spirit of prophecy. Past, present, and future have passed before me. I
65
have been shown faces that I had never seen, and years afterward I knew them when I saw them. I have
been aroused from my sleep with a vivid sense of subjects previously presented to my mind; and I have
written, at midnight, letters that have gone across the continent and, arriving at a crisis, have saved
great disaster to the cause of God. This has been my work for many years. A power has impelled me to
reprove and rebuke wrongs that I had not thought of. Is this work of the last thirty-six years from above
or from beneath? {5T 64.3}
Suppose--some would make it appear, incorrectly however--that I was influenced to write as I did by
letters received from members of the church. How was it with the apostle Paul? The news he received
through the household of Chloe concerning the condition of the church at Corinth was what caused
him to write his first epistle to that church. Private letters had come to him stating the facts as they
existed, and in his answer he laid down general principles which if heeded would correct the existing
evils. With great tenderness and wisdom he exhorts them to all speak the same things, that there be no
divisions among them. {5T 65.1}
Paul was an inspired apostle, yet the Lord did not reveal to him at all times just the condition of His
people. Those who were interested in the prosperity of the church, and saw evils creeping in, presented
the matter before him, and from the light which he had previously received he was prepared to judge of
the true character of these developments. Because the Lord had not given him a new revelation for that
special time, those who were really seeking light did not cast his message aside as only a common
letter. No, indeed. The Lord had shown him the difficulties and dangers which would arise in the
churches, that when they should develop he might know just how to treat them. {5T 65.2}
He was set for the defence of the church. He was to watch for souls as one that must render account to
God, and should
66
he not take notice of the reports concerning their state of anarchy and division? Most assuredly; and
the reproof he sent them was written just as much under the inspiration of the Spirit of God as were
any of his epistles. But when these reproofs came, some would not be corrected. They took the position
that God had not spoken to them through Paul, that he had merely given them his opinion as a man,
and they regarded their own judgment as good as that of Paul. {5T 65.3}
So it is with many among our people who have drifted away from the old landmarks and who have
followed their own understanding. What a great relief it would be to such could they quiet their
conscience with the belief that my work is not of God. But your unbelief will not change the facts in
the case. You are defective in character, in moral and religious experience. Close your eyes to the fact
if you will, but this does not make you one particle more perfect. The only remedy is to wash in the
blood of the Lamb. {5T 66.1}
If you seek to turn aside the counsel of God to suit yourselves, if you lessen the confidence of God's
people in the testimonies He has sent them, you are rebelling against God as certainly as were Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram. You have their history. You know how stubborn they were in their own opinions.
They decided that their judgment was better than that of Moses and that Moses was doing great injury
to Israel. Those who united with them were so set in their opinions that, notwithstanding the judgments
of God in a marked manner destroyed the leaders and the princes, the next morning the survivors came
to Moses and said: Ye have killed the people of the Lord." We see what fearful deception will come
upon the human mind. How hard it is to convince souls that have become imbued with a spirit which is
not of God. As Christ's ambassador, I would say to you: Be careful what positions you take. This is
God's work, and you must render
67
to Him an account for the manner in which you treat His message. {5T 66.2}
While standing over the dying bed of my husband, I knew that had others borne their part of the
burdens, he might have lived. I then pleaded, with agony of soul, that those present might no longer
grieve the Spirit of God by their hardness of heart. A few days later I myself stood face to face with
death. Then I had most clear revealings from God in regard to myself, and in regard to the church. In
great weakness I bore to you my testimony, not knowing but it would be my last opportunity. Have
you forgotten that solemn occasion? I can never forget it, for I seemed to be brought before the
judgment seat of Christ. Your state of backsliding, your hardness of heart, your lack of harmony of
love and spirituality, your departure from the simplicity and purity which God would have you
preserve--I knew it all; I felt it all. Faultfinding, censuring, envy, strife for the highest place, were
among you. I had seen it and to what it would lead. I feared that effort would cost me my life, but the
interest I felt for you led me to speak. God spoke to you that day. Did it make any lasting impression?
{5T 67.1}
When I went to Colorado I was so burdened for you that, in my weakness, I wrote many pages to be
read at your camp meeting. Weak and trembling, I arose at three o'clock in the morning to write to you.
God was speaking through clay. You might say that this communication was only a letter. Yes, it was a
letter, but prompted by the Spirit of God, to bring before your minds things that had been shown me. In
these letters which I write, in the testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you that which the Lord has
presented to me. I do not write one article in the paper expressing merely my own ideas. They are what
God has opened before me in vision--the precious rays of light shining from the throne. {5T 67.2}
68
After I came to Oakland I was weighted down with a sense of the condition of things at Battle Creek,
and I, weak, power less to help you. I knew that the leaven of unbelief was at work. Those who
disregarded the plain injunctions of God's word were disregarding the testimonies which urged them to
give heed to that word. While visiting Healdsburg last winter, I was much in prayer and burdened with
anxiety and grief. But the Lord swept back the darkness at one time while I was in prayer, and a great
light filled the room. An angel of God was by my side, and I seemed to be in Battle Creek. I was in
your councils; I heard words uttered, I saw and heard things that, if God willed, I wish could be forever
blotted from my memory. My soul was so wounded I knew not what to do or what to say. Some things
I cannot mention. I was bidden to let no one know in regard to this, for much was yet to be developed.
{5T 68.1}
I was told to gather up the light that had been given me and let its rays shine forth to God's people. I
have been doing this in articles in the papers. I arose at three o'clock nearly every morning for months
and gathered the different items written after the last two testimonies were given me in Battle Creek. I
wrote out these matters and hurried them on to you; but I had neglected to take proper care of myself,
and the result was that I sank under the burden; my writings were not all finished to reach you at the
General Conference. {5T 68.2}
Again, while in prayer, the Lord revealed Himself. I was once more in Battle Creek. I was in many
houses and heard your words around your tables. The particulars I have no liberty now to relate. I hope
never to be called to mention them. I had also several most striking dreams. {5T 68.3}
What voice will you acknowledge as the voice of God? What power has the Lord in reserve to correct
your errors and show you your course as it is? What power to work in the
69
church? If you refuse to believe until every shadow of uncertainty and every possibility of doubt is
removed you will never believe. The doubt that demands perfect knowledge will never yield to faith.
Faith rests upon evidence, not demonstration. The Lord requires us to obey the voice of duty, when
there are other voices all around us urging us to pursue an opposite course. It requires earnest attention
from us to distinguish the voice which speaks from God. We must resist and conquer inclination, and
obey the voice of conscience without parleying or compromise, lest its promptings cease and will and
impulse control. The word of the Lord comes to us all who have not resisted His Spirit by determining
not to hear and obey. This voice is heard in warnings, in counsels, in reproof. It is the Lord's message
of light to His people. If we wait for louder calls or better opportunities, the light may be withdrawn,
and we left in darkness. {5T 68.4}
By once neglecting to comply with the call of God's Spirit and His word, when obedience involves a
cross, many have lost much--how much they will never know till the books are opened at the final day.
The pleadings of the Spirit, neglected today because pleasure or inclination leads in an opposite
direction, may be powerless to convince, or even impress, tomorrow. To improve the opportunities of
the present, with prompt and willing hearts, is the only way to grow in grace and the knowledge of the
truth. We should ever cherish a sense that, individually, we are standing before the Lord of hosts; no
word, no act, no thought, even, should be indulged, to offend the eye of the Eternal One. We shall then
have no fear of man or of earthly power, because a Monarch, whose empire is the universe, who holds
in His hands our individual destinies for time and eternity, is taking cognizance of all our work. If we
would feel that in every place we are the servants of the Most High, we would be more circumspect;
our whole
70
life would possess to us a meaning and a sacredness which earthly honours can never give. {5T 69.1}
The thoughts of the heart, the words of the lips, and every act of the life, will make our character more
worthy, if the presence of God is continually felt. Let the language of the heart be: "Lo, God is here."
Then the life will be pure, the character unspotted, the soul continually uplifted to the Lord. You have
not pursued this course at Battle Creek. I have been shown that painful and contagious disease is upon
you, which will produce spiritual death unless it is arrested. {5T 70.1}
Many are ruined by their desire for a life of ease and pleasure. Self-denial is disagreeable to them.
They are constantly seeking to escape trials that are inseparable from a course of fidelity to God. They
set their hearts upon having the good things of this life. This is human success, but is it not won at the
expense of future, eternal interests? The great business of life is to show ourselves to be true servants
of God, loving righteousness and hating iniquity. We should accept gratefully such measures of present
happiness and present success as are found in the path of duty. Our greatest strength is realized when
we feel and acknowledge our weakness. The greatest loss which any one of you in Battle Creek can
suffer is the loss of earnestness and persevering zeal to do right, the loss of strength to resist
temptation, the loss of faith in the principles of truth and duty. {5T 70.2}
Let no man flatter himself that he is a successful man unless he preserves the integrity of his
conscience, giving himself wholly to the truth and to God. We should move steadily forward, never
losing heart or hope in the good work, whatever trials beset our path, whatever moral darkness may
encompass us. Patience, faith, and love for duty are the lessons we must learn. Subduing self and
looking to Jesus is an everyday work. The Lord will never forsake the soul that trusts in Him
71
and seeks His aid. The crown of life is placed only upon the brow of the overcomer. There is, for
everyone, earnest, solemn work for God while life lasts. As Satan's power increases and his devices are
multiplied, skill, aptness, and sharp generalship should be exercised by those in charge of the flock of
God. Not only have we each a work to do for our own souls, but we have also a duty to arouse others
to gain eternal life. {5T 70.3}
It pains me to say, my brethren, that your sinful neglect to walk in the light has enshrouded you in
darkness. You may now be honest in not recognizing and obeying the light; the doubts you have
entertained, your neglect to heed the requirements of God, have blinded your perceptions so that
darkness is now to you light, and light is darkness. God has bidden you to go forward to perfection.
Christianity is a religion of progress. Light from God is full and ample, waiting our demand upon it.
Whatever blessings the Lord may give, He has an infinite supply beyond, an inexhaustible store from
which we may draw. Skepticism may treat the sacred claims of the gospel with jests, scoffing, and
denial. The spirit of worldliness may contaminate the many and control the few; the cause of God may
hold its ground only by great exertion and continual sacrifice, yet it will triumph finally. {5T 71.1}
The word is: Go forward; discharge your individual duty, and leave all consequences in the hands of
God. If we move forward where Jesus leads the way we shall see His triumph, we shall share His joy.
We must share the conflicts if we wear the crown of victory. Like Jesus, we must be made perfect
through suffering. Had Christ's life been one of ease, then might we safely yield to sloth. Since His life
was marked with continual self-denial, suffering, and self-sacrifice, we shall make no complaint if we
are partakers with Him. We can walk safely in the darkest path if we have the Light of the world for
our guide. {5T 71.2}
72
The Lord is testing and proving you. He has COUNSELLED, admonished, and entreated. All these
solemn admonitions will either make the church better or decidedly worse. The oftener the Lord speaks
to correct or counsel, and you disregard His voice, the more disposed will you be to reject it again and
again, till God says: "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man
regarded; but ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: I also will laugh at
your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your
destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call
upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find me; for that they hated
knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of My counsel: they despised all
My reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own
devices." {5T 72.1}
Are you not halting between two opinions? Are you not neglecting to heed the light which God has
given you? Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living
God. You know not the time of your visitation. The great sin of the Jews was that of neglecting and
rejecting present opportunities. As Jesus views the state of His professed followers today, He sees base
ingratitude, hollow formalism, hypocritical insincerity, pharisaical pride and apostasy. {5T 72.2}
The tears which Christ shed on the crest of Olivet were for the impenitence and ingratitude of every
individual to the close of time. He sees His love despised. The soul's temple courts have been
converted into places of unholy traffic. Selfishness, mammon, malice, envy, pride, passion, are all
cherished in the human heart. His warnings are rejected and ridiculed, His ambassadors are treated
with indifference, their
73
words seem as idle tales. Jesus has spoken by mercies, but these mercies have been unacknowledged;
He has spoken by solemn warnings, but these warnings have been rejected. {5T 72.3}
I entreat you who have long professed the faith and who still pay outward homage to Christ: Do not
deceive your own souls. It is the whole heart that Jesus prizes. The loyalty of the soul is alone of value
in the sight of God. "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong to
thy peace!" "Thou, . . . even thou"--Christ is at this moment addressing you personally, stooping from
His throne, yearning with pitying tenderness over those who feel not their danger, who have no pity for
themselves. {5T 73.1}
Many have a name to live while they have become spiritually dead. These will one day say: "Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name
done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye
that work iniquity." Woe will be pronounced against thee, if thou loiter and linger until the Sun of
Righteousness shall set; the blackness of eternal night will be thy portion. Oh, that the cold, formal,
worldly heart may be melted! Christ shed not only tears for us, but His own blood. Will not these
manifestations of His love arouse us to deep humiliation before God? It is humility and self-abasement
that we need, to be approved of God. {5T 73.2}
The man whom God is leading will be dissatisfied with himself because the light from the perfect Man
shines upon him. But those who lose sight of the Pattern, and place an undue estimate upon
themselves, will see faults to criticize in others; they will be sharp, suspicious, condemnatory; they will
be tearing others down to build themselves up. {5T 73.3}
When the Lord last presented your case before me, and made known to me that you had not regarded
the light which had been given you, I was bidden to speak to you plainly in
74
His name, for His anger was kindled against you. These words were spoken to me: "Your work is
appointed you of God. Many will not hear you, for they refused to hear the Great Teacher; many will
not be corrected, for their ways are right in their own eyes. Yet bear to them the reproofs and warnings
I shall give you, whether they will hear or forbear." {5T 73.4}
I bear you the testimony of the Lord. All will hear His voice who are willing to be corrected; but those
who have been deceived by the enemy are not willing now to come to the light, lest their deeds shall be
reproved. Many of you cannot discern the work and presence of God. You know not that it is He. The
Lord is still gracious, willing to pardon all who turn to Him with penitence and faith. Said the Lord:
Many know not at what they stumble. They heed not the voice of God, but follow the sight of their
own eyes and the understanding of their own hearts. Unbelief and skepticism have taken the place of
faith. They have forsaken Me. {5T 74.1}
I was shown that fathers and mothers have departed from their simplicity and neglected the holy
calling of the gospel. The Lord has admonished them not to corrupt themselves by adopting the
customs and maxims of the world. Christ would have given them the unsearchable riches of His grace
freely and abundantly, but they prove themselves unworthy. {5T 74.2}
Many are lifting up the soul unto vanity. No sooner does a person imagine that he possesses any talent
which might be of use in the cause of God than he overestimates the gift and is inclined to think too
highly of himself, as though he were a pillar of the church. The work which he might do with
acceptance he leaves for someone else with less ability than he considers himself to possess. He thinks
and talks of a higher station. He must let his light shine before men; but instead of grace, meekness,
lowliness of mind, kindness, gentleness, and love shining in his life, self, important self, appears
everywhere. {5T 74.3}
75
The spirit of Christ should so control our character and conduct that our influence may ever bless,
encourage, and edify. Our thoughts, our words, our acts, should testify that we are born of God and
that the peace of Christ rules in our hearts. In this way we throw around us the gracious radiance of
which the Saviour speaks when He enjoins upon us to let our light shine forth to men. Thus we are
leaving a bright track heaven ward. In this way all who are connected with Christ may become more
effectual preachers of righteousness than by the most able pulpit effort without this heavenly unction.
Those light bearers shed forth the purest radiance that are the least conscious of their own brightness,
as those flowers diffuse the sweetest fragrance that make the least display. {5T 75.1}
Our people are making very dangerous mistakes. We cannot praise and flatter any man without doing
him a great wrong; those who do this will meet with serious disappointment. They trust too fully to
finite man and not enough to God, who never errs. The eager desire to urge men into public notice is
an evidence of backsliding from God and of friendship with the world. It is the spirit which
characterizes the present day. It shows that men have not the mind of Jesus; spiritual blindness and
poverty of soul have come upon them. Often persons of inferior minds look away from Jesus to a
merely human standard, by which they are not made conscious of their own littleness, and hence have
an undue estimate of their own capabilities and endowments. There is among us as a people an idolatry
of human instrumentalities and mere human talent, and these even of a superficial character. We must
die to self and cherish humble, childlike faith. God's people have departed from their simplicity. They
have not made God their strength, and they are weak and faint, spiritually. {5T 75.2}
I have been shown that the spirit of the world is fast leavening the church. You are following the same
path as did
76
ancient Israel. There is the same falling away from your holy calling as God's peculiar people. You are
having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Your concord with unbelievers has provoked
the Lord's displeasure. You know not the things that belong to your peace, and they are fast being hid
from your eyes. Your neglect to follow the light will place you in a more unfavourable position than
the Jews upon whom Christ pronounced a woe. {5T 75.3}
I have been shown that unbelief in the testimonies has been steadily increasing as the people backslide
from God. It is all through our ranks, all over the field. But few know what our churches are to
experience. I saw that at present we are under divine forbearance, but no one can say how long this
will continue. No one knows how great the mercy that has been exercised toward us. But few are
heartily devoted to God. There are only a few who, like the stars in a tempestuous night, shine here and
there among the clouds. {5T 76.1}
Many who complacently listen to the truths from God's word are dead spiritually, while they profess to
live. For years they have come and gone in our congregations, but they seem only less and less sensible
of the value of revealed truth. They do not hunger and thirst after righteousness. They have no relish
for spiritual or divine things. They assent to the truth, but are not sanctified through it. Neither the
word of God nor the testimonies of His Spirit make any lasting impression upon them. Just according
to the light, the privileges, and opportunities which they have slighted will be their condemnation.
Many who preach the truth to others are themselves cherishing iniquity. The entreaties of the Spirit of
God, like divine melody, the promises of His word so rich and abundant, its threatenings against
idolatry and disobedience--all are powerless to melt the world-hardened heart. {5T 76.2}
Many of our people are lukewarm. They occupy the position
77
of Meroz, neither for nor against, neither cold nor hot. They hear the words of Christ, but do them not.
If they remain in this state, He will reject them with abhorrence. Many of those who have had great
light, great opportunities, and every spiritual advantage praise Christ and the world with the same
breath. They bow themselves before God and mammon. They make merry with the children of the
world, and yet claim to be blessed with the children of God. They wish to have Christ as their Saviour,
but will not bear the cross and wear His yoke. May the Lord have mercy upon you; for if you go on in
this way, nothing but evil can be prophesied concerning you. {5T 76.3}
The patience of God has an object, but you are defeating it. He is allowing a state of things to come
that you would fain see counteracted by and by, but it will be too late. God commanded Elijah to
anoint the cruel and deceitful Hazael king over Syria, that he might be a scourge to idolatrous Israel.
Who knows whether God will not give you up to the deceptions you love? Who knows but that the
preachers who are faithful, firm, and true may be the last who shall offer the gospel of peace to our
unthankful churches? It may be that the destroyers are already training under the hand of Satan and
only wait the departure of a few more standard-bearers to take their places, and with the voice of the
false prophet cry, Peace, peace," when the Lord hath not spoken peace. I seldom weep, but now I find
my eyes blinded with tears; they are falling upon my paper as I write. It may be that erelong all
prophesyings among us will be at an end, and the voice which has stirred the people may no longer
disturb their carnal slumbers. {5T 77.1}
When God shall work His strange work on the earth, when holy hands bear the ark no longer, woe will
be upon the people. Oh, that thou hadst known, even thou, in this thy day, the things that belong unto
thy peace! Oh, that our
78
people may, as did Nineveh, repent with all their might and believe with all their heart, that God may
turn away His fierce anger from them. {5T 77.2}
I am filled with pain and anguish as I see parents conforming to the world and allowing their children
to meet the worldly standard at such a time as this. I am filled with horror as the condition of families
professing present truth is opened before me. The profligacy of youth and even children is almost
incredible. Parents do not know that secret vice is destroying and defacing the image of God in their
children. The sins which characterized the Sodomites exist among them. The parents are responsible;
for they have not educated their children to love and obey God. They have not restrained them nor
diligently taught them the way of the Lord. They have allowed them to go out and to come in when
they chose, and to associate with worldlings. These worldly influences which counteract parental
teaching and authority are to be found largely in so-called good society. By their dress, looks,
amusements, they surround themselves with an atmosphere which is opposed to Christ. {5T 78.1}
Our only safety is to stand as God's peculiar people. We must not yield one inch to the customs and
fashions of this degenerate age, but stand in moral independence, making no compromise with its
corrupt and idolatrous practices. {5T 78.2}
It will require courage and independence to rise above the religious standard of the Christian world.
They do not follow the Saviour's example of self-denial; they make no sacrifice; they are constantly
seeking to evade the cross which Christ declares to be the token of discipleship. {5T 78.3}
What can I say to arouse our people? I tell you not a few ministers who stand before the people to
explain the Scriptures are defiled. Their hearts are corrupt, their hands unclean. Yet many are crying,
Peace, "peace;" and the workers of iniquity are not alarmed. The Lord's hand is not shortened
79
that He cannot save, nor His ear heavy that He cannot hear; but it is our sins that have separated us
from God. The church is corrupt because of her members who defile their bodies and pollute their
souls. {5T 78.4}
If all of those who come together for meetings of edification and prayer could be regarded as true
worshippers, then might we hope, though much would still remain to be done for us. But it is in vain to
deceive ourselves. Things are far from being what the appearance would indicate. From a distant view
much may appear beautiful which, upon close examination, will be found full of deformities. The
prevailing spirit of our time is that of infidelity and apostasy--a spirit of pretended illumination because
of a knowledge of the truth, but in reality of the blindest presumption. There is a spirit of opposition to
the plain word of God and to the testimony of His Spirit. There is a spirit of idolatrous exaltation of
mere human reason above the revealed wisdom of God. {5T 79.1}
There are men among us in responsible positions who hold that the opinions of a few conceited
philosophers, so called, are more to be trusted than the truth of the Bible, or the testimonies of the Holy
Spirit. Such a faith as that of Paul, Peter, or John is considered old-fashioned and insufferable at the
present day. It is pronounced absurd, mystical, and unworthy of an intelligent mind. {5T 79.2}
God has shown me that these men are Hazaels to prove a scourge to our people. They are wise above
what is written. This unbelief of the very truths of God's word because human judgment cannot
comprehend the mysteries of His work is found in every district, in all ranks of society. It is taught in
most of our schools and comes into the lessons of the nurseries. Thousands who profess to be
Christians give heed to lying spirits. Everywhere the spirit of darkness in the garb of religion will
confront you. {5T 79.3}
If all that appears to be divine life were such in reality; if
80
all who profess to present the truth to the world were preaching for the truth and not against it, and if
they were men of God guided by His Spirit,--then might we see something cheering amid the
prevailing moral darkness. But the spirit of antichrist is prevailing to such an extent as never before.
Well may we exclaim: "Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the
children of men." I know that many think far too favourably of the present time. These ease-loving
souls will be engulfed in the general ruin. Yet we do not despair. We have been inclined to think that
where there are no faithful ministers there can be no true Christians, but this is not the case. God has
promised that where the shepherds are not true He will take charge of the flock Himself. God has never
made the flock wholly dependent upon human instrumentalities. But the days of purification of the
church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take
place we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel. The signs reveal that the time is near
when the Lord will manifest that His fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor. {5T
79.4}
The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in
angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every
wind of doctrine will be blowing. Those who have rendered supreme homage to "science falsely so
called" will not be the leaders then. Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent will not then
stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light. Those who have proved
themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock. In the last solemn work few great men
will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them. The Lord has
faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed
81
to view. There are precious ones now hidden who have not bowed the knee to Baal. They have not had
the light which has been shining in a concentrated blaze upon you. But it may be under a rough and
uninviting exterior the pure brightness of a genuine Christian character will be revealed. In the day
time we look toward heaven but do not see the stars. They are there, fixed in the firmament, but the eye
cannot distinguish them. In the night we behold their genuine luster. {5T 80.1}
The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged
upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs
will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision,
insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of God and the
commandments of men. In this time the gold will be separated from the dross in the church. True
godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have
admired for its brilliancy will then go out in darkness. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the
wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat. All who assume the ornaments of the
sanctuary, but are not clothed with Christ's righteousness, will appear in the shame of their own
nakedness. {5T 81.1}
When trees without fruit are cut down as cumberers of the ground, when multitudes of false brethren
are distinguished from the true, then the hidden ones will be revealed to view, and with hosannas range
under the banner of Christ. Those who have been timid and self-distrustful will declare themselves
openly for Christ and His truth. The most weak and hesitating in the church will be as David--willing
to do and dare. The deeper the night for God's people, the more brilliant the stars. Satan will sorely
harass the faithful;
82
but, in the name of Jesus, they will come off more than conquerors. Then will the church of Christ
appear "fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners." {5T 81.2}
The seeds of truth that are being sown by missionary efforts will then spring up and blossom and bear
fruit. Souls will receive the truth who will endure tribulation and praise God that they may suffer for
Jesus. "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." When
the overflowing scourge shall pass through the earth, when the fan is purging Jehovah's floor, God will
be the help of His people. The trophies of Satan may be exalted on high, but the faith of the pure and
holy will not be daunted. {5T 82.1}
Elijah took Elisha from the plow and threw upon him his mantle of consecration. The call to this great
and solemn work was presented to men of learning and position; had these been little in their own eyes
and trusted fully in the Lord, He would have HONOURED them with bearing His standard in triumph
to the victory. But they separated from God, yielded to the influence of the world, and the Lord
rejected them. {5T 82.2}
Many have exalted science and lost sight of the God of science. This was not the case with the church
in the purest times. {5T 82.3}
God will work a work in our day that but few anticipate. He will raise up and exalt among us those
who are taught rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the outward training of scientific institutions.
These facilities are not to be despised or condemned; they are ordained of God, but they can furnish
only the exterior qualifications. God will manifest that He is not dependent on learned, self-important
mortals. {5T 82.4}
There are few really consecrated men among us, few who have fought and conquered in the battle with
self. Real conversion is a decided change of feelings and motives; it is a
83
virtual taking leave of worldly connections, a hastening from their spiritual atmosphere, a withdrawing
from the controlling power of their thoughts, opinions, and influences. The separation causes pain and
bitterness to both parties. It is the variance which Christ declares that He came to bring. But the
converted will feel a continual longing desire that their friends shall forsake all for Christ, knowing
that, unless they do, there will be a final and eternal separation. The true Christian cannot, while with
unbelieving friends, be light and trifling. The value of the souls for whom Christ died is too great. {5T
82.5}
He "that forsaketh not all that he hath," says Jesus, "cannot be My disciple." Whatever shall divert the
affections from God must be given up. Mammon is the idol of many. Its golden chain binds them to
Satan. Reputation and worldly honour are worshipped by another class. The life of selfish ease and
freedom from responsibility is the idol of others. These are Satan's snares, set for unwary feet. But
these slavish bands must be broken; the flesh must be crucified with the affections and lusts. We
cannot be half the Lord's and half the world's. We are not God's people unless we are such entirely.
Every weight, every besetting sin, must be laid aside. God's watchmen will not cry, "Peace, peace,"
when God has not spoken peace. The voice of the faithful watchmen will be heard: "Go ye out from
thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean that bear the vessels of the
Lord." {5T 83.1}
The church cannot measure herself by the world nor by the opinion of men nor by what she once was.
Her faith and her position in the world as they now are must be compared with what they would have
been if her course had been continually onward and upward. The church will be weighed in the
balances of the sanctuary. If her moral character and spiritual state do not correspond with the benefits
and blessings God has conferred upon her, she will be found wanting.
84
The light has been shining clear and definite upon her pathway, and the light of 1882 calls her to an
account. If her talents are unimproved, if her fruit is not perfect before God, if her light has become
darkness, she is indeed found wanting. The knowledge of our state as God views it, seems to be hidden
from us. We see, but perceive not; we hear, but do not understand; and we rest as unconcerned as if the
pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, rested upon our sanctuary. We profess to know
God, and to believe the truth, but in works deny Him. Our deeds are directly adverse to the principles
of truth and righteousness, by which we profess to be governed. {5T 83.2}
7. Workers in Our College
The very foundation of all true prosperity for our college is a close union with God on the part of
teachers and students. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. His precepts should be
acknowledged as the rule of life. In the Bible the will of God is revealed to His children. Wherever it is
read, in the family circle, the school, or the church, all should give quiet and devout attention as if God
were really present and speaking to them. {5T 84.1}
A high religious standard has not always been maintained in our school. A majority of both teachers
and students are constantly seeking to keep their religion out of sight. Especially has this been the case
since worldlings have patronized the college. Christ requires from all His followers open, manly
confessions of their faith. Each must take his position, and be what God designed he should be, a
spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. Every Christian is to be a light, not hid under a bushel or
under a bed, but put on a candlestick, that it may give light to all that are in the house. {5T 84.2}
85
The teachers in our college should not conform to worldly customs or adopt worldly principles. The
attributes which God prizes most are charity and purity. These attributes should be cherished by every
Christian. "Everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." "If we love one another, God
dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us." "We shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath
this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." {5T 85.1}
God has been moving upon the hearts of young men to devote themselves to the ministry. They have
come to our college in the hope of finding advantages there which they could obtain nowhere else. But
the solemn convictions of the Spirit of God have been lightly regarded by teachers who know but little
of the worth of souls and feel but little burden for their salvation, and they have endeavoured to turn
the youth from the path into which God had been seeking to lead them. {5T 85.2}
The compensation of well-qualified teachers is much higher than that of our ministers, and the teacher
does not labour nearly so hard or subject himself to so great inconvenience as the minister who gives
himself wholly to the work. These things have been presented before the youth, and they have been
encouraged to distrust God and disbelieve His promises. Many have chosen the easier course and have
prepared themselves to teach the sciences or to engage in some other employment instead of preaching
the truth. {5T 85.3}
Thus God's work has been hindered by unconsecrated teachers, who profess to believe the truth but
who have not the love of it in their hearts. The educated young man is taught to look upon his abilities
as too precious to be devoted to the service of Christ. But has God no claims upon him? Who gave the
power to obtain this mental discipline and these accomplishments? Are they held on terms altogether
independent of Jehovah? {5T 85.4}
86
Many a youth who is ignorant of the world, ignorant of his weakness, ignorant of the future, feels no
need of a divine hand to point out his course. He considers himself fully competent to guide his own
bark amid the breakers. Let such youth remember that, wherever they may go, they are not beyond the
domain of God. They are not free to choose what they will without consulting the will of their Creator.
{5T 86.1}
Talent is ever best developed and best appreciated where it is most needed. But this truth is overlooked
by many eager aspirants for distinction. Though superficial in religious experience and mental
attainments, their shortsighted ambition covets a higher sphere of action than that in which Providence
has placed them. The Lord does not call them, as He did Joseph and Daniel, to withstand the
temptations of worldly honour and high station. But they force themselves into positions of danger and
desert the only post of duty for which they are fitted. {5T 86.2}
The Macedonian cry is coming to us from all directions. "Send us labourers," is the urgent appeal from
East and West. All around us are fields white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages,
and gathereth fruit unto life eternal." Is it not folly to turn from these fields to engage in a business that
can yield only pecuniary gain? Christ wants no selfish workers who are seeking only for the highest
wages. He calls for those who are willing to become poor for His sake, as He became poor for them.
What were the inducements presented before Christ in this world? Insults, mockery, poverty, shame,
rejection, betrayal, and crucifixion. Shall the undershepherds seek for an easier lot than that of their
Master? {5T 86.3}
The word of God is a great simplifier of life's complicated pursuits. To every earnest seeker it imparts
a divine wisdom. We should never forget that we have been redeemed by suffering. It is the precious
blood of Christ that makes atonement for us. By toil and sacrifice and peril, by losses of
87
worldly goods, and in agony of soul the gospel has been borne to the world. God calls young men in
the vigour and strength of their youth to share with Him self-denial, sacrifice, and suffering. If they
accept the call, He will make them His instruments to save souls for whom He died. But He would
have them count the cost and enter upon their work with a full knowledge of the conditions upon
which they serve a crucified Redeemer. {5T 86.4}
I can hardly express my feelings when I think how God's purpose in the establishment of our college
has been disregarded. Those who have a form of godliness are denying, by their unconsecrated lives,
the power of the truth to make men wise unto salvation. Look at the history of the apostles, who
suffered poverty, disgrace, abuse, and even death for the truth's sake. They rejoiced that they were
accounted worthy to suffer for Christ. {5T 87.1}
If great results can be attained by great efforts and great suffering, who of us that are subjects of divine
grace can refuse the sacrifice? The gospel of Christ includes in its requirements every soul that has
heard the message of glad tidings. What shall we render unto God for all His benefits to us? His
matchless mercy can never be repaid. We can, only by willing obedience and grateful service, testify
our loyalty, and crown with honour our Redeemer. {5T 87.2}
I have no higher wish than to see our youth imbued with that spirit of pure religion which will lead
them to take up the cross and follow Jesus. Go forth, young disciples of Christ, controlled by principle,
clad in the robes of purity and righteousness. Your Saviour will guide you into the position best suited
to your talents and where you can be most useful. In the path of duty you may be sure of receiving
grace sufficient for your day. {5T 87.3}
The preaching of the gospel is God's chosen agency for the salvation of souls. But our first work
should be to bring our own hearts into harmony with God, and then we are
88
prepared to labour for others. In former days there was great searching of heart among our earnest
workers. They COUNSELLED together and united in humble, fervent prayer for divine guidance.
There has been a decline in the true missionary spirit among ministers and teachers. Yet Christ's
coming is nearer than when we believed. Every passing day leaves us one less to proclaim the message
of warning to the world. Would that there were today more earnest intercession with God, greater
humility, greater purity, and greater faith. {5T 87.4}
All are in constant danger. I warn the church to beware of those who preach to others the word of life
but do not themselves cherish the spirit of humility and self-denial which it inculcates. Such men
cannot be depended on in a crisis. They disregard the voice of God as readily as did Saul, and like him
many stand ready to justify their course. When rebuked by the Lord through His prophet, Saul stoutly
asserted that he had obeyed the voice of God; but the bleating sheep and lowing oxen testified that he
had not. In the same manner do many today assert their loyalty to God, but their concerts and other
pleasure gatherings, their worldly associations, their glorifying of self, and their eager desire for
popularity all testify that they have not obeyed His voice. "As for My people, children are their
oppressors, and women rule over them." {5T 88.1}
That is a high standard which the gospel sets before us. The consistent Christian is not only a new but a
noble creature in Christ Jesus. He is an unfailing light to show others the way to heaven and to God.
He who is drawing his life from Christ will have no desire for the frivolous, unsatisfying enjoyments of
the world. {5T 88.2}
Among the youth will be found great diversity of character and education. Some have lived in an
element of arbitrary restraint and harshness, which has developed in them a spirit of obstinacy and
defiance. Others have been household
89
pets, allowed by overfond parents to follow their own inclinations. Every defect has been excused,
until their character is deformed. To deal successfully with these different minds the teacher needs to
exercise great tact and delicacy in management, as well as firmness in government. {5T 88.3}
Dislike and even contempt for proper regulations will often be manifested. Some will exercise all their
ingenuity in evading penalties, while others will display a reckless indifference to the consequences of
transgression. All this will call for more patience and greater exertion on the part of those who are
entrusted with their education. {5T 89.1}
One of the greatest difficulties with which teachers have had to contend is the failure on the part of
parents to cooperate in administering the discipline of the college. If the parents would stand pledged
to sustain the authority of the teacher, much insubordination, vice, and profligacy would be prevented.
Parents should require their children to respect and obey rightful authority. They should labour with
unremitting care and diligence to instruct, guide, and restrain their children until right habits are firmly
established. With such training the youth would be in subjection to the institutions of society and the
general restraints of moral obligation. {5T 89.2}
Both by precept and example the young should be taught simplicity of dress and manners, industry,
sobriety, and economy. Many students are extravagant in expending the means furnished them by their
parents. They try to show themselves superior to their associates by a lavish use of money for display
and self-indulgence. In some institutions of learning this matter has been regarded of so great
consequence that the dress of the student is prescribed and his use of money limited by law. But
indulgent parents and indulged students will find some way to evade the law. We would resort to no
such means. We ask Christian parents to take all these matters under careful, prayerful consideration,
90
to seek counsel from the word of God, and then to endeavour to act in accordance with its teachings.
{5T 89.3}
If facilities for manual labour were provided in connection with our school, and students were required
to devote a portion of their time to some active employment, it would prove a safeguard against many
of the evil influences that prevail in institutions of learning. Manly, useful occupations, substituted for
frivolous and corrupting diversions, would give legitimate scope for the exuberance of youthful life
and would promote sobriety and stability of character. All possible effort should be made to encourage
a desire for moral and physical as well as mental improvement. If girls were taught how to cook,
especially how to bake good bread, their education would be of far greater value. A knowledge of
useful labour would prevent, to a great extent, that sickly sentimentalism which has been and is still
ruining thousands. The exercise of the muscles as well as the brain will encourage taste for the homely
duties of practical life. {5T 90.1}
The present age is one of show and surface work in education. Brother ----- possesses naturally a love
for system and thoroughness, and these have become habit by lifelong training and discipline. He has
been approved of God for this. His labours are of real worth because he will not allow students to be
superficial. But in his very first efforts toward the establishment of a school he encountered many
obstacles. Had he been less resolute and persevering he would have given up the struggle. Some of the
parents neglected to sustain the school, and their children did not respect the teacher because he wore
poor clothing. They allowed his appearance to prejudice them against him. This spirit of disrespect was
rebuked of the Lord, and the teacher encouraged in his work. But the complaints and unwise reports
carried home by the children strengthened the prejudice of the parents. While Brother ----- was seeking
to inculcate true principles and establish right habits, overindulged children were complaining
91
of their taxing studies. These very ones, I was shown, were suffering because the mind was not
sufficiently occupied with proper subjects. Their thoughts were upon demoralizing matters, and both
mind and body were enfeebled through the habit of self-abuse. It was this vile practice, not overstudy,
that caused the frequent illness of these children and prevented them from making the advancement
which the parents desired. {5T 90.2}
The Lord approved of the general course of Brother -----, as he was laying the foundation for the
school which is now in operation. But the man has laboured too hard, without a firm, blessed,
strengthening home influence to lighten his burdens. Under the strain of overwork he has made some
mistakes, not half so grievous, however, as those of persons who have cherished bitterness against him.
In his connection with the youth he has had to meet that spirit of rebellion and defiance which the
apostle declares to be one of the signs of the last days. {5T 91.1}
Some of the teachers in the college have failed to realize the responsibility of their position. They have
not themselves been learners in the school of Christ, and hence they have not been prepared to instruct
others. {5T 91.2}
Among the students will be found some of idle, vicious habits. These will need reproof and discipline;
but if they cannot be reformed, let them not be driven further toward the pit by impatience and
harshness. Teachers should ever remember that the youth under their charge are the purchase of the
blood of Christ, and are younger members of the Lord's family. Christ made an infinite sacrifice to
redeem them. And teachers should feel that they are to stand as missionaries, to win these students to
Jesus. If they are naturally combative, let them carefully guard against the indulgence of this trait.
Those who have passed the critical period of youth should never forget the temptations and trials of
early life and how much they wanted sympathy, kindness, and love. {5T 91.3}
92
He who devotes himself to arduous public labour in the cause of humanity often finds little time to
devote to his own family and, in one sense, is left almost without a family and without fireside, social
influences. It has been thus with Brother -----. His mind has been constantly taxed. He had little
opportunity to win the affections of his children or to give them needed restraint and guidance. {5T
92.1}
There are many in the college who need a thorough conversion. Let none seek to discern the mote that
is in their brother's eye, when they have a beam in their own eye. Each should cleanse his own soultemple from its defilement. Let envy and jealousy go with the accumulated rubbish. Exalted privileges
and heavenly attainments, purchased for us at an immense cost, are freely presented for our
acceptance. God holds us individually accountable for the measure of light and privileges He has given
us. And if we refuse to render unto God the improvement of the talents committed to our trust we
forfeit His favour. {5T 92.2}
Professor ----- would have served you well had he not been flattered by some and condemned by
others. He became confused. He had traits of character that needed to be suppressed. In their
enthusiasm some have given him undue confidence and praise. You have placed the man where it will
be difficult for him to recover himself and find his true position. He has been sacrificed by both parties
in the church, because they failed to heed the admonitions of the Spirit of God. This is injustice to him.
He had newly come to the faith, and was not prepared for the developments which have been made.
{5T 92.3}
How little we know of the bearing our acts will have upon the future history of ourselves and others.
Many think it is of little importance what they do. It will do no harm for them to attend this concert, or
unite with the world in that amusement, if they wish to do so. Thus Satan leads and
93
controls their desires, and they do not consider that the results may be most momentous. It may be the
link in the chain of events which binds a soul in the snare of Satan and determines his eternal ruin. {5T
92.4}
Every act, however small, has its place in the great drama of life. Consider that the desire for a single
gratification of appetite introduced sin into our world, with its terrible consequences. Unhallowed
marriages of the sons of God with the daughters of men resulted in apostasy which ended in the
destruction of the world by a flood. The most trifling act of self-indulgence has resulted in great
revolutions. This is the case now. There are very few who are circumspect. Like the children of Israel,
they will not take heed to words of counsel, but follow their own inclination. They unite with a worldly
element in attending gatherings where they will be brought into notice, and thus lead the way and
others follow. What has been done once will be done again by themselves and many others. Every step
these take makes a lasting impression, not only on their own consciences and habits, but upon those of
others. This consideration gives awful dignity to human life. {5T 93.1}
My heart aches day after day and night after night for our churches. Many are progressing, but in the
back track. "The path of the just . . . shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Their march is
onward and upward. They progress from strength to strength, from grace to grace, and from glory to
glory. This is the privilege of all our churches. But, oh, how different has it been with them! They need
divine illumination. They must face square about. I know what I say. Unless they shall become
Christians indeed, they will go from weakness to weakness, divisions will increase, and many souls
will be led to perdition. {5T 93.2}
All I can say to you is: Take up the light which God has given you and follow it at any cost to
yourselves. This is your
94
only safety. You have a work to do to come into harmony, and may the Lord help you to do it even if
self is crucified. Gather up the rays of light that have been slighted and rejected. Gather them up with
meekness, with trembling, and with fear. The sin of ancient Israel was in disregarding the expressed
will of God and following their own way according to the leadings of unsanctified hearts. Modern
Israel are fast following in their footsteps, and the displeasure of the Lord is as surely resting upon
them. {5T 93.3}
It is never difficult to do what we love to do, but to take a course directly against our inclinations is
lifting a cross. Christ prayed that His disciples might be one as He was one with the Father. This unity
is the credentials of Christ to the world that God sent Him. When self-will is renounced in reference to
matters there will be a union of believers with Christ. This all should pray for and work for
determinedly, thus answering as far as possible the prayer of Christ for unity in His church. {5T 94.1}
8. Jealousy and Faultfinding Condemned
It pains me to say that there are unruly tongues among church members. There are false tongues that
feed on mischief. There are sly, whispering tongues. There is tattling, impertinent meddling, adroit
quizzing. Among the lovers of gossip some are actuated by curiosity, others by jealousy, many by
hatred against those through whom God has spoken to reprove them. All these discordant elements are
at work. Some conceal their real sentiments, while others are eager to publish all they know, or even
suspect, of evil against another. {5T 94.2}
I saw that the very spirit of perjury, that would turn truth into falsehood, good into evil, and innocence
into crime, is
95
now active. Satan exults over the condition of God's professed people. While many are neglecting their
own souls, they eagerly watch for an opportunity to criticize and condemn others. All have defects of
character, and it is not hard to find something that jealousy can interpret to their injury. "Now," say
these self-constituted judges, "we have facts. We will fasten upon them an accusation from which they
can not clear themselves." They wait for a fitting opportunity and then produce their bundle of gossip
and bring forth their tidbits. {5T 94.3}
In their efforts to carry a point, persons who have naturally a strong imagination are in danger of
deceiving themselves and deceiving others. They gather up unguarded expressions from another, not
considering that words may be uttered hastily and hence may not reflect the real sentiments of the
speaker. But those unpremeditated remarks, often so trifling as to be unworthy of notice, are viewed
through Satan's magnifying glass, pondered, and repeated until molehills become mountains. Separated
from God, the surmisers of evil become the sport of temptation. They scarcely know the strength of
their feelings or the effect of their words. While condemning the errors of others, they indulge far
greater errors themselves. Consistency is a jewel. {5T 95.1}
Is there no law of kindness to be observed? Have Christians been authorized of God to criticize and
condemn one another? Is it honourable, or even honest, to win from the lips of another, under the guise
of friendship, secrets which have been entrusted to him, and then turn the knowledge thus gained to his
injury? Is it Christian charity to gather up every floating report, to unearth everything that will cast
suspicion on the character of another, and then take delight in using it to injure him? Satan exults when
he can defame or wound a follower of Christ. He is "the accuser of our brethren." Shall Christians aid
him in his work? {5T 95.2}
God's all-seeing eye notes the defects of all and the ruling
96
passion of each, yet He bears with our mistakes and pities our weakness. He bids His people cherish
the same spirit of tenderness and forbearance. True Christians will not exult in exposing the faults and
deficiencies of others. They will turn away from vileness and deformity, to fix the mind upon that
which is attractive and lovely. To the Christian every act of faultfinding, every word of censure or
condemnation, is painful. {5T 95.3}
There have always been men and women who profess the truth, who have not conformed their lives to
its sanctifying influence; men who are unfaithful, yet deceiving themselves and encouraging
themselves in sin. Unbelief is seen in their life, their deportment, and character, and this terrible evil
acts as does a canker. {5T 96.1}
Would all professed Christians use their investigative powers to see what evils needed to be corrected
in themselves, instead of talking of others' wrongs, there would be a more healthy condition in the
church today. Some will be honest when it costs nothing; but when policy will pay best, honesty is
forgotten. Honesty and policy will not work together in the same mind. In time, either policy will be
expelled, and truth and honesty reign supreme, or, if policy is cherished, honesty will be forgotten.
They are never in agreement; they have nothing in common. One is the prophet of Baal, the other is the
true prophet of God. When the Lord makes up His jewels, the true, the frank, the honest, will be looked
upon with pleasure. Angels are employed in making crowns for such ones, and upon these stargemmed crowns will be reflected, with splendour, the light which radiates from the throne of God. {5T
96.2}
Our ministering brethren are too often imposed upon by the relation of trials in the church, and they
too frequently refer to them in their discourses. They should not encourage the members of the church
to complain of one another, but
97
should set them as spies upon their own actions. None should allow their feelings of prejudice and
resentment to be aroused by the relation of the wrongs of others; all should wait patiently until they
hear both sides of the question, and then believe only what stern facts compel them to believe. At all
times the safe course is not to listen to an evil report until the Bible rule has been strictly carried out.
This will apply to some who have worked artfully to draw out from the unsuspecting, matters which
they had no business with and which would do them no good to know. {5T 96.3}
For your soul's sake, my brethren, have an eye single to the glory of God. Leave self out of your
thoughts as much as possible. We are nearing the close of time. Examine your motives in the light of
eternity. I know you need to be alarmed; you are departing from the old landmarks. Your science, so
called, is undermining the foundation of Christian principle. I have been shown the course you would
surely pursue should you disconnect from God. Do not trust to your own wisdom. I tell you, your souls
are in imminent peril. For Christ's sake, search and see why you have so little love for religious
exercises. {5T 97.1}
The Lord is testing and proving His people. You may be just as severe and critical with your own
defective character as you please; but be kind, pitiful, and courteous toward others. Inquire every day:
Am I sound to the core, or am I false-hearted? Entreat the Lord to save you from all deception on this
point. Eternal interests are involved. While so many are panting after honour and greedy of gain, do
you, my beloved brethren, be eagerly seeking the assurance of the love of God and crying: Who will
show me how to make my calling and election sure? {5T 97.2}
Satan carefully studies the constitutional sins of men, and then he begins his work of alluring and
ensnaring them. We are in the thickest of temptations, but there is victory for us if we fight manfully
the battles of the Lord. All are in danger.
98
But if you walk humbly and prayerfully you will come forth from the proving process more precious
than fine gold, even than the golden wedge of Ophir. If careless and prayerless, you will be as
sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. {5T 97.3}
Some have become almost lost in the mazes of skepticism. To such I would say: Lift your mind out of
that channel. Fasten it upon God. The more closely faith and holiness bind you to the Eternal One, the
clearer and brighter will the justice of His dealings appear to you. Make life, eternal life, the object of
your pursuit. {5T 98.1}
I know your danger. If you lose confidence in the testimonies you will drift away from Bible truth. I
have been fearful that many would take a questioning, doubting position, and in my distress for your
souls I would warn you. How many will heed the warning? As you now hold the testimonies, should
one be given crossing your track, correcting your errors, would you feel at perfect liberty to accept or
reject any part or the whole? That which you will be least inclined to receive is the very part most
needed. God and Satan never work in copartnership. The testimonies either bear the signet of God or
that of Satan. A good tree cannot bring forth corrupt fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good
fruit. By their fruit ye shall know them. God has spoken. Who has trembled at His word? {5T 98.2}
9. The Day of the Lord at Hand
"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord:
the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day
of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a
day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities,
99
and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men,
because they have sinned against the Lord." {5T 98.3}
"And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men
that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil."
{5T 99.1}
"Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; before the decree bring forth,
before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of
the Lord's anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His
judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger."
{5T 99.2}
We are near the close of time. I have been shown that the retributive judgments of God are already in
the land. The Lord has given us warning of the events about to take place. Light is shining from His
word; yet darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people. "When they shall say, Peace and
safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them; . . . and they shall not escape." {5T 99.3}
It is our duty to inquire the cause of this terrible darkness, that we may shun the course by which men
have brought upon themselves so great delusion. God has given the world an opportunity to learn and
to obey His will. He has given them, in His word, the light of truth; He has sent them warning, counsel,
and admonition; but few will obey His voice. Like the Jewish nation, the majority, even of professed
Christians, pride themselves on their superior advantages, but make no returns to God for these great
blessings. In infinite mercy a last warning message has been sent to the world, announcing that Christ
is at the door and calling attention to God's broken law. But as the antediluvians rejected with scorn the
warning of Noah, so will the pleasure lovers of today reject
100
the message of God's faithful servants. The world pursues its unvarying round, absorbed as ever in its
business and its pleasures, while the wrath of God is about to be visited on the transgressors of His
law. {5T 99.4}
Our compassionate Redeemer, foreseeing the perils that would surround His followers at this time, has
given them special warning: "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with
surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a
snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray
always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand
before the Son of man." If the church pursue a course similar to that of the world, they will share the
same fate. Nay, rather, as they have received greater light, their punishment will be greater than that of
the impenitent. {5T 100.1}
We as a people profess to have truth in advance of every other people upon the earth. Then our life and
character should be in harmony with such a faith. The day is just upon us when the righteous shall be
bound like precious grain in bundles for the heavenly garner, while the wicked are, like the tares,
gathered for the fires of the last great day. But the wheat and tares "grow together until the harvest." In
the discharge of life's duties the righteous will to the last be brought in contact with the ungodly. The
children of light are scattered among the children of darkness, that the contrast may be seen by all.
Thus are the children of God to "show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness
into His marvellous light." The divine love glowing in the heart, the Christ like harmony manifested in
the life, will be as a glimpse of heaven granted to men of the world that they may see and appreciate its
excellence. {5T 100.2}
Like will attract like. Those who are drinking from the
101
same fountain of blessing will draw nearer together. Truth dwelling in the hearts of believers will lead
to blessed and happy assimilation. Thus will be answered the prayer of Christ that His disciples might
be one even as He is one with the Father. For this oneness every truly converted heart will be striving.
{5T 100.3}
With the ungodly there will be a deceptive harmony that but partially conceals a perpetual discord. In
their opposition to the will and the truth of God they are united, while on every other point they are
rent with hatred, emulation, jealousy, and deadly strife. {5T 101.1}
The pure and the base metal are now so mingled that only the discerning eye of the infinite God can
with certainty distinguish between them. But the moral magnet of holiness and truth will attract
together the pure metal, while it will repel the base and counterfeit. {5T 101.2}
"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly;" but where do we behold the true
advent spirit? Who are preparing to stand in that time of temptation which is just before us? The people
to whom God has entrusted the sacred, solemn, testing truths for this time are sleeping at their post.
They say by their actions: We have the truth; we are "rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing;" while the True Witness declares: Thou "knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked." {5T 101.3}
With what fidelity do these words portray the present condition of the church: "Knowest not that thou
art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Messages of warning, dictated by the
Holy Spirit, are borne by the servants of God, defects of character are presented before the erring; but
they say: "That does not represent my case. I do not accept the message you bring. I am doing the best
I can. I believe the truth." {5T 101.4}
That evil servant who said in his heart, "My Lord delayeth
102
His coming," professed to be waiting for Christ. He was a "servant," outwardly devoted to the service
of God while at heart he had yielded to Satan. He does not, like the scoffer, openly deny the truth, but
reveals in his life the sentiment of the heart--that the Lord's coming is delayed. Presumption renders
him careless of eternal interests. He accepts the world's maxims and conforms to its customs and
practices. Selfishness, worldly pride, and ambitions predominate. Fearing that his brethren may stand
higher than himself, he begins to disparage their efforts and impugn their motives. Thus he smites his
fellow servants. As he alienates himself from the people of God he unites more and more with the
ungodly. He is found eating and drinking "with the drunken"--joining with worldlings and partaking of
their spirit. Thus he is lulled into a carnal security and overcome by forgetfulness, indifference, and
sloth. {5T 101.5}
The very beginning of the evil was a neglect of watchfulness and secret prayer, then came a neglect of
other religious duties, and thus the way was opened for all the sins that followed. Every Christian will
be assailed by the allurements of the world, the clamours of the carnal nature, and the direct
temptations of Satan. No one is safe. No matter what our experience has been, no matter how high our
station, we need to watch and pray continually. We must be daily controlled by the Spirit of God or we
are controlled by Satan. {5T 102.1}
The Saviour's instructions to His disciples were given for the benefit of His followers in every age. He
had those in view who were living near the close of time, when He said: "Take heed to yourselves." It
is our work, each for himself, to cherish in the heart the precious graces of the Holy Spirit. {5T 102.2}
Satan is working with unfailing perseverance and intense energy to draw into his ranks the professed
followers of Christ. He is working "with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish."
But Satan is not the only worker by whom
103
the kingdom of darkness is supported. Whoever solicits to sin is a tempter. Whoever imitates the great
deceiver becomes his aid. Those who give their influence to sustain an evil work are doing Satan's
drudgery. {5T 102.3}
Actions reveal principles and motives. The fruit borne by many who claim to be plants in the Lord's
vineyard shows them to be but thorns and briers. A whole church may sanction the wrong course of
some of its members, but that sanction does not prove the wrong to be right. It cannot make grapes of
thorn berries. {5T 103.1}
If some who profess to believe present truth could understand their true position, they would despair of
the mercy of God. They have been exerting all their influence against the truth, against the voice of
warning, against the people of God. They have been doing the work of Satan. Many have become so
infatuated by his deceptions that they will never recover. Such a state of backsliding cannot exist
without causing the loss of many souls. {5T 103.2}
The church has received warning after warning. The duties and dangers of God's people have been
plainly revealed. But the worldly element has proved too strong for them. Customs, practices, and
fashions which lead the soul away from God have been for years gaining ground in defiance of the
warnings and entreaties of the Holy Spirit, until at last their ways have become right in their own eyes,
and the Spirit's voice is scarcely heard. No man can tell how far he may go in sin when once he yields
himself to the power of the great deceiver. Satan entered into Judas Iscariot and induced him to betray
his Lord. Satan led Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Ghost. Those who are not wholly
consecrated to God may be led to do the work of Satan, while yet they flatter themselves that they are
in the service of Christ. {5T 103.3}
Brethren and sisters, I entreat you to "examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own
selves." To maintain
104
the warmth and purity of Christian love requires a constant supply of the grace of Christ. Have you
employed every means that your "love may abound yet more and more," "that ye may approve things
that are excellent," and be filled with the fruits of righteousness "which are by Jesus Christ, unto the
glory and praise of God"? {5T 103.4}
Many who should stand firm for righteousness and truth have manifested weakness and indecision that
have encouraged the assaults of Satan. Those who fail to grow in grace, not seeking to reach the
highest standard in divine attainments, will be overcome. {5T 104.1}
This world is to the Christian a land of strangers and enemies. Unless he shall take for his defence the
divine panoply and wield the sword of the Spirit he will become the prey of the powers of darkness.
The faith of all will be tested. All will be tried as gold is tried in the fire. {5T 104.2}
The church is composed of imperfect, erring men and women, who call for the continual exercise of
charity and forbearance. But there has been a long period of general lukewarmness; a worldly spirit
coming into the church has been followed by alienation, faultfinding, malice, strife, and iniquity. {5T
104.3}
Should there be less sermonizing by men who are unconsecrated in heart and life, and were more time
devoted to humbling the soul before God, then might we hope that the Lord would appear to your help
and heal your backslidings. Much of the preaching of late begets a false security. Important interests in
the cause of God cannot be wisely managed by those who have had so little real connection with God
as some of our ministers have had. To entrust the work to such men is like setting children to manage
great vessels at sea. Those who are destitute of heavenly wisdom, destitute of living power with God,
are not competent to steer the gospel ship amid icebergs and tempests. The church is passing through
severe conflicts, but in her peril many would trust her to hands that will surely
105
wreck her. We need a pilot on board now, for we are nearing the harbor. As a people we should be the
light of the world. But how many are foolish virgins, having no oil in their vessels with their lamps.
May the Lord of all grace, abundant in mercy, full of forgiveness, pity and save us, that we perish not
with the wicked! {5T 104.4}
In this season of conflict and trial we need all the support and consolation we can derive from
righteous principles, from fixed religious convictions, from the abiding assurance of the love of Christ,
and from a rich experience in divine things. We shall attain to the full stature of men and women in
Christ Jesus only as the result of a steady growth in grace. {5T 105.1}
Oh, what can I say to open blind eyes, to enlighten the spiritual understanding! Sin must be crucified.
A complete moral renovation must be wrought by the Holy Spirit. We must have the love of God, with
living, abiding faith. This is the gold tried in the fire. We can obtain it only of Christ. Every sincere and
earnest seeker will become a partaker of the divine nature. His soul will be filled with intense longing
to know the fullness of that love which passes knowledge; as he advances in the divine life he will be
better able to grasp the elevated, ennobling truths of the word of God, until by beholding he becomes
changed and is enabled to reflect the likeness of his Redeemer. {5T 105.2}
10. Unwise Marriages
I have been shown that the youth of today have no true sense of their great danger. There are many of
the young whom God would accept as labourers in the various branches of His work, but Satan steps in
and so entangles them in his web that they become estranged from God and powerless in His work.
Satan is a sharp and persevering workman. He knows just how to entrap the unwary, and it is an
alarming fact that
106
but few succeed in escaping from his wiles. They see no danger and do not guard against his devices.
He prompts them to fasten their affections upon one another without seeking wisdom of God or of
those whom He has sent to warn, reprove, and counsel. They feel self-sufficient and will not bear
restraint. {5T 105.3}
Your own case, Brother -----, is a forcible illustration of this. You have become infatuated with the
thought of marriage. As is generally the case with those who have their minds directed in this channel,
the warnings of the servants of God have but little influence upon you. I have been shown how easily
you are affected by surrounding influences. Should you connect with associates whose minds are cast
in an inferior mould, you would become like them. Unless the love and fear of God were before you,
their thoughts would be your thoughts; if they lacked reverence, you also would be come irreverent, if
they were frivolous and given to pleasure seeking, you would follow in the same path with a zeal and
perseverance worthy of a better cause. {5T 106.1}
The young lady upon whom you have placed your affections has not depth of thought or character. Her
life has been frivolous, and her mind is narrow and superficial. Yet you have steadily refused to be
cautioned by your father, your loving sister, or by your friends in the church. I came to you as Christ's
ambassador; but your strong feelings, your self-confidence, closed your eyes to danger and your ears to
warnings. Your course has been as persistent as though no one knew quite so much as yourself or as
though the salvation of your soul depended upon your following your own judgment. {5T 106.2}
Should every young man who professes the truth do as you have done, what would be the condition of
families and of the church? Consider the influence of the disrespect you have shown for your parents
by your self-will and self-sufficiency. You are among the class described as heady, high-minded.
107
This infatuation has caused you to lose your interest in religious things and to think only of yourself
instead of the glory of God. No good can come of this intimacy or attachment. The blessing of God
will not attend any such willful course as you are pursuing. You should not be eager to enter the
marriage relation and assume the care of a family before you have thoroughly established your own
character. I regard you as in great darkness but unable to realize your peril. {5T 106.3}
The truth was reforming your life and character, and you were gaining the confidence of the brethren;
but Satan saw that he was losing you, and therefore he increased his efforts to entangle you in his wily
snare and has succeeded wonderfully. The weakness of your nature, hitherto undiscovered, is now
developed. You do not see your condition, although it is very apparent to others. Light does not come
to a man who makes no effort to obtain it. When you saw that your brethren and sisters were grieved
with your course, then it was time for you to stop and consider what you were doing, to pray much,
and to counsel with men of experience in the church and gratefully accept their advice. {5T 107.1}
"But," say you, "should I follow the judgment of the brethren independent of my own feelings?" I
answer: The church is God's delegated authority upon earth. Christ has said: "Whatsoever ye shall bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
There is altogether too little respect paid to the opinion of members of the same church. It is the want
of deference for the opinions of the church that causes so much trouble among brethren. The eyes of
the church may be able to discern in its individual members that which the erring may not see. A few
persons may be as blind as the one in error, but the majority of the church is a power which should
control its individual members. {5T 107.2}
The apostle Peter says: "Likewise, ye younger, submit
108
yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for
God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." Paul exhorts: "Be kindly affectioned one to
another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another," "submitting yourselves one to another
in the fear of God." "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem other better than themselves." Unless the advice and counsel of the church can be respected, it
is indeed powerless. God has placed a voice in the church which must control its members. {5T 107.3}
If you are led by truth rather than error you will be willing to obey your parents and sacredly regard the
voice of the church. Your prayers have been made with a determination to carry out what you regarded
as right, irrespective of the wishes of your parents or of the church. All through your life you have
been actuated in a large degree by selfish feelings. Ofttimes a great sacrifice of feeling has to be made
in order to comply with the conditions laid down in God's word and to act from principle. {5T 108.1}
"Should parents," you ask, "select a companion with out regard to the mind or feelings of son or
daughter?" I put the question to you as it should be: Should a son or daughter select a companion
without first consulting the parents, when such a step must materially affect the happiness of parents if
they have any affection for their children? And should that child, notwithstanding the counsel and
entreaties of his parents, persist in following his own course? I answer decidedly: No; not if he never
marries. The fifth commandment forbids such a course. "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy
days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." Here is a commandment with a
promise which the Lord will surely fulfill to those who obey. {5T 108.2}
Wise parents will never select companions for their children
109
without respect to their wishes. No one has ever proposed to do this in your case. But most of that
which the youth of our day term love is only blind impulse, which originates with Satan to compass
their destruction. {5T 108.3}
Should you, my brother, go to our college now, as you have planned, I fear for your course there. Your
expressed determination to have a lady's company wherever you should go shows me that you are far
from being in a position to be benefited by going to Battle Creek. The infatuation which is upon you is
more satanic than divine. I do not wish to have you disappointed in regard to Battle Creek. The rules
are strict there. No courting is allowed. The school would be worth nothing to students were they to
become entangled in love affairs as you have been. Our college would soon be demoralized. Parents do
not send their children to our college or to our offices to commence a lovesick, sentimental life, but to
be educated in the sciences or to learn the printer's trade. Were the rules so lax that the youth were
allowed to become bewildered and infatuated with the society of the opposite sex as you have been for
some months past, the object of their going to Battle Creek would be lost. If you cannot put this
entirely out of your mind and go there with the spirit of a learner and with a purpose to arouse yourself
to the most earnest, humble, sincere efforts, praying that you may have a close connection with God, it
would be better for you to remain at home. {5T 109.1}
Should you go you ought to be prepared to withstand temptation and to hold up the hands of professors
and teachers, letting your influence be wholly on the side of discipline and order. God designs that all
who work in His cause shall be subject one to another, ready to receive advice and instruction. They
should train themselves by the severest mental and moral discipline, that by the assisting grace of God
they may be fitted in mind and heart to train others. Fervent prayer, humility, and earnestness must be
combined with God's help,
110
for human frailties and human feelings are continually striving for the mastery. Every man must purify
his soul through obedience to the truth, and with an eye single to God's glory he must abase self and
exalt Jesus and His grace. By thus continually advancing toward the light he will become acquainted
with God and receive His help. {5T 109.2}
Some of those who attend the college do not properly improve their time. Full of the buoyancy of
youth, they spurn the restraint that is brought to bear upon them. Especially do they rebel against the
rules that will not allow young gentlemen to pay their attentions to young ladies. Full well is known
the evil of such a course in this degenerate age. In a college where so many youth are associated,
imitating the customs of the world in this respect would turn the thoughts in a channel that would
hinder them in their pursuit of knowledge and in their interest in religious things. The infatuation on
the part of both young men and women in thus placing the affections upon each other during school
days shows a lack of good judgment. As in your own case, blind impulse controls reason and
judgment. Under this bewitching delusion the momentous responsibility felt by every sincere Christian
is laid aside, spirituality dies, and the judgment and eternity lose their awful significance. {5T 110.1}
Every faculty of those who become affected by this contagious disease--blind love--is brought in
subjection to it. They seem to be devoid of good sense, and their course of action is disgusting to all
who behold it. My brother, you have made yourself a subject of talk and have lowered yourself in the
estimation of those whose approval you should prize. With many the crisis of the disease is reached in
an immature marriage, and when the novelty is past and the bewitching power of love-making is over,
one or both parties awake to their true situation. They then find themselves ill-mated, but united for
life. Bound to each other by the most solemn vows, they look
111
with sinking hearts upon the miserable life they must lead. They ought then to make the best of their
situation, but many will not do this. They will either prove false to their marriage vows or make the
yoke which they persisted in placing upon their own necks so very galling that not a few cowardly put
an end to their existence. {5T 110.2}
Associating with the vain, the superficial, and the sceptical will be productive of moral depravity and
ruin. Bold, forward young gentlemen or ladies may have something pleasing in their address; they may
have brilliant powers of mind and skill to make the bad appear even preferable to the good. Such
persons will enchant and bewilder a certain class, and souls will be lost in consequence. The influence
of every man's thoughts and actions surrounds him like an invisible atmosphere, which is
unconsciously breathed in by all who come in contact with him. This atmosphere is frequently charged
with poisonous influences, and when these are inhaled, moral degeneracy is the sure result. {5T 111.1}
My young brother, would that I could impress upon you your true condition. You must repent or you
can never see the kingdom of heaven. Many young men and women who profess godliness do not
know what it is to follow Christ. They do not imitate His example in doing good. Love and gratitude
toward God are not springing up in the heart nor expressed in their words and deportment. They do not
possess the spirit of self-denial, neither do they encourage each other in the way of holiness. We do not
want young people to engage in the solemn work of God who profess Christ but have not the moral
strength to take their position with those who are sober and watch unto prayer and who have their
conversation in heaven, whence they look for the Saviour. We do not feel overanxious for youth to go
to Battle Creek who profess to be Sabbath-keepers but who indicate by their choice of companions
their low state of morals. {5T 111.2}
112
The door of our college will ever be open to those who are not professors of religion, and the youth
coming to Battle Creek may have this irreligious society if it is their choice. If they have right motives
in associating with these and sufficient spiritual strength to withstand their influence they may be a
power for good; while they are learners they may become teachers. The true Christian does not choose
the company of the unconverted for love of the atmosphere surrounding their irreligious lives or to
excite admiration and secure applause, but for the purpose of communicating light and knowledge, and
bringing them up to a noble, elevated standard, the broad platform of eternal truth. {5T 112.1}
One person with pure motives, intent on becoming intelligent that he may make a right use of his
abilities, will be a power for good in the school. He will have a moulding influence. When parents
justify the complaints of their children against the authority and discipline of the school, they do not
see that they are increasing the demoralizing power which now prevails to such a fearful extent. Every
influence surrounding the youth needs to be on the right side, for youthful depravity is increasing. {5T
112.2}
With worldly youth, the love of society and pleasure becomes an absorbing passion. To dress, to visit,
to indulge the appetite and passions, and to whirl through the round of social dissipation appears to be
the great end of existence. They are unhappy if left in solitude. Their chief desire is to be admired and
flattered, and to make a sensation in society; and when this desire is not gratified, life seems
unendurable. {5T 112.3}
Those who will put on the whole armour of God and devote some time every day to meditation and
prayer and to the study of the Scriptures will be connected with heaven and will have a saving,
transforming influence upon those around them. Great thoughts, noble aspirations, clear perceptions of
truth and duty to God, will be theirs. They will be yearning for
113
purity, for light, for love, for all the graces of heavenly birth. Their earnest prayers will enter into that
within the veil. This class will have a sanctified boldness to come into the presence of the Infinite One.
They will feel that heaven's light and glories are for them, and they will become refined, elevated,
ennobled by this intimate acquaintance with God. Such is the privilege of true Christians. {5T 112.4}
Abstract meditation is not enough; busy action is not enough; both are essential to the formation of
Christian character. Strength acquired in earnest, secret prayer prepares us to withstand the allurements
of society. And yet we should not exclude ourselves from the world, for our Christian experience is to
be the light of the world. The society of unbelievers will do us no harm if we mingle with them for the
purpose of connecting them with God and are strong enough spiritually to withstand their influence.
{5T 113.1}
Christ came into the world to save it, to connect fallen man with the infinite God. Christ's followers are
to be channels of light. Maintaining communion with God, they are to transmit to those in darkness
and error the choice blessings which they receive of heaven. Enoch did not become polluted with the
iniquities existing in his day; why need we in our day? But we may, like our Master, have compassion
for suffering humanity, pity for the unfortunate, and a generous consideration for the feelings and
necessities of the needy, the troubled, and the despairing. {5T 113.2}
Those who are Christians indeed will seek to do good to others and at the same time will so order their
conversation and deportment as to maintain a calm, hallowed peace of mind. God's word requires that
we should be like our Saviour, that we should bear His image, imitate His example, live His life.
Selfishness and worldliness are not fruits of a Christian tree. No man can live for himself and yet enjoy
the approbation of God. Sept. 5, 1879. {5T 113.3}
11. Warnings and Reproofs
There is an element in the church at ----- that is detrimental to its spiritual interests. There is a great
want of vital godliness, of experimental religion. I call no names. Let each search his own heart and
understand his own imperfections. There are some who are ever leaning toward the world, ever
lowering the standard of religion by their worldly conversation. They have not the love of God in their
hearts. They are weak-handed when real help is needed in the church. This spiritual weakness is the
result of their own unwillingness to bear burdens when and where they can help the most. When,
however, there is any plan or device of their own to carry out, they are willing to assume any
responsibility; to have their own way is their purpose. If that were a sanctified way, it would not be so
bad; but it is not. {5T 114.1}
There is great need of zealous, disinterested workers in God's cause. One Christ-loving, devoted
member will do more good in a church than one hundred half-converted, unsanctified, self-sufficient
workers. It is impossible for the church to be a living, active church unless its members shall be willing
to bear burdens and assume responsibilities. In church relationship are brought together different
temperaments and dispositions. In the -----church there are a few devoted, God-fearing, faithful souls
who pray much, who carry the burden of the church, and whose happiness is in the prosperity of its
members. Here, as elsewhere, Satan is constantly at work to drag down and demoralize. It is the
business of the adversary of souls to weaken and destroy every organization which, if prospered,
would glorify God. {5T 114.2}
Young men have received the truth and run well for a season, but Satan has woven his meshes about
them in unwise attachments and poor marriages. This he saw would
115
be the most successful way he could allure them from the path of holiness. For a while some of these
youth bore the gospel armour with dignity and grace. Just as long as the heart and mind were in
subjection to the divine will, there was prosperity; but when the eye was diverted from Jesus and
attracted to unworthy objects, then it was that self asserted the sway, that carnal reason overbore wise
judgment and integrity, and the Christian armour was thought too weighty to be borne by those so
young in years. It would do for old, experienced soldiers of the gospel, but it was too heavy for youth.
The tempter offered many suggestions calculated to cause inconstancy and vacillation in the Christian
course. {5T 114.3}
The injunction of the Captain of their salvation was, "Take ye heed, watch and pray," "lest ye enter
into temptation;" but it was too much trouble to faithfully guard the soul, and the deceptive power of
Satan and the deceitful heart allured away from Christ. If these young men and young women had
considered the words of the apostle, "Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price," they would
not have felt at liberty to keep back from God that which He had purchased at an infinite cost. {5T
115.1}
There is not one youth in one hundred who feels his God-given responsibility. Every physical and
mental capability should be carefully preserved and put to the best and highest use to advance the glory
of God. Those youth who permit their powers to be perverted, thus abusing God's gifts, will be called
to strict account for the good they might have done had they availed themselves of the provision made
through Jesus Christ. God claims the working of every faculty. {5T 115.2}
There are youth in the ----- church who should be cultivating the grace of Christian steadfastness and
growing up to be men of faith. They should become firm, unwavering, rooted and grounded in the
truth. The church needs the very
116
help which God designed they should give. Those professing His name have not consecrated their
powers fully and entirely to Him, but have yielded them, in a measure, to the service of Satan. Such
have been, and still are, robbing God. Like the unfaithful steward to whom were entrusted talents, they
have hid the gifts of God in the world. {5T 115.3}
Another great detriment to the church at ----- has been the material which has come into it. This
material needs to be melted over by the Spirit of God. The dross is seen in crude, sharp traits of
character, which might have been removed had these individuals been learners of Christ. But they have
not fully separated themselves from the spirit and influences of the world. They rob God by daily
mingling His time, His talents, and His strength with a worldly element. These powers cannot be
withheld from God without resulting in eternal ruin. You have been bought with a price, even if you
perish because you will not be saved in God's appointed way. {5T 116.1}
Holy angels are watching with intense interest, to see if the individual members of the church will
honour their Redeemer, to see if they will place themselves in connection with heaven and no longer
defraud the Lord, whom they profess to love, honour, and serve. God calls for His own. You are His by
creation, and doubly His by redemption. But when you suffer the fires of unhallowed passion to light
up the eye, when you speak words that drive the holy angels from you, when you think evil of your
brethren, when you profane your hands with the gains of ungodliness, you are yielding your members
as instruments of unrighteousness. {5T 116.2}
Brother -----, I saw that "Wanting" was written against your name in the Ledger of Heaven--wanting in
patience, in forbearance, in self-control, in lowliness and meekness. The want of these heavenly graces
will surely close the gates of heaven against you. Your body, your soul, your entire
117
being with all its capabilities, God claims as His. That hasty, uncontrolled temper must be overcome.
Spiritual disease is the sure result of giving way to this fretting, complaining, murmuring spirit. And
this disease of soul will be your own fault. Cease to fret, cease to be stubborn, cease to pet self, and be
a noblehearted, valiant man for God. Jesus loves you. Has He not made ample provision for you, that
you should have help when brought into difficult places? "What," He says, "could have been done
more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth
grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" The fruit Christ claims, after the patient care bestowed upon His
church, is faith, patience, love, forbearance, heavenly-mindedness, meekness. These are clusters of
fruit which mature amid storm and cloud and darkness, as well as in the sunshine. {5T 116.3}
Brother ----- is joined to the church, but not to the Lord. He has a dyspeptic religion. He is not right
with God; he is filled with self. He has lost much by uniting with individuals who have not the spirit of
Christ. He is lacking in almost every grace. He is useless to himself, and a great stumbling block to the
church. Dear brother, Satan has controlled you to a great extent; your thoughts are unsanctified, your
actions are not in accordance with the spirit of a true Christian. You have brought on your own disease;
you must be your own restorer through the help of the divine Physician. Your moral powers are weak
for want of nourishment. You are starving spiritually for Bible truth--the bread of life. You need to
draw daily nourishment from the living Vine. The church receives no strength from you and in your
present condition would be better off without you, for now, if anything arises to cross your track and
you cannot control matters, you settle back with stubbornness, a dead weight on the church. You bear
no burden or weight of the cause. God has borne long with you, but there is a limit to His forbearance,
118
a line beyond which you may venture, when His Spirit will no longer strive with you, but leave you in
your own perversity, defiled with selfishness, and debased with sin. {5T 117.1}
Brother ----- does not possess a right spirit. His disposition to lead hurts him, for he is not fitted for any
such work. He can act a good part in the church if self is not made prominent. More meekness and
lowliness will make his efforts a blessing to the church instead of a burden. {5T 118.1}
Brother and Sister -----, I saw opposite your names also, in the heavenly record, the word, "Wanting."
You need to be emptied of self and the soul temple cleansed. Both of you have ability to do good, but
it is unsanctified. You are greatly deficient in the simplicity of godliness. Were the church left to be
moulded by your standard of religion, it would be demoralized into a worldly, unconsecrated form.
You might have been a great blessing to the church, but you have greatly failed. Jesus bids you come
out from the spirit of the world. Sister -----, I am alarmed for you and for those who are brought in
contact with your influence. You reach a low standard. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap." By your words and actions you are now casting the seed. You are either sowing to the flesh or to
the Spirit. In the day of final reckoning everyone must take the sickle and mow down the crop his own
hand has sown. {5T 118.2}
Your husband is mistaking his work. When he shall humble his heart as a little child, and when he
shall feel his own importance less and his need of help from God more, then he may be where he can
be used to God's glory. But, as he is, he does not realize the wants of the cause. There is so much great
I, and so little Jesus exhibited in the life and character of many, that God will accept nothing from their
hands. But few realize the solemnity of the time in which we live--the day of God's preparation.
Should you both be
119
converted and devote your ability to studying how to build up the church instead of weakening it and
helping the enemy in his work of leading its members to the world you would be gaining a valuable
experience every day as you pass along. Brother ----- has been a great hindrance to the church. He
should not be a member of the church unless his daily life is in harmony with his profession. God does
not acknowledge him as His child. He stands today under the black banner of the powers of darkness.
Satan has him completely under his control. {5T 118.3}
Such strong, discouraging influences as these have been a tide almost too strong for the church to stand
against. Ten members, who were walking in all humbleness of mind, would have a far greater power
upon the world than has the entire church, with its present numbers and lack of unity. The more there
is of the divided, inharmonious element, the less power will the church have for good in the world. {5T
119.1}
Would that I could make plain to your beclouded senses, my brethren, the great peril you are in. Every
action, good or bad, prepares the way for its repetition. How was it in the case of Pharaoh? The
statement in Holy Writ is that God hardened his heart, and at every repetition of light in the
manifestation of God's power the statement is repeated. Every time he refused to submit to God's will
his heart became harder and less impressible by the Spirit of God. He sowed the seed of obstinacy, and
God left it to vegetate. He might have prevented it by a miracle, but that was not His plan. He allowed
it to grow and produce a harvest of its own kind, thus, proving the truthfulness of the scripture:
"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." When a man plants doubts, he will reap doubts.
By rejecting the first light and every following ray, Pharaoh went from one degree of hardness of heart
to another, until the cold, dead
120
forms of the first-born only checked his unbelief and obstinacy for a moment. And then, determined
not to yield to God's way, he continued his willful course until overwhelmed by the waters of the Red
Sea. {5T 119.2}
This case is placed on record for our benefit. Just what took place in Pharaoh's heart will take place in
every soul that neglects to cherish the light and walk promptly in its rays. God destroys no one. The
sinner destroys himself by his own impenitence. When a person once neglects to heed the invitations,
reproofs, and warnings of the Spirit of God, his conscience becomes seared, and the next time he is
admonished, it will be more difficult to yield obedience than before. And thus with every repetition.
Conscience is the voice of God, heard amid the conflict of human passions; when it is resisted, the
Spirit of God is grieved. {5T 120.1}
We want all to understand how the soul is destroyed. It is not that God sends out a decree that man
shall not be saved. He does not throw a darkness before the eyes which cannot be penetrated. But man
at first resists a motion of the Spirit of God, and, having once resisted, it is less difficult to do so the
second time, less the third, and far less the fourth. Then comes the harvest to be reaped from the seed
of unbelief and resistance. Oh what a harvest of sinful indulgences is preparing for the sickle! {5T
120.2}
When secret prayer and reading of the Scriptures are neglected today, tomorrow they can be omitted
with less remonstrance of conscience. There will be a long list of omissions, all for a single grain sown
in the soil of the heart. On the other hand, every ray of light cherished will yield a harvest of light.
Temptation once resisted will give power to more firmly resist the second time; every new victory
gained over self will smooth the way for higher and nobler triumphs. Every victory is a seed sown to
eternal life. {5T 120.3}
There is great need of zealous, faithful, self-denying workers
121
in our churches throughout the land. No one can labour in the Sabbath school or in the temperance
work without reaping a bountiful harvest, not only in the end of the world, but in the present life. In the
very effort to enlighten and bless others his own views will become clearer and broader. The more we
endeavour to explain the truth to others, with a love for souls, the plainer will it become to ourselves. It
ever opens with new beauty and force to the understanding of the expounder. {5T 120.4}
There are some good workers in your church, and these self-denying ones will never know how much
good they have accomplished by their persevering efforts in the missionary field. But the Lord has
claims upon more men and women in the church than have yielded to His demands. Some of the stones
composing God's holy temple reflect the light which shines upon them from Jesus Christ, while others
emit no light, thus clearly revealing that they are not living stones, elect, precious. They are not
devotional, but prayerless, talkative, irreligious. True Christians will copy the pattern given them by
our Saviour and will be meek, lowly, forbearing, gentle, easy to be entreated, free from pomposity and
stubbornness. {5T 121.1}
Dangers of the Young
Mr. ----- has a nature that Satan plays upon with wonderful success. This case is one that should teach
the young a lesson in regard to marriage. His wife followed feeling and impulse, not reason and
judgment, in selecting a companion. Was their marriage the result of true love? No, no; it was the
result of impulse,--blind, unsanctified passion. Neither was at all fitted for the responsibilities of
married life. When the novelty of the new order of things wore away, and each became acquainted
with the other, did their love become stronger, their affection deeper, and their lives blend
122
together in beautiful harmony? It was entirely the opposite. The worst traits of their characters began to
deepen by exercise, and, instead of their married life being one of happiness, it has been one of
increasing trouble, especially to the wife. God in His mercy has tested her, spared her life, and
lengthened her probation in order that she might obtain a fitness for the future life. {5T 121.2}
Her husband has a very defective character. Without a thorough transformation by the grace of God he
would be unfit to connect in marriage with any woman. He is so thoroughly impregnated with self, so
entirely given up to habits of self-indulgence and easy indolence, that he needs to be under discipline
himself, rather than have anything to do in disciplining wife or children. This man's mind has been cast
in an inferior mould. He has encouraged coarseness and objectionable traits of character, until he was
presented to me as having scarcely a redeeming quality in his character. There is only one hope, and
that is that he will see himself, and so despise and loathe himself that he will seek a new heart, be born
again, and become a new man in Christ Jesus. He should become a diligent man. Industry will be of
great advantage to him. His course is offensive to God, in that he invites temptation. His rudeness, his
threats, his untamable, uncourteous spirit, will make him a curse to himself and to others. His conduct
toward his wife's mother has been rude and ungentlemanly. It should henceforth be the life study of
both husband and wife how to avoid everything that creates contention and to keep unbroken the
marriage vows. {5T 122.1}
Just such unsanctified marriages are filling up the ranks of Sabbathkeepers. God wants His children to
be happy, and, if they would learn of Him, He would save them from the daily misery which comes in
consequence of these unhappy unions. Many marriages can only be productive of misery; and yet the
minds of the youth run in this channel because
123
Satan leads them there, making them believe that they must be married in order to be happy, when they
have not the ability to control themselves or support a family. Those who are not willing to adapt
themselves to each other's disposition, so as to avoid unpleasant differences and contentions, should
not take the step. But this is one of the alluring snares of the last days, in which thousands are ruined
for this life and the next. Imagination, lovesick sentimentalism, should be guarded against as would be
the leprosy. Very many of the young men and women in this age of the world are lacking in virtue;
therefore great caution is needed. A virtuous character is the foundation upon which to build; but if the
foundation is gone, the building is worthless. Those who have preserved a virtuous character, although
they may lack in other desirable qualities, may be of real moral worth. {5T 122.2}
In order for the church to prosper there must be a studious effort on the part of its members to cherish
the precious plant of love. Let it have every advantage that it may flourish in the heart. Every true
Christian will develop in his life the characteristics of this divine love; he will reveal a spirit of
forbearance, of beneficence, and a freedom from envy and jealousy. This character developed in word
and act will not repulse, and will not be unapproachable, cold, and indifferent to the interests of others.
The person who cultivates the precious plant of love will be self-denying in spirit, and will not yield
self-control even under provocation. He will not impute wrong motives and evil intentions to others,
but will feel deeply over sin when discovered in any of the disciples of Christ. {5T 123.1}
Love vaunteth not itself. It is a humble element; it never prompts a man to boast, to exalt himself. Love
for God and for our fellow men will not be revealed in acts of rashness nor lead us to be overbearing,
faultfinding, or dictatorial. Love is not puffed up. The heart where love reigns will be
124
guided to a gentle, courteous, compassionate course of conduct toward others, whether they suit our
fancy or not, whether they respect us or treat us ill. Love is an active principle; it keeps the good of
others continually before us, thus restraining us from inconsiderate actions lest we fail of our object in
winning souls to Christ. Love seeks not its own. It will not prompt men to seek their own ease and
indulgence of self. It is the respect we render to I that so often hinders the growth of love. {5T 123.2}
There are men of poverty and obscurity whose lives God would accept and make full of usefulness on
earth and of glory in heaven, but Satan is working persistently to defeat His purposes and drag them
down to perdition by marriage with those whose character is such that they throw themselves directly
across the road to life. Very few come out from this entanglement triumphant. Brother -----, you are
willing to experiment and try to prove that you will be an exception to the general rule. Joseph was one
of the few who could withstand temptation. He showed that he had an eye single to the glory or God.
He evidenced a lofty regard for God's will, alike when occupying the prisoner's cell and when standing
next the throne. He carried his religion with him wherever he went and in whatever situation he was
placed. True religion has an all-pervading power. It gives tone to everything man does. You need not
go out of the world in order to be a Christian, but you may carry your religion, with all its sanctifying
influences, into all you do and say. You may discharge well the duties belonging to the situation where
God has placed you, by keeping the heart fixed upon heavenly things, and thus break the spell now
upon you through unwise association. Had you followed the light you would now be able to escape the
snares which those who discern not the will of God have laid to captivate your soul. {5T 124.1}
Another striking point in the character of Joseph, worthy
125
of imitation by all youth, is his deep filial reverence. As he meets his father with tears streaming from
his eyes, he hangs upon his neck in an affectionate, loving embrace. He seems to feel that he cannot do
enough for his parent's comfort and watches over his declining years with a love as tender as a
mother's. No pains is spared to show his respect and love upon all occasions. Joseph is an example of
what a youth should be. Love manifested for your mother would disclose a beautiful trait of character
such as God would approve. {5T 124.2}
The want of respect for the counsel of a godly parent is one of the marked sins of this degenerate age.
There are many lives in our land that are dark and wretched because of one step taken in the dark. By
one act of disobedience many a youth has blighted his whole life and weighed down a loving mother's
heart with anguish. God will not hold you guiltless if you follow in this course. By despising the
counsel of a God-fearing mother, who would willingly give her life for her children, you are
transgressing the fifth commandment. You know not where your steps are leading you. {5T 125.1}
I again plead a mother's claim, a mother's love. There can be no baser ingratitude than that which
marks the sin of disobedience to a Christian mother. In the days of your helpless infancy she watched
over you; her prayers and tears were witnessed of heaven as she affectionately cherished you. For her
children she has toiled and planned, thought, prayed, and exercised self-denial. Through your whole
life her true heart has been anxious and earnest for your welfare. And yet now you choose your own
course; you follow your own blind, stubborn will, irrespective of the bitter harvest you will reap and
the sorrow you will bring upon her. {5T 125.2}
Infirmities are gathering about your mother. She needs you; any attention you may render will be very
precious to her. There are none of her other children to whom she can look. They feel under no
obligation to her. But you will find
126
the privilege which is now yours may soon be lost. Do not think, however, that should you neglect
your privilege and your duty as a son, your mother would suffer. She has true friends who will feel it a
privilege to do the duties from which you withdraw yourself. God loves your mother and will care for
her. If her own children neglect her, He will raise up others to do the work they might have done, and
receive the blessing which was offered them. It is their privilege to make her last days her best and
happiest. {5T 125.3}
I tell you plainly, God is displeased with your course. There are troubles before you that you do not
discern and which may be avoided if you choose to follow wise counsel. Our Saviour has made you
the object of His unwearied labours and tender solicitude, that you may be wise and not ruin your self.
He yearns over you in boundless compassion and love, exclaiming: "How often would I have gathered
thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!" Your foolish
heart has turned from the counsel of your best friends. {5T 126.1}
Because of earnest, faithful warnings to guard you against the mistakes of a lifetime, you have
imagined you were a great benefit to the church. True, you are capable, in Jesus Christ, of being useful;
but, notwithstanding this, the Lord and the church can get along without you. You can join the army of
Christ's followers if you will; you may share in its conflicts and triumphs. But if you choose not to do
this, the self-denying army under the bloodstained banner of the cross will move on to certain victory,
and leave you behind. If you choose to guide your own frail bark across life's stormy waters you must
answer for the presumption and be held responsible for the result. {5T 126.2}
If you could see how you have already become weak in principle, if you could see how your honour
and honesty are imperiled, you would then see that God is not with you and that you ought not to stand
in the place of responsibility you
127
now occupy; you are unworthy. My heart is sad indeed when I know what you might have been had
you yielded yourself wholly to God and then see the power the enemy has had over you. {5T 126.3}
The Sabbath school work is important, and all who are interested in the truth should endeavour to
make it prosperous. Brother ----- could have served well in this branch of the work had he and others in
the church pursued a right course. But he has been praised and petted too much. It has nearly ruined
him. The Lord can do without him, but he cannot afford to do without God. The Lord will entrust His
work to men with clean hands and a pure heart; therefore it is an honour to bear responsibilities in His
cause. {5T 127.1}
The temperance work is also worthy of your best endeavours. But great care should be taken to make
the temperance meetings as elevated and ennobling as possible. Avoid a surface work and everything
of a theatrical character. Those who realize the solemn character of this work will keep the standard
high. But there is a class who have no real respect for the cause of temperance; their only concern is to
show off their smartness upon the stage. The pure, the thoughtful, and those who understand the object
of the work, should be encouraged to labour in these great branches of reform. They may not be
intellectually great, but if pure and humble, God-fearing and true, the Lord will accept their labours.
{5T 127.2}
Literary societies are quite frequently organized, but, in nine cases out of ten, they have proved a
damage to souls, rather than a blessing. This is because an alliance is formed with the world or with a
class whose influence and tendency is ever to lead away from the solid to the superficial, from the real
to the fictitious. Literary societies would be of great advantage if controlled by a religious element; but,
sooner or later, the irreligious element is almost certain to gain the ascendancy and have a controlling
influence. Just so it is with
128
our temperance societies. The solemnity of the work is all covered up with the superficial, and a
continual temptation is placed before the youth whom we wish to save. {5T 127.3}
The facts are before us. The burden bearers among us are dropping off into the silent grave. The active
members of the church, the true workers in all reforms, are mostly past the meridian of life, and are
declining in physical and mental strength. We should anxiously contemplate who are to rise up and fill
their places. To whom are to be committed the vital interests of the church? The question may be asked
by us with the deepest concern, Who will bear the responsibilities of the cause of God when a few
more standard-bearers fall? We can but look anxiously upon the youth of today as those who must take
these burdens, and upon whom responsibilities must fall. They must take the work where others leave
it; and their course will determine whether morality, religion, and vital godliness shall prevail, or
whether immorality and infidelity shall corrupt and blight all that is valuable. It is the way the standard
is carried now that will determine the future. {5T 128.1}
Parents, will you now show by your course of action that wholesome restraint, good order, harmony,
and peace shall be the ruling principle? or, shall those whose course of life shows that they have
frivolous minds and are low in the scale of moral worth have a moulding, controlling influence? God
calls upon His believing people to connect with Him, to purify their souls by humbly walking in the
footsteps of Jesus. God calls upon you to put away pride of opinion, pride of dress, and self-exaltation,
and let the good and noble faculties of the mind strengthen with use. {5T 128.2}
Will men and women professing the most solemn truths ever borne to mortals be true to principle? If
they would have an influence to lead the world to serious reflection they must be; their dress and
conversation must be in strict
129
accordance with their peculiar faith. Those who are older must educate the young, by precept and
example, how to discharge those claims which society and their Maker have upon them. Upon these
youth must be laid grave responsibilities. The question is whether they are capable of governing
themselves and standing forth in the purity of their God-given manhood, abhorring anything which
savours of licentiousness and discord. {5T 128.3}
Can I say anything that will make an impression upon the young? Never before was there so much at
stake; never were there such weighty results depending upon a generation as upon those now coming
upon the stage of action. Not for one moment should they think that they can fill any position of trust
without possessing a good character. Just as well might they expect to gather grapes of thorns or figs of
thistles. A good character must be built up brick by brick, every day growing in proportion to the effort
put forth. Those characteristics which they will take to heaven with them must be obtained by the
diligent exercise of their own faculties, by improving every advantage Providence gives them, and by
connecting with the Source of all wisdom. Aim for no low standard. Let not your minds be cast in an
inferior mould. The characters of Joseph and Daniel are good models for you to follow, but Christ is
the perfect pattern. {5T 129.1}
Some of the brethren and sisters in the ----- church have done a good missionary work, but their
interest must not flag. A few have done more than their strength would admit, but it was their meat and
drink to do it. All can act a part in this work, and none are excused. Jesus would have all who profess
His name become earnest workers. It is necessary that every individual member build upon the Rock,
Christ Jesus. A storm is arising that will wrench and test the spiritual foundation of every one to the
utmost. Therefore avoid the sand bed; hunt for the rock. Dig deep; lay
130
your foundation sure. Build, oh, build for eternity! Build with tears, with heartfelt prayers. Let every
one of you from henceforth make your life beautiful by good works. Calebs are the men most needed
in these last days. That which will make our churches vigorous and successful in their efforts is not
bustle, but quiet, humble work; not parade and bombast, but patient, prayerful, persevering effort. {5T
129.2}
"He that is not with Me," said Christ, "is against Me." It is wholehearted, thoroughly decided men and
women who will stand now. Christ sifted His followers again and again, until at one time there
remained only eleven and a few faithful women to lay the foundation of the Christian church. There
are those who will stand back when burdens are to be borne; but when the church is all aglow, they
catch the enthusiasm, sing and shout, and become rapturous; but watch them. When the fervour is
gone, only a few faithful Calebs will come to the front and display unwavering principle. These are salt
that retains the savour. It is when the work moves hard that the churches develop the true helpers.
These will not be talking of self, vindicating self, but will lose their identity in Jesus Christ. To be great
in God's kingdom is to be a little child in humility, in simplicity of faith, and in the purity of love. All
pride must perish, all jealousy be overcome, all ambition for supremacy be given up, and the meekness
and trust of the child be encouraged. All such will find Christ their rock of defence, their strong tower.
In Him they may trust implicitly, and He will never fail them. {5T 130.1}
Oh, that all who believe present truth would be warned to seek the Lord. The thoughts of God's infinite
mercy and of His matchless love should influence all to imitate His example. But this is not the case.
Some of our sisters indulge too freely in a love for dress and display; they do not dress at all in
harmony with our holy faith. This is true of Sister -----. The world should have a better example than
this
131
sister has given it. She should feel her God-given responsibility to cast the entire weight of her
influence upon the side of Christ and seek to make those with whom she associates less worldly. She
and Sister ----- would be of far greater advantage to the church if they would encourage plainness of
dress in themselves and others. Those sisters who are dressmakers and who study the fashion plates
frequently lead others in the church to do that which is displeasing to God by encouraging them to cut
and trim their dresses in imitation of the world. The efforts of these sisters to do good would be far
more acceptable to God were there seen in their lives less dressing, less cheap, worldly talking, and
less visiting; less complaining and murmuring against the ministers labouring for you, and more
praying and reading of the Bible. {5T 130.2}
The Lord is displeased with the course pursued by many in the church toward some of their
ministering brethren. He bids you cease your cruel speeches and let words of encouragement take the
place of your murmuring, your repining, your faultfinding. Christ is speaking to you in the person of
His saints, and you have despised His counsel and rejected His reproof. Do this no longer. Elder ----has a work to do, not only in the East, but in many places. God will be with him and prosper him if he
hides in Jesus. He is not infallible; he may at times err in judgment. But be careful how you speak that
which will make of none effect the words God bids him utter. {5T 131.1}
When he knows what the will of God is, he would not hesitate to do it should it cost him his life. While
many of you plan only how you can please self and have an easy life, his whole life and interest is
wrapped up in the cause of God. While studying and planning for the cause, he has sometimes
exercised shrewdness and sharpness, which has led others to misjudge him. His aim was not to
advantage himself, but the cause which he loved. While the Lord would have you
132
faithfully uphold the hands of His tried servants, He would warn you against placing too great
confidence in those who have newly come to the faith or with whose past life and labours you are
unacquainted. {5T 131.2}
It is your privilege to be a prosperous, happy church. Let each one of you search his own heart, cleanse
the defiled soul temple, and watch unto prayer. Be determined you will seek Jesus until you find Him;
release not your grasp until His love dwells in your heart and you have His spirit subduing your life
and fashioning your character. Then believe, and with boldness you may approach His throne,
knowing that He will hear your prayers. {5T 132.1}
12. Labourers for God
Fellow labourers in the great harvest field, we have but little time left in which to labour. Now is the
most favourable opportunity we shall ever have, and how carefully ought every moment to be
employed. So devoted was our Redeemer to the work of saving souls that He even longed for His
baptism of blood. The apostles caught the zeal of their Master and firmly, steadily, zealously went
forward to the accomplishment of their great work, fighting against principalities and powers, and
spiritual wickedness in high places. {5T 132.2}
We are living in a time when even greater earnestness is needed than in the apostles' day. But among
many of the ministers of Christ there is a feeling of unrest, a desire to imitate the romantic style of
modern revivalists, a desire to do something great, to create a sensation, to be accounted able speakers,
and to gain for themselves honour and distinction. If such could encounter perils and receive the
honour given to heroes, they would engage in the work with unflagging energy. But to live and labour
almost unknown, to toil and
133
sacrifice for Jesus in obscurity, receiving no special praise from men--this requires a soundness of
principle and a steadfastness of purpose that but few possess. Were there a greater effort to walk
humbly with God, looking away from men and labouring only for Christ's sake, far more would be
accomplished. {5T 132.3}
My ministering brethren, seek Jesus with all lowliness and meekness. Do not try to draw the attention
of the people to yourselves. Let them lose sight of the instrument, while you exalt Jesus. Talk of Jesus;
lose self in Jesus. There is too much bustle and stir about our religion, while Calvary and the cross are
forgotten. {5T 133.1}
We are in the greatest peril when we receive praise of one another, when we enter into a confederacy
to exalt one another. The great burden of the Pharisees was to secure the praise of men; and Christ told
them that that was all the reward they would ever receive. Let us take up our appointed work and do it
for Christ; if we suffer privation, let it be for His sake. Our divine Lord was made perfect through
suffering. Oh, when shall we see men labouring as He laboured! {5T 133.2}
The word of God is our standard. Every act of love, every word of kindness, every prayer in behalf of
the suffering and oppressed, is reported before the eternal throne and placed on heaven's imperishable
record. The divine word pours light into the most darkened understanding, and that light makes the
most cultivated feel their inefficiency and sinfulness. {5T 133.3}
The enemy is buying souls today very cheap. "Ye have sold yourselves for nought," is the language of
Scripture. One is selling his soul for the world's applause, another for money; one to gratify base
passions, another for worldly amusement. Such bargains are made daily. Satan is bidding for the
purchase of Christ's blood and buying them cheap, notwithstanding the infinite price which has been
paid to ransom them. {5T 133.4}
134
Great blessings and privileges are ours. We may secure the most valuable heavenly treasures. Let
ministers and people remember that gospel truth ruins if it does not save. The soul that refuses to listen
to the invitations of mercy from day to day can soon listen to the most urgent appeals without an
emotion stirring his soul. {5T 134.1}
As labourers with God we need more fervent piety and less self-exaltation. The more self is exalted,
the more will faith in the testimonies of the Spirit of God be lessened. Those who are the most closely
connected with God are the ones who know His voice when He speaks to them. Those who are
spiritual discern spiritual things. Such will feel grateful that the Lord has pointed out their errors, while
those who trust wholly in themselves will see less and less of God in the testimonies of His Spirit. {5T
134.2}
Our work must be accompanied with deep humiliation, fasting, and prayer. We must not expect all
peace and joy. There will be sadness; but if we sow in tears we shall reap in joy. Darkness and
despondency may at times enter the heart of the self-sacrificing ones; but this is not against them. It
may be God's design to cause them to seek Him more earnestly. {5T 134.3}
What we need now is Calebs, men who are faithful and true. Indolence marks the lives of too many at
the present day. They turn their shoulders from the wheel just when they should persevere and bring all
their powers into active exercise. Ministers of Christ, "awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the
dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Your labours taste so strongly of self that Christ is forgotten.
Some of you are pampered and flattered too much. As in the days Noah, there is too much eating and
drinking, planting and building. The world has stolen the energies of the servants of Christ. Brethren, if
you would have your religion HONOURED by unbelievers, honour it yourselves by corresponding
works. By a close connection with God and a strict adherence
135
to Bible truth in the face of difficulty and worldly pressure, you may infuse the spirit of the truth into
the hearts of your children so that they will work effectually with you as instruments in God's hands for
good. {5T 134.4}
Many are incapacitated for labour both mentally and physically by overeating and the gratification of
the lustful passions. The animal propensities are strengthened, while the moral and spiritual nature is
enfeebled. When we shall stand around the great white throne, what a record will the lives of many
then present. Then will they see what they might have done had they not debased their God-given
powers. Then will they realize what height of intellectual greatness they might have attained had they
given to God all the physical and mental strength He had entrusted to them. In their agony of remorse
they will long to have their lives to live over again. {5T 135.1}
I call upon those who profess to be light bearers-- ensamples to the flock--to depart from all iniquity.
Use well the little remnant of time now left you. Have you that strong hold of God, that consecration to
His service, that your religion will not fail you in the face of direst persecution? The deep love of God
alone will sustain the soul amid the trials which are just upon us. {5T 135.2}
Self-denial and the cross are our portion. Will we accept it? None of us need expect that when the last
great trials come upon us a self-sacrificing, patriotic spirit will be developed in a moment because
needed. No, indeed, this spirit must be blended with our daily experience, and infused into the minds
and hearts of our children, both by precept and example. Mothers in Israel may not be warriors
themselves, but they may raise up warriors who shall gird on the whole armour and fight manfully the
battles of the Lord. {5T 135.3}
Ministers and people need the converting power of grace before they will be able to stand in the day of
the Lord. The world is fast approaching that point in iniquity and human
136
depravity when God's interference will become necessary. And at that time His professed followers
should be more marked for their fidelity to His holy law. Their prayer will be as that of David: "It is
time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law." And by their conduct they will say:
"Therefore I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold." The very contempt that is
shown to the law of God is sufficient reason why His commandment-keeping people should come to
the front and show their esteem and reverence for His downtrodden law. {5T 135.4}
"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." The very atmosphere is polluted
with sin. Soon God's people will be tested by fiery trials, and the great proportion of those who now
appear to be genuine and true will prove to be base metal. Instead of being strengthened and confirmed
by opposition, threats, and abuse, they will cowardly take the side of the opposers. The promise is:
"Them that honour Me I will honour." Shall we be less firmly attached to God's law because the world
at large have attempted to make it void? {5T 136.1}
Already the judgments of God are abroad in the land, as seen in storms, in floods, in tempests, in
earthquakes, in peril by land and by sea. The great I AM is speaking to those who make void His law.
When God's wrath is poured out upon the earth, who will then be able to stand? Now is the time for
God's people to show themselves true to principle. When the religion of Christ is most held in
contempt, when His law is most despised, then should our zeal be the warmest and our courage and
firmness the most unflinching. To stand in defence of truth and righteousness when the majority
forsake us, to fight the battles of the Lord when champions are few--this will be our test. At this time
we must gather warmth from the coldness of others, courage from their cowardice, and loyalty from
their treason. The nation will be on the side of the great rebel leader. {5T 136.2}
137
The test will surely come. Thirty-six years ago I was shown that what is now transpiring would take
place, that the observance of an institution of the papacy would be enforced upon the people by a
Sunday law, while the sanctified rest day of Jehovah would be trampled underfoot. {5T 137.1}
The Captain of our salvation will strengthen His people for the conflict in which they must engage.
How often when Satan has brought all his forces to bear against the followers of Christ, and death
stares them in the face, have earnest prayers put up in faith brought the Captain of the Lord's host upon
the field of action and turned the tide of battle and delivered the oppressed. {5T 137.2}
Now is the time when we should closely connect with God, that we may be hid when the fierceness of
His wrath is poured upon the sons of men. We have wandered away from the old landmarks. Let us
return. If the Lord be God, serve Him; if Baal, serve him. Which side will you be on? {5T 137.3}
13. Agents of Satan
Satan uses men and women as agents to solicit to sin and make it attractive. These agents he faithfully
educates to so disguise sin that he can more successfully destroy souls and rob Christ of His glory.
Satan is the great enemy of God and man. He transforms himself through his agents into angels of
light. In the Scriptures he is called a destroyer, an accuser of the brethren, a deceiver, a liar, a
tormentor, and a murderer. Satan has many in his employ, but is most successful when he can use
professed Christians for his satanic work. And the greater their influence, the more elevated their
position, the more knowledge they profess of God and His service, the more successfully can he use
them. Whoever entices to sin is his agent. {5T 137.4}
138
While attending one of the Eastern camp meetings I was introduced one Friday to a man who occupied
a tent with several women and children. That night I was unable to sleep; my soul was deeply
burdened. While pleading with God in the night season a vision given years ago at the time when the
course of Nathan Fuller was reproved was distinctly revived in my mind. At that time I was shown
three men whom I should meet who would be pursuing the same course of iniquity under the
profession of godliness. This man was one of the three. As I bore my testimony in the morning
meeting, the power and Spirit of God rested upon me; but I did not mention individual cases. Later in
the day I felt clear in reference to my duty and bore my testimony, referring to his case as most
marked. By this course of action this man was going exactly contrary to the direction of the apostle to
"abstain from all appearance of evil." He was breaking the seventh commandment, while professedly
keeping the fourth. By his deception he was gathering around him a company of women who followed
him from place to place, as a faithful wife would accompany her husband. {5T 138.1}
As a people, we are looked upon as peculiar. Our position and faith distinguish us from every other
denomination. If we are in life and character no better than worldlings, they will point the finger of
scorn at us and say: "These are Seventh-day Adventists." "We have here a sample of the people who
keep the seventh day for Sunday." The stigma which should be rightfully attached to such a class is
thus placed upon all who are conscientiously keeping the seventh day. Oh, how much better it would
be if such a class would not make any pretension to obey the truth! {5T 138.2}
I felt led out to rebuke this man in the name of the Lord and to call upon the women who were with
him to separate from him and withdraw their misplaced confidence, for unhappiness and ruin were in
the path they had entered upon.
139
The Ledger of Heaven testifies of this man thus: "A deceiver, an adulterer, creeping into houses and
leading captive silly women." How many souls he will destroy with his satanic sophistry the judgment
alone will reveal. Such men ought to be rebuked and discountenanced at once, that they may not bring
a continual reproach upon the cause. {5T 138.3}
As we near the close of earth's history, perils and dangers thicken around us. A mere profession of
godliness will not avail. There must be a living connection with God, that we may have spiritual
eyesight to discern the wickedness which is in a most artful and secret manner creeping into our midst
through those who make a profession of our faith. The greatest sins are brought in through those who
profess to be sanctified and claim that they cannot sin. Yet many of this class are sinning daily and are
corrupt in heart and life. Such are self-sufficient and self-righteous, making their own standard of
righteousness and utterly failing to meet the Bible standard. Notwithstanding their high claims, they
are strangers to the covenant of promise. It is in great mercy that God bears with their perversity and
that they are not cut down as cumberers of the ground, but still remain within the possibilities of
forgiveness. The forbearance of God is continually presumed upon and His mercy abused. David in his
day thought that men had exceeded the boundaries of the long-suffering of God, and that He must
interfere to vindicate His honour and restrain unrighteousness. {5T 139.1}
Mr. ----- is a teacher of doctrines that defile the temple of God. There is scarcely a ray of hope for him;
he has deceived himself and deluded others so long that Satan has almost entire control of his mind and
body. If his professed robe of righteousness can be torn from him and his vile purposes and thoughts
be exposed, so that he will not continue to lead others in the paths of hell, it will be all we may expect.
{5T 139.2}
The warnings of God he first hated and then resisted
140
because they brought his own wicked course to be seen in the light of God's law. It is one of the
saddest evidences of the blinding influence of sin that months and years roll on and there is no awaking
to repentance. With a firm persistence he has pursued his downward course. He has no bitter feelings
of remorse, no dread of heaven's vengeance. If by lies and deception he can cover his sins from
observation he is content. All sense of right and wrong is dead within him. A harvest is before him that
he will be horrified to reap. {5T 139.3}
The worst feature in this case is that all his satanic work is done under pretense of being a
representative of Jesus Christ. One sinner dressed up as an angel of light can do incalculable harm.
Dark and fearful plans are deliberately made to separate man and wife. Said the apostle: "Of this sort
are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers
lusts." These licentious characters even creep into respectable families and by their deceptive wiles and
intrigues lead astray the conscientious. Damnable heresies are received as truth, and the most revolting
sins committed as acts of righteousness, for conscience becomes confused and stupefied. {5T 140.1}
This man embraced the unpopular doctrine that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, in order to
give to his religious experience a semblance of honesty. Our views have been clearly defined in our
publications, but, concealing this fact, he mixed with truth his own defiling heresies and tried to make
others believe that God had given him new light upon the Bible. By thus professing to have great light
for the people on the Sabbath of the fourth commandment and kindred truths he had to the
unsuspecting an appearance of really being led of God. But when once the confidence is gained, he
commences his satanic work of wresting the Scriptures from their true meaning by seeking to show
that adultery
141
condemned in the law of God does not mean what it is generally understood to mean. He really tries to
make sensible women believe it not offensive to God for wives to be untrue to their marriage vows. He
will not even admit that this would be breaking the seventh commandment. Satan rejoices to have
sinners enter the church as professed Sabbathkeepers while they allow him to control their minds and
affections, using them to deceive and corrupt others. {5T 140.2}
In this degenerate age many will be found who are so blinded to the sinfulness of sin that they choose a
licentious life because it suits the natural and perverse inclination of the heart. Instead of facing the
mirror, the law of God, and bringing their hearts and characters up to God's standard, they allow
Satan's agents to erect his standard in their hearts. Corrupt men think it easier to misinterpret the
Scriptures to sustain them in their iniquity than to yield up their corruption and sin and be pure in heart
and life. {5T 141.1}
There are more men of this stamp than many have imagined, and they will multiply as we draw near
the end of time. Unless they are rooted and grounded in the truth of the Bible, and have a living
connection with God, many will be infatuated and deceived. Dangers unseen beset our path. Our only
safety is in constant watchfulness and prayer. The nearer we live to Jesus, the more will we partake of
His pure and holy character; and the more offensive sin appears to us, the more exalted and desirable
will appear the purity and brightness of Christ. {5T 141.2}
In order to cover his corrupt life and make his sins appear harmless, this man will bring up instances
recorded in the Bible where good men have fallen under temptation. Paul met with just such men in his
day, and the church has been cursed with them in all ages. At Miletus Paul called the elders of the
church together and warned them in regard to what
142
they would meet: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy
Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own
blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing
the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples
after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn
everyone night and day with tears." {5T 141.3}
He who holds the truth in unrighteousness, who declares his belief in it, and yet wounds it every day
by his inconsistent life, is surrendering himself to the service of Satan and leading souls to ruin. This
class hold intercourse with fallen angels and are aided by them in gaining the control of minds. When
Satan's bewitching power controls a person, God is forgotten, and man who is filled with corrupt
purposes is extolled. Secret licentiousness is practised by these deceived souls as a virtue. This is a
species of witchcraft. The question of the apostle to the Galatians may well be asked: "Who hath
bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently
set forth, crucified among you?" There is always a bewitching power in heresies and in licentiousness.
The mind is so deluded that it cannot reason intelligently, and an illusion is continually leading it from
purity. The spiritual eyesight becomes blurred, and persons of hitherto untainted morals become
confused under the delusive sophistry of those agents of Satan who profess to be messengers of light. It
is this delusion which gives these agents power. Should they come out boldly and make their advances
openly they would be repulsed without a moment's hesitation; but they work first to gain sympathy and
secure confidence in themselves as holy, self-sacrificing men of God. As His special messengers they
then begin their artful work of drawing away
143
souls from the path of rectitude by attempting to make void the law of God. {5T 142.1}
When ministers thus take advantage of the confidence the people place in them and lead souls to ruin,
they make themselves as much more guilty than the common sinner as their profession is higher. In the
day of God, when the great Ledger of Heaven is opened, it will be found to contain the names of many
ministers who have made pretensions to purity of heart and life and professed to be entrusted with the
gospel of Christ, but who have taken advantage of their position to allure souls to transgress the law of
God. {5T 143.1}
When men and women fall under the corrupting power of Satan, it is almost impossible to recover
them out of the horrible snare so that they will ever again have pure thoughts and clear conceptions of
God's requirements. Sin, to their deluded minds, has been sanctified by the minister, and it is never
again regarded in the loathsome light that God looks upon it. After the moral standard has been
lowered in the minds of men, their judgment becomes perverted, and they look upon sin as
righteousness, and righteousness as sin. By associating with these, whose inclinations and habits are
not elevated and pure, others become like them. Their tastes and principles are almost unconsciously
adopted. {5T 143.2}
If the society of a man of impure mind and licentious habits is chosen in preference to that of the
virtuous and pure, it is a sure indication that the tastes and inclinations harmonize, that a low level of
morals is reached. This level is called by these deceived, infatuated souls, a high and holy affinity of
spirit--a spiritual harmony. But the apostle terms it "spiritual wickedness in high places," against which
we are to institute a vigorous warfare. {5T 143.3}
When the deceiver commences his work of deception, he frequently finds dissimilarity of tastes and
habits; but by great
144
pretensions to godliness he gains the confidence, and when this is done, his wily, deceptive power is
exercised in his own way to carry out his devices. By associating with this dangerous element, women
become accustomed to breathe the atmosphere of impurity and almost insensibly become permeated
with the same spirit. Their identity is lost; they become the shadow of their seducer. {5T 143.4}
Men professing to have new light, claiming to be reformers, will have great influence over a certain
class who are convinced of the heresies that exist in the present age and who are not satisfied with the
spiritual condition of the churches. With true, honest hearts, these desire to see a change for the better,
a coming up to a higher standard. If the faithful servants of Christ would present the truth, pure and
unadulterated, to this class, they would accept it, and purify themselves by obeying it. But Satan, ever
vigilant, sets upon the track of these inquiring souls. Someone making high profession as a reformer
comes to them, as Satan came to Christ disguised as an angel of light, and draws them still further from
the path of right. {5T 144.1}
The unhappiness and degradation that follow in the train of licentiousness cannot be estimated. The
world is defiled under its inhabitants. They have nearly filled up the measure of their iniquity; but that
which will bring the heaviest retribution is the practice of iniquity under the cloak of godliness. The
Redeemer of the world never spurned true repentance, however great the guilt; but He hurls burning
denunciations against Pharisees and hypocrites. There is more hope for the open sinner than for this
class. {5T 144.2}
"And for this cause [not receiving the love of the truth] God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness." This man and those deceived by him love not the truth but have pleasure in
unrighteousness. And what stronger delusion could come
145
upon them than that there is nothing displeasing to God in licentiousness and adultery? The Bible
contains many warnings against these sins. Paul writes to Titus of those who "profess that they know
God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate." "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privily [not openly] shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that
bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious
ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." The ones here referred to are not
those who openly claim to have no faith in Christ, but those who profess to believe the truth and by
their vileness of character bring a reproach upon it, causing it to be evil spoken of. {5T 144.3}
"And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment
now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." "But these, as natural brute
beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall
utterly perish in their own corruption; and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that
count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their
own deceivings while they feast with you; having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin;
beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: which
have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who
loved the wages of unrighteousness." {5T 145.1}
"These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is
reserved forever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity," boasting of their light, their
knowledge and their love of the truth, "they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much
146
wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error." {5T 145.2}
In this age of corruption when our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom
he may devour, I see the necessity of lifting my voice in warning. "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter
into temptation." There are many who possess brilliant talents who wickedly devote them to the service
of Satan. What warning can I give to a people who profess to have come out from the world and to
have left its works of darkness? to a people whom God has made the repositories of His law, but who,
like the pretentious fig tree, flaunt their apparently flourishing branches in the very face of the
Almighty, yet bear no fruit to the glory of God? Many of them cherish impure thoughts, unholy
imaginations, unsanctified desires, and base passions. God hates the fruit borne upon such a tree.
Angels, pure and holy, look upon the course of such with abhorrence, while Satan exults. Oh, that men
and women would consider what is to be gained by transgressing God's law! Under any and every
circumstance, transgression is a dishonour to God and a curse to man. We must regard it thus, however
fair its guise, and by whomsoever committed. {5T 146.1}
As Christ's ambassador, I entreat you who profess present truth to promptly resent any approach to
impurity and forsake the society of those who breathe an impure suggestion. Loathe these defiling sins
with the most intense hatred. Flee from those who would, even in conversation, let the mind run in
such a channel; "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." {5T 146.2}
As those who practice these defiling sins are steadily increasing in the world and would intrude
themselves into our churches, I warn you to give no place to them. Turn from the seducer. Though a
professed follower of Christ, he is Satan in the form of man; he has borrowed the livery of heaven that
he may the better serve his master. You should not for one
147
moment give place to an impure, covert suggestion; for even this will stain the soul, as impure water
defiles the channel through which it passes. {5T 146.3}
Choose poverty, reproach, separation from friends, or any suffering rather than to defile the soul with
sin. Death before dishonour or the transgression of God's law should be the motto of every Christian.
As a people professing to be reformers, treasuring the most solemn, purifying truths of God's word, we
must elevate the standard far higher than it is at the present time. Sin and sinners in the church must be
promptly dealt with, that others may not be contaminated. Truth and purity require that we make more
thorough work to cleanse the camp from Achans. Let those in responsible positions not suffer sin in a
brother. Show him that he must either put away his sins or be separated from the church. {5T 147.1}
When the individual members of the church shall act as true followers of the meek and lowly Saviour,
there will be less covering up and excusing of sin. All will strive to act as if in God's presence. They
will realize that His all-seeing eye is ever upon them and that the most secret thought is known to Him.
The character, the motives, the desires and purposes, are as clear as the light of the sun to the eye of the
Omnipotent. But few bear this in mind. The larger class by far do not realize what a fearful account
must be rendered at the bar of God by all the transgressors of His law. {5T 147.2}
Can you who have professed to receive such great light be content with a low level? Oh, how earnestly
and constantly should we seek for the divine presence and a realization of the solemn truths that the
end of all things is at hand and that the Judge of all the earth stands at the door! How can you disregard
His just and holy requirements? How can you transgress in the very face of Jehovah? How can you
cherish unholy thoughts and base passions in full view of the pure angels and of the Redeemer, who
gave Himself for you that He
148
might redeem you from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works?
As you contemplate the matter in the light which shines from the cross of Christ, will not sin appear
too mean, too perilous, to be indulged when standing upon the very borders of the eternal world? {5T
147.3}
I speak to our people. If you draw close to Jesus and seek to adorn your profession by a well-ordered
life and godly conversation, your feet will be kept from straying into forbidden paths. If you will only
watch, continually watch unto prayer, if you will do everything as if you were in the immediate
presence of God, you will be saved from yielding to temptation, and may hope to be kept pure,
spotless, and undefiled till the last. If you hold the beginning of your confidence firm unto the end,
your ways will be established in God; and what grace has begun, glory will crown in the kingdom of
our God. The fruits of the Spirit are "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." If Christ be within us, we shall crucify the flesh
with the affections and lusts. {5T 148.1}
14. Will a Man Rob God?
The Lord has made the diffusion of light and truth in the earth dependent on the voluntary efforts and
offerings of those who have been partakers of the heavenly gifts. Comparatively few are called to
travel as ministers or missionaries, but multitudes are to co-operate in spreading the truth with their
means. {5T 148.2}
The history of Ananias and Sapphira is given us that we may understand the sin of deception in regard
to our gifts and offerings. They had voluntarily promised to give a portion of their property for the
promotion of the cause of Christ; but
149
when the means was in their hands they declined to fulfill that obligation, at the same time wishing it
to appear to others that they had given all. Their punishment was marked in order that it might serve as
a perpetual warning to Christians of all ages. The same sin is fearfully prevalent at the present time, yet
we hear of no such signal punishment. The Lord shows men once with what abhorrence He regards
such an offense against His sacred claims and dignity, and then they are left to follow the general
principles of the divine administration. {5T 148.3}
Voluntary offerings and the tithe constitute the revenue of the gospel. Of the means which is entrusted
to man, God claims a certain portion--a tithe; but He leaves all free to say how much the tithe is, and
whether or not they will give more than this. They are to give as they purpose in their hearts. But when
the heart is stirred by the influence of the Spirit of God, and a vow is made to give a certain amount,
the one who vowed has no longer any right to the consecrated portion. He has given his pledge before
men, and they are called to witness to the transaction. At the same time he has incurred an obligation
of the most sacred character to co-operate with the Lord in building up His kingdom on earth. Promises
of this kind made to men would be considered binding. Are they not more sacred and binding when
made to God? Are promises tried in the court of conscience less binding than written agreements with
men? {5T 149.1}
When the divine light is shining into the heart with unusual clearness and power, habitual selfishness
relaxes its grasp, and there is a disposition to give to the cause of God. None need expect that they will
be allowed to fulfill the promises then made without a protest on the part of Satan. He is not pleased to
see the Redeemer's kingdom on earth built up. He suggests that the pledge made was too much, that it
may cripple them in their efforts to acquire property or gratify the
150
desires of their families. The power Satan has over the human mind is wonderful. He labours most
earnestly to keep the heart bound up in self. {5T 149.2}
The only means which God has ordained to advance His cause is to bless men with property. He gives
them the sunshine and the rain; He causes vegetation to flourish; He gives health and ability to acquire
means. All our blessings come from His bountiful hand. In turn He would have men and women show
their gratitude by returning Him a portion in tithes and offerings in thank offerings, in freewill
offerings, in trespass offerings. {5T 150.1}
The hearts of men become hardened through selfishness, and, like Ananias and Sapphira, they are
tempted to withhold part of the price while pretending to come up to the rules of tithing. Will a man
rob God? Should means flow into the treasury exactly according to God's plan,--a tenth of all the
increase,--there would be abundance to carry forward His work. {5T 150.2}
Well, says one, the calls keep coming to give to the cause; I am weary of giving. Are you? Then let me
ask: Are you weary of receiving from God's beneficent hand? Not until He ceases to bless you will you
cease to be under bonds to return to Him the portion He claims. He blesses you that it may be in your
power to bless others. When you are weary of receiving, then you may say: I am weary of so many
calls to give. God reserves to Himself a portion of all that we receive. When this is returned to Him,
the remaining portion is blessed, but when it is withheld, the whole is sooner or later cursed. God's
claim is first; every other is secondary. {5T 150.3}
In every church there should be established a treasury for the poor. Then let each member present a
thank offering to God once a week or once a month, as is most convenient. This offering will express
our gratitude for the gifts of health, of food, and of comfortable clothing. And according as God has
151
blessed us with these comforts will we lay by for the poor, the suffering, and the distressed. I would
call the attention of our brethren especially to this point. Remember the poor. Forego some of your
luxuries, yea, even comforts, and help those who can obtain only the most meagre food and clothing.
In doing for them you are doing for Jesus in the person of His saints. He identifies Himself with
suffering humanity. Do not wait until your imaginary wants are all satisfied. Do not trust to your
feelings and give when you feel like it and withhold when you do not feel like it. Give regularly, either
ten, twenty, or fifty cents a week, as you would like to see upon the heavenly record in the day of God.
{5T 150.4}
Your good wishes we will thank you for, but the poor cannot keep comfortable on good wishes alone.
They must have tangible proofs of your kindness in food and clothing. God does not mean that any of
His followers should beg for bread. He has given you an abundance that you may supply those of their
necessities which by industry and economy they are not able to supply. Do not wait for them to call
your attention to their needs. Act as did Job. The thing that he knew not he searched out. Go on an
inspecting tour and learn what is needed and how it can be best supplied. {5T 151.1}
I have been shown that many of our people are robbing the Lord in tithes and in offerings, and as the
result His work is greatly hindered. The curse of God will rest upon those who are living upon God's
bounties and yet close their hearts and do nothing or next to nothing to advance His cause. Brethren
and sisters, how can the beneficent Father continue to make you His stewards, furnishing you with
means to use for Him, when you grasp it all, selfishly claiming that it is yours! {5T 151.2}
Instead of rendering to God the means He has placed in their hands, many invest it in more land. This
evil is growing with our brethren. They had before all they could well care for, but the love of money
or a desire to be counted as well off
152
as their neighbours leads them to bury their means in the world and withhold from God His just dues.
Can we be surprised if they are not prospered? if God does not bless their crops and they are
disappointed? Could our brethren remember that God can bless twenty acres of land and make them as
productive as one hundred, they would not continue to bury themselves in lands, but would let their
means flow into God's treasury. "Take heed," said Christ, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged
with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life." Satan is pleased to have you increase your
farms and invest your means in worldly enterprises, for by so doing you not only hinder the cause from
advancing, but by anxiety and overwork lessen your prospect for eternal life. {5T 151.3}
We ought now to be heeding the injunction of our Saviour: "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide
yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not." It is now that our
brethren should be cutting down their possessions instead of increasing them. We are about to move to
a better country, even a heavenly. Then let us not be dwellers upon the earth, but be getting things into
as compact a compass as possible. {5T 152.1}
The time is coming when we cannot sell at any price. The decree will soon go forth prohibiting men to
buy or sell of any man save him that hath the mark of the beast. We came near having this realized in
California a short time since; but this was only the threatening of the blowing of the four winds. As yet
they are held by the four angels. We are not just ready. There is a work yet to be done, and then the
angels will be bidden to let go, that the four winds may blow upon the earth. That will be a decisive
time for God's children, a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. Now is our
opportunity to work. {5T 152.2}
There is among many professing the truth a spirit of unrest.
153
Some want to go to another county or state, buy large lands, and carry on an extensive business; others
want to go into the city. Thus little churches are left in weakness and discouragement to die, when, had
the ones who left them been content to work on a smaller scale, doing their little with fidelity, they
might have made their families comfortable and been free to keep their own souls in the love of God.
Many who move are disappointed. They lose what little property they had, lose health, and finally give
up the truth. {5T 152.3}
The Lord is coming. Let everyone show his faith by his works. Faith in Christ's near advent is dying
out of the churches, and selfishness is causing them to rob God to serve their own personal interests.
When Christ is abiding in us, we shall be self-denying like Him. {5T 153.1}
In times past there has been great liberality on the part of our people. They have not been backward to
respond to calls for help in the various branches of the work. But of late a change has come. There has
been, especially with our Eastern brethren, a withholding of means, while worldliness and love of
possessions have been increasing. There is a growing disregard of promises made to help our various
institutions and enterprises. Subscriptions to build a church, to endow a college, or to assist in the
missionary work are looked upon as promises which persons are under no obligation to fulfill if it is
not convenient. These promises were made under the holy impressions of the Spirit of God. Then do
not rob Him by withholding what rightfully belongs to Him. Brethren and sisters, look over your past
life and see if you have dealt faithfully with God. Have you any unredeemed pledges? If so, resolve
that you will pay them if it is within your power. {5T 153.2}
Listen to the counsel of the Lord: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in
Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, . . . if I will not open you the
154
windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And
I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither
shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field." "And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye
shall be a delightsome land." {5T 153.3}
Are you not willing to accept the promises which the Lord here makes and to put selfishness from you
and begin to work earnestly to advance His cause? Do not strengthen your hold on this world by taking
advantage of your poorer neighbour, for God's eye is upon you; He reads every motive and weighs you
in the balances of the sanctuary. {5T 154.1}
I saw that many withhold from the cause while they live, quieting their consciences that they will be
charitable at death; they hardly dare exercise faith and trust in God to give anything while living. But
this deathbed charity is not what Christ requires of His followers; it cannot excuse the selfishness of
the living. Those who hold fast their property till the last moment, surrender it to death rather than to
the cause. Losses are occurring continually. Banks fail, and property is consumed in very many ways.
Many purpose to do something, but they delay the matter, and Satan works to prevent the means from
coming into the treasury at all. It is lost before it is returned to God, and Satan exults that it is so. {5T
154.2}
If you would do good with your means, do it at once lest Satan get it in his hands and thus hinder the
work of God. Many times, when the Lord has opened the way for brethren to handle their means to
advance His cause, the agents of Satan have presented some enterprise by which they were positive the
brethren could double their means. They take the bait; their money is invested, and the cause, and
frequently themselves, never receive a dollar. {5T 154.3}
Brethren, remember the cause; and when you have means at your command lay up for yourselves a
good foundation
155
against the time to come, that you may lay hold on eternal life. Jesus for your sakes became poor, that
you through His poverty might be made rich in heavenly treasure. What will you give for Jesus, who
has given all for you? {5T 154.4}
It will not do for you to depend on making your charity gifts in testamentary bequests at death. You
cannot calculate with the least degree of surety that the cause will ever be benefited by them. Satan
works with acute skill to stir up the relatives, and every false position is taken to gain to the world that
which was solemnly dedicated to the cause of God. Much less than the sum willed is always received.
Satan even puts it into the hearts of men and women to protest against their relatives' doing what they
wish in the bestowment of their property. They seem to regard everything given to the Lord as robbing
the relatives of the deceased. If you want your means to go to the cause, appropriate it, or all that you
do not really need for a support, while you live. A few of the brethren are doing this and enjoying the
pleasure of being their own executors. Will the covetousness of men make it necessary that they shall
be deprived of life in order that the property which God has lent them shall not be useless forever? Let
none of you draw upon yourselves the doom of the unprofitable servant who hid his Lord's money in
the earth. {5T 155.1}
Dying charity is a poor substitute for living benevolence. Many will to their friends and relatives all
except a very small pittance of their property. This they leave for their supreme Friend, who became
poor for their sakes, who suffered insult, mockery, and death, that they might become sons and
daughters of God. And yet they expect when the righteous dead shall come forth to immortal life that
this Friend will take them into His everlasting habitations. {5T 155.2}
The cause of Christ is robbed, not by a mere passing thought, not by an unpremeditated act. No. By
your own deliberate act you made your will, placing your property at the
156
disposal of unbelievers. After having robbed God during your lifetime, you continue to rob Him after
your death, and you do this with the full consent of all your powers of mind, in a document called your
will. What do you think will be your Master's will toward you for thus appropriating His goods? What
will you say when an account is demanded of your stewardship? {5T 155.3}
Brethren, awake from your life of selfishness, and act like consistent Christians. The Lord requires you
to economize your means and let every dollar not needed for your comfort flow into the treasury.
Sisters, take that ten cents, that twenty cents, that dollar which you were about to spend for candies, for
ruffles, or for ribbons, and donate it to God's cause. Many of our sisters earn good wages, but it is
nearly all spent in gratifying their pride of dress. {5T 156.1}
The wants of the cause will continually increase as we near the close of time. Means is needed to give
young men a short course of study in our schools, to prepare them for efficient work in the ministry
and in different branches of the cause. We are not coming up to our privilege in this matter. All schools
among us will soon be closed up. How much more might have been done had men obeyed the
requirements of Christ in Christian beneficence! What an influence would this readiness to give all for
Christ have had upon the world! It would have been one of the most convincing arguments in favour of
the truth we profess to believe--an argument which the world could not misunderstand nor gainsay.
The Lord would have distinguished us with His blessing even before the eyes of the world. {5T 156.2}
The first Christian church had not the privileges and opportunities we have. They were a poor people,
but they felt the power of the truth. The object before them was sufficient to lead them to invest all.
They felt that the salvation or the loss of a world depended upon their instrumentality. They cast in
157
their all and held themselves in readiness to go or come at the Lord's bidding. {5T 156.3}
We profess to be governed by the same principles, to be influenced by the same spirit. But instead of
giving all for Christ many have taken the golden wedge and a goodly Babylonish garment and hid
them in the camp. If the presence of one Achan was sufficient to weaken the whole camp of Israel, can
we be surprised at the little success which attends our efforts when every church and almost every
family has its Achan? Let us individually go to work to stimulate others by our example of
disinterested benevolence. The work might have gone forward with far greater power had all done
what they could to supply the treasury with means. {5T 157.1}
15. Power of the Truth
The word of God was preached by His ministers in early days "in demonstration of the Spirit and of
power." The hearts of men were stirred by the proclamation of the gospel. Why is it that the preaching
of the truth has now so little power to move the people? Is God less willing to bestow His blessing
upon the labourers in His cause in this age than in the apostles' day? {5T 157.2}
The warning which we bear to the world must prove to them a savour of life unto life or of death unto
death. And will the Lord send forth His servants to proclaim this fearfully solemn message and
withhold from them His Holy Spirit? Shall frail, erring men, without special grace and power from
God, dare to stand between the living and the dead to speak the words of everlasting life? Our Lord is
rich in grace, mighty in power; He will abundantly bestow these gifts upon all who come to Him in
faith. He is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him than are parents to give
158
good gifts to their children. The reason why the precious, important truth for this time is not powerful
to save is that we do not work in faith. {5T 157.3}
We should pray as earnestly for the descent of the Holy Spirit as the disciples prayed on the day of
Pentecost. If they needed it at that time, we need it more today. Moral darkness, like a funeral pall,
covers the earth. All manner of false doctrines, heresies, and satanic deceptions are misleading the
minds of men. Without the Spirit and power of God it will be in vain that we labour to present the
truth. {5T 158.1}
It is by contemplating Christ, by exercising faith in Him, by experiencing for ourselves His saving
grace, that we are qualified to present Him to the world. If we have learned of Him, Jesus will be our
theme; His love, burning upon the altar of our hearts, will reach the hearts of the people. The truth will
be presented, not as a cold, lifeless theory, but in the demonstration of the Spirit. {5T 158.2}
Many of our ministers in their discourses dwell too largely upon theory and not enough on practical
godliness. They have an intellectual knowledge of the truth, but their hearts are untouched with the
genuine fervour of the love of Christ. Many have gained by the study of our publications a knowledge
of the arguments that sustain the truth, but they have not become Bible students for themselves. They
are not constantly seeking for a deeper and more thorough knowledge of the plan of salvation as
revealed in the Scriptures. While preaching to others, they are becoming dwarfs in religious growth.
They do not often go before God to plead for His Spirit and grace that they may rightly present Christ
to the world. {5T 158.3}
Human strength is weakness, human wisdom is folly. Our success does not depend on our talents or
learning, but on our living connection with God. The truth is shorn of its power when preached by men
who are seeking to display their own
159
learning and ability. Such men display also that they know very little of experimental religion, that
they are unsanctified in heart and life and are filled with vain conceit. They do not learn of Jesus. They
cannot present to others a Saviour with whom they themselves are not acquainted. Their own hearts are
not softened and subdued by a vivid sense of the great sacrifice which Christ has made to save
perishing man. They do not feel that it is a privilege to deny self and to suffer for His dear sake. Some
exalt self, and talk of self; they prepare sermons and write articles to call the attention of the people to
the minister, fearing that he will not receive due honour. Had there been more lifting up of Jesus and
less extolling the minister, more praise rendered to the Author of truth and less to its messengers, we
would occupy a more favourable position before God than we do today. {5T 158.4}
The plan of salvation is not presented in its simplicity for the reason that few ministers know what
simple faith is. An intellectual knowledge of the truth is not enough; we must know its power upon our
own hearts and lives. Ministers need to come to Christ as little children. Seek Jesus, brethren, confess
your sins, plead with God day and night, until you know that for Christ's sake you are pardoned and
accepted. Then will you love much because you have been forgiven much. Then you can point others
to Christ as a sin-pardoning Redeemer. Then you can present the truth from the fullness of a heart that
feels its sanctifying power. I fear for you, my brethren. I counsel you to tarry at Jerusalem, as did the
early disciples, until, like them, you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Never feel at liberty to go
into the desk until you have by faith grasped the arm of your strength. {5T 159.1}
If we have the spirit of Christ we shall work as He worked; we shall catch the very ideas of the Man of
Nazareth and present them to the people. If, in the place of formal
160
professors and unconverted ministers, we were indeed followers of Christ we would present the truth
with such meekness and fervour, and would so exemplify it in our lives, that the world would not be
continually questioning whether we believe what we profess. The message borne in the love of Christ,
with the worth of souls constantly before us, would win even from worldlings the decision: "They are
like Jesus." {5T 159.2}
If we desire to reform others we must ourselves practice the principles which we would enforce upon
them. Words, however good, will be powerless if contradicted by the daily life. Ministers of Christ, I
admonish you: "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine." Do not excuse sins in yourselves which
you reprove in others. If you preach on meekness and love, let these graces be exemplified in your own
life. If you urge others to be kind, courteous, and attentive at home, let your own example give force to
your admonitions. As you have received greater light than others, so is your responsibility increased.
You will be beaten with many stripes if you neglect to do your Master's will. {5T 160.1}
Satan's snares are laid for us as verily as they were laid for the children of Israel just prior to their
entrance into the land of Canaan. We are repeating the history of that people. Lightness, vanity, love of
ease and pleasure, selfishness, and impurity are increasing among us. There is need now of men who
are firm and fearless in declaring the whole counsel of God; men who will not sleep as do others, but
watch and be sober. Knowing as I do the great lack of holiness and power with our ministers, I am
deeply pained to see the efforts for self-exaltation. If they could but see Jesus as He is, and themselves
as they are, so weak, so inefficient, so unlike their Master, they would say: If my name may be written
in the obscurest part of the book of life, it is enough for me, so unworthy am I of His notice. {5T
160.2}
It is your work to study and to imitate the Pattern. Was
161
Christ self-denying? so must you be. Was He meek and lowly? so must you be. Was He zealous in the
work of saving souls? so must you be. Did He labour to promote the glory of His Father? so must you.
Did He often seek help from God? so must you. Was Christ patient? so will you be patient. As Christ
forgave His enemies, so will you forgive. {5T 160.3}
It is not so much the religion of the pulpit as the religion of the family that reveals our real character.
The minister's wife, his children, and those who are employed as helpers in his family are best
qualified to judge of his piety. A good man will be a blessing to his household. Wife, children, and
helpers will all be the better for his religion. {5T 161.1}
Brethren, carry Christ into the family, carry Him into the pulpit, carry Him with you wherever you go.
Then you need not urge upon others the necessity of appreciating the ministry, for you will bear the
heavenly credentials which will prove to all that you are servants of Christ. Carry Jesus with you in
your hours of solitude. Remember that He was often in prayer, and His life was constantly sustained by
fresh inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Let your thoughts, your inner life, be such that you will not be
ashamed to meet its record in the day of God. {5T 161.2}
Heaven is not closed against the fervent prayers of the righteous. Elijah was a man subject to like
passions as we are, yet the Lord heard and in a most striking manner answered his petitions. The only
reason for our lack of power with God is to be found in ourselves. If the inner life of many who profess
the truth were presented before them, they would not claim to be Christians. They are not growing in
grace. A hurried prayer is offered now and then, but there is no real communion with God. {5T 161.3}
We must be much in prayer if we would make progress in the divine life. When the message of truth
was first proclaimed, how much we prayed. How often was the voice of
162
intercession heard in the chamber, in the barn, in the orchard, or the grove. Frequently we spent hours
in earnest prayer, two or three together claiming the promise; often the sound of weeping was heard
and then the voice of thanksgiving and the song of praise. Now the day of God is nearer than when we
first believed, and we should be more earnest, more zealous, and fervent than in those early days. Our
perils are greater now than then. Souls are more hardened. We need now to be imbued with the spirit
of Christ, and we should not rest until we receive it. {5T 161.4}
Brethren and sisters, have you forgotten that your prayers should go out, like sharp sickles, with the
labourers in the great harvest field? As young men go forth to preach the truth, you should have
seasons of prayer for them. Pray that God will connect them with Himself and give them wisdom,
grace, and knowledge. Pray that they may be guarded from the snares of Satan and kept pure in
thought and holy in heart. I entreat you who fear the Lord to waste no time in unprofitable talk or in
needless labour to gratify pride or to indulge the appetite. Let the time thus gained be spent in
wrestling with God for your ministers. Hold up their hands as did Aaron and Hur the hands of Moses.
{5T 162.1}
16. Our Camp Meetings
I have been shown that some of our camp meetings are far from being what the Lord designed they
should be. The people come unprepared for the visitation of God's Holy Spirit. Generally the sisters
devote considerable time before the meeting to the preparation of garments for the outward adorning,
while they entirely forget the inward adorning, which is in the sight of God of great price. There is also
much time spent in needless cooking, in the preparation of rich pies and cakes
163
and other articles of food that do positive injury to those who partake of them. Should our sisters
provide good bread and some other healthful kinds of food, both they and their families would be
better prepared to appreciate the words of life and far more susceptible to the influence of the Holy
Spirit. {5T 162.2}
Often the stomach is overburdened with food which is seldom as plain and simple as that eaten at
home, where the amount of exercise taken is double or treble. This causes the mind to be in such a
lethargy that it is difficult to appreciate eternal things; and the meeting closes, and they are
disappointed in not having enjoyed more of the Spirit of God. {5T 163.1}
While preparing for the meeting each individual should closely and critically examine his own heart
before God. If there have been unpleasant feelings, discord, or strife in families, it should be one of the
first acts of preparation to confess these faults one to another and pray with and for one another.
Humble yourselves before God, and make an earnest effort to empty the soul temple of all rubbish--all
envyings, all jealousies, all suspicions, all faultfindings. "Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify
your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to
mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you
up." {5T 163.2}
The Lord speaks; enter into your closet, and in silence commune with your own heart; listen to the
voice of truth and conscience. Nothing will give such clear views of self as secret prayer. He who seeth
in secret and knoweth all things will enlighten your understanding and answer your petitions. Plain,
simple duties that must not be neglected will open before you. Make a covenant with God to yield
yourselves and all your powers to His service. Do not carry this undone work to the camp meeting. If it
is not done at home, your own soul will suffer, and others will be greatly injured by your coldness,
your stupor, your spiritual lethargy. {5T 163.3}
164
I have seen the condition of the people professing the truth. The words of the prophet Ezekiel are
applicable to them at this time: "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put
the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? Therefore
speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that
setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and
cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols."
{5T 164.1}
If we love the things of the world and have pleasure in unrighteousness or fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness we have put the stumbling block of our iniquity before our face and have
set up idols in our heart. And unless by determined effort we put them away we shall never be
acknowledged as the sons and daughters of God. {5T 164.2}
Here is a work for families to engage in before coming up to our holy convocations. Let the
preparation for eating and dressing be a secondary matter, but let deep heart searching commence at
home. Pray three times a day, and, like Jacob, be importunate. At home is the place to find Jesus; then
take Him with you to the meeting, and how precious will be the hours you spend there. But how can
you expect to feel the presence of the Lord and see His power displayed when the individual work of
preparation for that time is neglected? {5T 164.3}
For your soul's sake, for Christ's sake, and for the sake of others, work at home. Pray as you are not
accustomed to pray. Let the heart break before God. Set your house in order. Prepare your children for
the occasion. Teach them that it is not of so much consequence that they appear with fine clothes as
that they appear before God with clean hands and pure hearts. Remove every obstacle that may have
been in their way,--all differences that may have existed among themselves or between you and them.
By so doing you will invite the Lord's
165
presence into your homes, and holy angels will attend you as you go up to the meeting, and their light
and presence will press back the darkness of evil angels. Even unbelievers will feel the holy
atmosphere as they enter the encampment. Oh, how much is lost by neglecting this important work!
You may be pleased with the preaching, you may become animated and revived, but the converting,
reforming power of God will not be felt in the heart, and the work will not be so deep, thorough, and
lasting as it should be. Let pride be crucified and the soul be clad with the priceless robe of Christ's
righteousness, and what a meeting will you enjoy. It will be to your soul even as the gate of heaven.
{5T 164.4}
The same work of humiliation and heart-searching should also go on in the church, so that all
differences and alienations among brethren may be laid aside before appearing before the Lord at these
annual gatherings. Set about this work in earnest, and rest not until it is accomplished; for if you come
up to the meeting with your doubts, your murmurings, your disputings, you bring evil angels into the
camp and carry darkness wherever you go. {5T 165.1}
I have been shown that for want of this preparation these yearly meetings have accomplished but little.
The ministers are seldom prepared to labour for God. There are many speakers, --those who can say
sharp, crank things, going out of their way to whip other churches and ridicule their faith,--but there
are but few earnest labourers for God. These sharp, self-important speakers profess to have truth in
advance of every other people, but their manner of labour and their religious zeal in no way correspond
with their profession of faith. {5T 165.2}
I looked to see the humility of soul that should ever sit as a fitting garment upon our ministers, but it
was not upon them. I looked for the deep love for souls that the Master said they should possess, but
they had it not. I listened for the earnest prayers offered with tears and anguish of soul because of the
166
impenitent and unbelieving in their own homes and in the church, but heard them not. I listened for the
appeals made in the demonstration of the Spirit, but these were missing. I looked for the burden
bearers, who in such a time as this should be weeping between the porch and the altar, crying, Spare
Thy people, Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach; but I heard no such supplications. A few
earnest, humble ones were seeking the Lord. At some of these meetings one or two ministers felt the
burden and were weighed down as a cart beneath sheaves. But a large majority of the ministers had no
more sense of the sacredness of their work than children. {5T 165.3}
I saw what these yearly gatherings might be, and what they should be--meetings of earnest labour.
Ministers should seek a heart preparation before entering upon the work of helping others, for the
people are far in advance of many of the ministers. They should untiringly wrestle in prayer until the
Lord blesses them. When the love of God is burning on the altar of their hearts, they will not preach to
exhibit their own smartness, but to present Christ who taketh away the sins of the world. {5T 166.1}
In the early church Christianity was taught in its purity; its precepts were given by the voice of
inspiration; its ordinances were uncorrupted by the device of men. The church revealed the spirit of
Christ and appeared beautiful in its simplicity. Its adorning was the holy principles and exemplary lives
of its members. Multitudes were won to Christ, not by display or learning, but by the power of God
which attended the plain preaching of His word. But the church has become corrupt. And now there is
greater necessity than ever that ministers should be channels of light. {5T 166.2}
There are many flippant talkers of Bible truth, whose souls are as barren of the Spirit of God as were
the hills of Gilboa of dew and rain. But what we need is men who are thoroughly
167
converted themselves and can teach others how to give their hearts to God. The power of godliness has
almost ceased to be in our churches. And why is this? The Lord is still waiting to be gracious; He has
not closed the windows of heaven. We have separated ourselves from Him. We need to fix the eye of
faith upon the cross and believe that Jesus is our strength, our salvation. {5T 166.3}
As we see so little burden of the work resting upon ministers and people, we inquire: When the Lord
comes, shall He find faith on the earth? It is faith that is lacking. God has an abundance of grace and
power awaiting our demand. But the reason we do not feel our great need of it is because we look to
ourselves and not to Jesus. We do not exalt Jesus and rely wholly upon His merits. {5T 167.1}
Would that I could impress upon ministers and people the necessity of a deeper work of grace in the
heart and more thorough preparation to enter into the spirit and labour of our camp meetings, that they
may receive the greatest possible benefit from these meetings. These yearly gatherings may be seasons
of special blessing or they may be a great injury to spirituality. Which shall they be to you, dear
reader? It remains for each to decide for himself. {5T 167.2}
17. Brotherly Love
"By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another." The more closely
we resemble our Saviour in character, the greater will be our love toward those for whom He died.
Christians who manifest a spirit of unselfish love for one another are bearing a testimony for Christ
which unbelievers can neither gainsay nor resist. It is impossible to estimate the power of such an
example. Nothing will so successfully defeat the devices of Satan and his
168
emissaries, nothing will so build up the Redeemer's kingdom, as will the love of Christ manifested by
the members of the church. Peace and prosperity can be enjoyed only as meekness and love are in
active exercise. {5T 167.3}
In his First Epistle to the Corinthians the apostle Paul sets forth the importance of that love which
should be cherished by the followers of Christ: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift
of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I
could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to
feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."
{5T 168.1}
No matter how high his profession, he whose heart is not imbued with love for God and for his fellow
men is not a disciple of Christ. Though he should possess great faith, and even have power to work
miracles, yet without love his faith would be worthless. He might display great liberality, but should he
from some other motive than genuine love bestow all his goods to feed the poor, the act would not
commend him to the favour of God. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr's death, yet if destitute of
the gold of love he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite. {5T
168.2}
The apostle proceeds to specify the fruits of love: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth
not." The divine love ruling in the heart exterminates pride and selfishness. "Charity vaunteth not
itself, is not puffed up." The purest joy springs from the deepest humiliation. The strongest and noblest
characters rest upon the foundation of patience and love, and trusting submission to the will of God.
{5T 168.3}
Charity "doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no
evil." The heart in
169
which love rules will not be filled with passion or revenge, by injuries which pride and self-love would
deem unbearable. Love is unsuspecting, ever placing the most favourable construction upon the
motives and acts of others. Love will never needlessly expose the faults of others. It does not listen
eagerly to unfavourable reports, but rather seeks to bring to mind some good qualities of the one
defamed. {5T 168.4}
Love "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth." He whose heart is imbued with love is filled
with sorrow at the errors and weaknesses of others; but when truth triumphs, when the cloud that
darkened the fair fame of another is removed, or when sins are confessed and wrongs corrected, he
rejoices. {5T 169.1}
"Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." Love not only bears
with others' faults, but cheerfully submits to whatever suffering or inconvenience such forbearance
makes necessary. This love "never faileth." It can never lose its value; it is the attribute of heaven. As a
precious treasure it will be carried by its possessor through the portals of the city of God. {5T 169.2}
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace. Discord and strife are the work of Satan and the fruit of
sin. If we would as a people enjoy peace and love, we must put away our sins; we must come into
harmony with God, and we shall be in harmony with one another. Let each ask himself: Do I possess
the grace of love? Have I learned to suffer long and to be kind? Talents, learning, and eloquence,
without this heavenly attribute, will be as meaningless as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Alas
that this precious treasure is so lightly valued and so little sought by many who profess the faith! {5T
169.3}
Paul writes to the Colossians: "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and
forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel
170
against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which
is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called
in one body; and be ye thankful." "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." {5T 169.4}
The fact that we are under so great obligation to Christ places us under the most sacred obligation to
those whom He died to redeem. We are to manifest toward them the same sympathy, the same tender
compassion and unselfish love, which Christ has manifested toward us. Selfish ambition, desire for
supremacy, will die when Christ takes possession of the affections. {5T 170.1}
Our Saviour taught His disciples to pray: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." A great
blessing is here asked upon conditions. We ourselves state these conditions. We ask that the mercy of
God toward us may be measured by the mercy which we extend to others. Christ declares that this is
the rule by which the Lord will deal with us. "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses." Wonderful terms! but how little are they understood or heeded. One of the most common
sins, and one that is attended with most pernicious results, is the indulgence of an unforgiving spirit.
How many will cherish animosity or revenge and then bow before God and ask to be forgiven as they
forgive. Surely they can have no true sense of the import of this prayer or they would not dare to take it
upon their lips. We are dependent upon the pardoning mercy of God every day and every hour; how
then can we cherish bitterness and malice toward our fellow sinners! If, in all their daily intercourse,
Christians would carry out the principles of this prayer, what a blessed change would be wrought in the
church and in the world! This would be the most
171
convincing testimony that could be given to the reality of Bible religion. {5T 170.2}
God requires more of His followers than many realize. If we would not build our hopes of heaven upon
a false foundation we must accept the Bible as it reads and believe that the Lord means what He says.
He requires nothing of us that He will not give us grace to perform. We shall have no excuse to offer in
the day of God if we fail to reach the standard set before us in His word. {5T 171.1}
We are admonished by the apostle: "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil, cleave
to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring
one another." Paul would have us distinguish between the pure, unselfish love which is prompted by
the spirit of Christ, and the unmeaning, deceitful pretense with which the world abounds. This base
counterfeit has misled many souls. It would blot out the distinction between right and wrong, by
agreeing with the transgressor instead of faithfully showing him his errors. Such a course never springs
from real friendship. The spirit by which it is prompted dwells only in the carnal heart. While the
Christian will be ever kind, compassionate, and forgiving, he can feel no harmony with sin. He will
abhor evil and cling to that which is good, at the sacrifice of association or friendship with the ungodly.
The spirit of Christ will lead us to hate sin, while we are willing to make any sacrifice to save the
sinner. {5T 171.2}
"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the
vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through
the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given
themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." The apostle admonishes
his brethren, in the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus,
172
that after having professed the gospel they should not conduct themselves as did the Gentiles, but
should show by their daily deportment that they had been truly converted. {5T 171.3}
"Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness." Once they were corrupt, degraded, enslaved by lustful
passions; they were drugged by worldly opiates, blinded, bewildered, and betrayed by Satan's devices.
Now that they had been taught the truth as it is in Jesus, there must be a decided change in their life
and character. {5T 172.1}
The accession of members who have not been renewed in heart and reformed in life is a source of
weakness to the church. This fact is often ignored. Some ministers and churches are so desirous of
securing an increase of numbers that they do not bear faithful testimony against unchristian habits and
practices. Those who accept the truth are not taught that they cannot safely be worldlings in conduct
while they are Christians in name. Heretofore they were Satan's subjects; henceforth they are to be
subjects of Christ. The life must testify to the change of leaders. Public opinion favours a profession of
Christianity. Little self-denial or self-sacrifice is required in order to put on a form of godliness and to
have one's name enrolled upon the church book. Hence many join the church without first becoming
united to Christ. In this Satan triumphs. Such converts are his most efficient agents. They serve as
decoys to other souls. They are false lights, luring the unwary to perdition. It is in vain that men seek to
make the Christian's path broad and pleasant for worldlings. God has not smoothed or widened the
rugged, narrow way. If we would enter into life, we must follow the same path which Jesus and His
disciples trod--the path of humility, self-denial, and sacrifice. {5T 172.2}
Ministers should see that their own hearts are sanctified
173
through the truth, and then labour to secure these results for their converts. It is pure religion that
ministers and people need. Those who put away iniquity from their hearts and stretch out their hands in
earnest supplication unto God will have that help which God alone can give them. A ransom has been
paid for the souls of men, that they may have an opportunity to escape from the thralldom of sin and
obtain pardon, purity, and heaven. {5T 172.3}
God hears the cry of the lowly and contrite. Those who frequent the throne of grace, offering up
sincere, earnest petitions for divine wisdom and power, will not fail to become active, useful servants
of Christ. They may not possess great talents, but with humility of heart and firm reliance upon Jesus
they may do a good work in bringing souls to Christ. They can reach men through God. {5T 173.1}
Ministers of Christ should ever feel that a sacred work engages all their souls; their efforts should be
for the edification of the body of Christ, and not to exalt themselves before the people. And while
Christians should esteem the faithful minister as Christ's ambassador, they should avoid all praise of
the man. {5T 173.2}
"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and
hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." Man by
wicked works alienated himself from God, but Christ gave His life that all who would, might be freed
from sin and reinstated in the favour of the Creator. It was the anticipation of a redeemed, holy
universe that prompted Christ to make this great sacrifice. Have we accepted the privileges so dearly
purchased? Are we followers of God as dear children, or are we servants of the prince of darkness? Are
we worshippers of Jehovah, or of Baal? of the living God, or of idols? {5T 173.3}
No outward shrines may be visible, there may be no image for the eye to rest upon, yet we may be
practising idolatry. It
174
is as easy to make an idol of cherished ideas or objects as to fashion gods of wood or stone. Thousands
have a false conception of God and His attributes. They are as verily serving a false god as were the
servants of Baal. Are we worshipping the true God as He is revealed in His word, in Christ, in nature,
or are we adoring some philosophical idol enshrined in His place? God is a God of truth. Justice and
mercy are the attributes of His throne. He is a God of love, of pity and tender compassion. Thus He is
represented in His Son, our Saviour. He is a God of patience and long-suffering. If such is the being
whom we adore and to whose character we are seeking to assimilate, we are worshipping the true God.
{5T 173.4}
If we are following Christ, His merits, imputed to us, come up before the Father as sweet odour. And
the graces of our Saviour's character, implanted in our hearts, will shed around us a precious fragrance.
The spirit of love, meekness, and forbearance pervading our life will have power to soften and subdue
hard hearts and win to Christ bitter opposers of the faith. {5T 174.1}
"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better
than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."
"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of
God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in
the world." {5T 174.2}
Vainglory, selfish ambition, is the rock upon which many souls have been wrecked and many churches
rendered powerless. Those who know least of devotion, who are least connected with God, are the
ones who will most eagerly seek the highest place. They have no sense of their weakness and their
deficiencies of character. Unless many of our young ministers shall feel the converting power of God,
their labours will be a hindrance rather than a help to the church. They may have learned the doctrines
of Christ, but they have not learned
175
Christ. The soul that is constantly looking unto Jesus will see His self-denying love and deep humility,
and will copy His example. Pride, ambition, deceit, hatred, selfishness, must be cleansed from the
heart. With many these evil traits are partially subdued, but not thoroughly uprooted from the heart.
Under favourable circumstances they spring up anew and ripen into rebellion against God. Here lies a
terrible danger. To spare any sin is to cherish a foe that only awaits an unguarded moment to cause our
ruin. {5T 174.3}
"Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation
his works with meekness of wisdom." My brethren and sisters, how are you employing the gift of
speech? Have you learned so to control the tongue that it shall ever obey the dictates of an enlightened
conscience and holy affections? Is your conversation free from levity, pride and malice, deceit and
impurity? Are you without guile before God? Words exert a telling power. Satan will, if possible, keep
the tongue active in his service. Of ourselves we cannot control the unruly member. Divine grace is our
only hope. {5T 175.1}
Those who are eagerly studying how they may secure the pre-eminence should study rather how they
may gain that wisdom which is "first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of
mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." I have been shown that many
ministers need to have these words imprinted on the tablets of the soul. He who has Christ formed
within, the hope of glory, will "show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom."
{5T 175.2}
Peter exhorts the believers: "Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as
brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise
blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love
176
life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let
him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the
righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do
evil." {5T 175.3}
When the right way is so plainly marked out, why do not the professed people of God walk in it? Why
do they not study and pray and labour earnestly to be of one mind? Why do they not seek to cherish
compassion for one another, to love as brethren, instead of rendering evil for evil and railing for
railing? Who does not love life and desire good days? yet how few comply with the conditions, to
refrain the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking guile. Few are willing to follow the Saviour's
example of meekness and humility. Many ask the Lord to humble them, but are unwilling to submit to
the needful discipline. When the test comes, when trials or even annoyances occur, the heart rebels,
and the tongue utters words that are like poisoned arrows or blasting hail. {5T 176.1}
Evilspeaking is a twofold curse, falling more heavily upon the speaker than upon the hearer. He who
scatters the seeds of dissension and strife reaps in his own soul the deadly fruits. How miserable is the
talebearer, the surmiser of evil! He is a stranger to true happiness. {5T 176.2}
"Blessed are the peacemakers." Grace and peace rest upon those who refuse to join in the strife of
tongues. When vendors of scandal are passing from family to family, those who fear God will be
chaste keepers at home. The time that is so often worse than wasted in idle, frivolous, and malicious
gossip should be given to higher and nobler objects. If our brethren and sisters would become
missionaries for God, visiting the sick and afflicted, and labouring patiently and kindly for the erring,-in short, if they would copy the Pattern,--the church would have prosperity in all her borders. {5T
176.3}
177
The sin of evilspeaking begins with the cherishing of evil thoughts. Guile includes impurity in all its
forms. An impure thought tolerated, an unholy desire cherished, and the soul is contaminated, its
integrity compromised. "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is
finished, bringeth forth death." If we would not commit sin, we must shun its very beginnings. Every
emotion and desire must be held in subjection to reason and conscience. Every unholy thought must be
instantly repelled. To your closet, followers of Christ. Pray in faith and with all the heart. Satan is
watching to ensnare your feet. You must have help from above if you would escape his devices. {5T
177.1}
By faith and prayer all may meet the requirements of the gospel. No man can be forced to transgress.
His own consent must be first gained; the soul must purpose the sinful act before passion can dominate
over reason or iniquity triumph over conscience. Temptation, however strong, is never an excuse for
sin. "The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers." Cry unto
the Lord, tempted soul. Cast yourself, helpless, unworthy, upon Jesus, and claim His very promise. The
Lord will hear. He knows how strong are the inclinations of the natural heart, and He will help in every
time of temptation. {5T 177.2}
Have you fallen into sin? Then without delay seek God for mercy and pardon. When David was
convicted of his sin, he poured out his soul in penitence and humiliation before God. He felt that he
could endure the loss of his crown, but he could not be deprived of the favour of God. Mercy is still
extended to the sinner. The Lord is calling to us in all our wanderings: "Return, ye backsliding
children, and I will heal your backslidings." The blessing of God may be ours if we will heed the
pleading voice of His Spirit. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear
Him." {5T 177.3}
18. Diligence in Business
"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean
men." "He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich." "Be
kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; not slothful in
business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord." {5T 178.1}
The many admonitions to diligence found in both the Old and the New Testament plainly indicate the
intimate relation existing between our habits of life and our religious feelings and practices. The
human mind and body are so constituted that plenty of exercise is necessary in order to a proper
development of all the faculties. While many are too much engaged in worldly business, others go to
the opposite extreme and do not labour sufficiently to support themselves or those dependent upon
them. Brother ----- is one of this class. While he occupies the position of house band to his family he is
not this in reality. The heaviest responsibilities and burdens he allows to rest upon his wife, while he
indulges in careless indolence or busies himself about small matters that tell little for the support of his
family. He will sit for hours and chat with his sons or his neighbours upon matters of no great
consequence. He takes things easy and enjoys himself while the wife and mother does the work which
must be done to prepare food to eat and clothes to wear. {5T 178.2}
This brother is a poor man and always will be a burden to society unless he asserts his God-given
privilege and becomes a man. Anyone can find work of some kind to do if he really desires it; but if he
is careless and inattentive, the positions which he might have secured he will find filled by those who
had greater activity and business tact. {5T 178.3}
God never designed that you, my brother, should be in the
179
position of poverty that you are now in. Why did He give you that physical frame? You are just as
responsible for your physical powers as your brethren are for their means. Some of these would today
be gainers could they exchange their property for your physical strength. But if placed in your position,
they would, by a diligent use of both mental and physical powers, soon be above want and owe no man
anything. It is not because God owes you a grudge that circumstances appear to be against you, but
because you do not use the strength He has given you. He did not intend that your powers should rust
by inaction, but that they should strengthen by use. {5T 178.4}
The religion you profess makes it as much your duty to employ your time during the six working days
as to attend church on the Sabbath. You are not diligent in business. You let hours, days, and even
weeks pass without accomplishing anything. The very best sermon you could preach to the world
would be to show a decided reformation in your life, and provide for your own family. Says the
apostle: "If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the
faith, and is worse than an infidel." {5T 179.1}
You bring a reproach upon the cause by locating in a place, where you indulge indolence for a time
and then are obliged to run in debt for provision for your family. These your honest debts you are not
always particular to pay, but, instead, move to another place. This is defrauding your neighbour. The
world has a right to expect strict integrity in those who profess to be Bible Christians. By one man's
indifference in regard to paying his just dues, all our people are in danger of being regarded as
unreliable. {5T 179.2}
"Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." This refers to those who
labour with their hands as well as to those who have gifts to bestow. God has given you strength and
skill, but you have not used them. {5T 179.3}
180
Your strength is sufficient to abundantly support your family. Rise in the morning, even while the stars
are shining, if need be. Lay your plans to do something, and then accomplish it. Redeem every pledge
unless sickness lays you prostrate. Better deny yourself food and sleep than be guilty of keeping from
others their just dues. {5T 180.1}
The hill of progress is not to be climbed without effort. No one need expect to be carried along to the
prize, either in religious or secular matters, independently of his own exertions. The race is not always
to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, yet he that dealeth with a slack hand will become poor. The
persevering and industrious are not only happy themselves, but they contribute largely to the happiness
of others. Competency and comfort are not ordinarily attained except at the price of earnest industry.
Pharaoh showed his appreciation of this trait of character when he said to Joseph: If thou knowest any
men of activity among them [Joseph's brethren], then make them rulers over my cattle." {5T 180.2}
There is no excuse for Brother -----, unless love of ease and inability to plan and set himself to work is
an excuse. The best course for him now to pursue is to go from home and work under someone who
shall plan for him. He has so long been a careless, indolent master over himself that he accomplishes
but little, and his example before his children is bad. They have his stamp of character. They let mother
bear the burdens. When asked to do anything, they will do it; but they do not cultivate, as all children
should, the faculty of seeing what needs to be done and doing it without being told. {5T 180.3}
A woman does herself and her family a serious wrong when she does her work and theirs too--when
she brings the wood and water, and even takes the ax to prepare the wood, while her husband and sons
sit about the fire having a social, easy time. God never designed that wives and mothers should be
slaves to their families. Many a mother is overburdened
181
with care while her children are not educated to share the domestic burdens. As the result, she grows
old and dies prematurely, leaving her children just when a mother is most needed to guide their
inexperienced feet. Who is to blame? {5T 180.4}
Husbands should do all they can to save the wife care and keep her spirit cheerful. Never should
idleness be fostered or permitted in children, for it soon becomes a habit. When not engaged in useful
employment, the faculties either depreciate or become active in an evil work. {5T 181.1}
What you need, my brother, is active exercise. Every feature of your countenance, every faculty of
your mind, is indicative of this. You do not love hard work nor to earn your bread by the sweat of your
brow. But this is God's ordained plan in the economy of life. {5T 181.2}
You fail to carry through what you undertake. You have not disciplined yourself to regularity. System
is everything. Do but one thing at a time, and do that well, finishing it before you begin a second piece
of work. You should have regular hours for rising, for praying, and for eating. Many waste hours of
precious time in bed because it gratifies the natural inclination and to do otherwise requires an
exertion. One hour wasted in the morning is lost never to be recovered. Says the wise man: "I went by
the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown
over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little
slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth; and thy
want as an armed man." {5T 181.3}
Those who make any pretensions to godliness should adorn the doctrine they profess and not give
occasion for the truth to be reviled through their inconsiderate course of action. "Owe no man
anything," says the apostle. You ought
182
now, my brother, to take hold earnestly to correct your habits of indolence, redeeming the time. Let the
world see that the truth has wrought a reformation in your life. {5T 181.4}
19. Moving to Battle Creek
Our Saviour represents Himself as a man taking his journey into a far country, who left his house in
charge of chosen servants, giving to every man his work. Every Christian has something to do in the
service of his Master. We are not to seek our own ease or convenience, but rather to make the
upbuilding of Christ's kingdom our first consideration. Unselfish efforts to help and bless our fellow
men will not only evince our love for Jesus, but will keep us near Him in dependence and faith, and
our own souls will be constantly growing in grace and in a knowledge of the truth. {5T 182.1}
God has scattered His children in various communities that the light of truth may be kept shining amid
the moral darkness that enshrouds the earth. The deeper the darkness around us, the greater the need
that our light should shine for God. We may be placed in circumstances of great difficulty and trial, but
this does not prove that we are not in the very position assigned us by Providence. Among the
Christians at Rome in Paul's day the apostle mentions them "that are of Caesar's household." Nowhere
could the moral atmosphere be more unfavourable to Christianity than at that Roman court under the
cruel and profligate Nero. Yet those who had, while in the emperor's service, accepted Christ did not
feel at liberty, after their conversion, to leave their post of duty. In the face of seductive temptations,
fierce opposition, and appalling dangers they were faithful witnesses for Christ. {5T 182.2}
Whoever will rely wholly upon divine grace may make his life a constant testimony for the truth. No
one is so situated
183
that he cannot be a true and faithful Christian. However great the obstacles, all who are determined to
obey God will find the way opening as they go forward. {5T 182.3}
Those who maintain their fidelity to God in the midst of opposing influences are gaining an experience
of the highest value. Their strength increases with every obstacle surmounted, every temptation
overcome. This fact is often overlooked. When a person has received the truth, mistaken friends fear to
expose him to any test or trial, and they immediately endeavour to secure for him an easier position.
He goes to some place where all are in harmony with him. But is his spiritual strength increased
thereby? In many cases not. He comes to have as little real stamina as a hothouse plant. He ceases to
watch; his faith becomes weak; he is neither growing in grace himself nor aiding others. {5T 183.1}
Do any shrink from maintaining the truth in the midst of unbelief and opposition? I ask them to call to
mind the believers in Nero's household; consider the depravity and persecution which they
encountered, and gather from their example a lesson of courage, fortitude, and faith. {5T 183.2}
It may at times be advisable for those who are young in the faith to be withdrawn from great
temptations or opposition and to be placed where they can enjoy the care and counsel of experienced
Christians. But it should be ever kept before their minds that the Christian life is a constant warfare;
that the indulgence of sloth or indolence will be fatal to success. {5T 183.3}
We should not, after accepting the truth, unite with those who oppose it, nor in any manner place
ourselves where it will be difficult for us to live out our faith. But should anyone while thus situated
receive the truth, he should weigh the matter carefully before leaving his position. It may be the design
of Providence that his influence and example shall bring others to the knowledge of the truth. {5T
183.4}
184
Many are connected in family relations with opposers of the faith. These believers are often subjected
to great trials, but by divine grace they may glorify God by obedience to the truth. {5T 184.1}
As servants of Christ we should be faithful in the position where God sees that we can render most
efficient service. If opportunities of greater usefulness are presented to us, we should accept them at
the Master's bidding, and His approving smile will be upon us. But we should fear to leave our
appointed work unless the Lord clearly indicates our duty to serve Him in another field. {5T 184.2}
Different qualifications are needed for different departments of the work. The carpenter is not fitted to
work at the anvil, nor the blacksmith to use the plane. The merchant would be out of place beside the
sickbed, and the doctor in the counting room. Those who become weary with the work which God has
committed to them, and place themselves in positions where they cannot or will not work, will be
accounted slothful servants. "To every man his work." Not one is excused. {5T 184.3}
Our duty to act as missionaries for God in the very position where He has placed us has been greatly
overlooked by us as a people. Many are eagerly turning from present duties and opportunities to some
wider field; many imagine that in some other position they would find it less difficult to obey the truth.
Our larger churches are looked upon as enjoying great advantages, and there is among our people a
growing tendency to leave their special post of duty and move to Battle Creek or to the vicinity of
some other large church. This practice not only threatens the prosperity and even the life of our smaller
churches, but it is preventing us from doing the very work which God has given us to do, and is
destroying our spirituality and usefulness as a people. {5T 184.4}
From nearly all our churches in Michigan, and, to some extent, from other states, our brethren and
sisters have been
185
crowding into Battle Creek. Many of them were efficient helpers in smaller churches, and their
removal has greatly weakened those little companies; in some cases the church has thus been
completely disorganized. {5T 184.5}
Have those who moved to Battle Creek proved a help to the church? As the matter was presented
before me, I looked to see who were bearing a living testimony for God, who were feeling a burden for
the youth, who were visiting from house to house, praying with families and labouring for their
spiritual interests. I saw that this work had been neglected. On coming to this large church, many feel
that they have no part to act. Hence they fold their hands and shun all responsibility and effort. {5T
185.1}
There are some who come here merely to secure financial benefit. This class are a heavy burden to the
church. They are cumberers of the ground, their unproductive boughs shutting from other trees the
glory of heaven's sunlight. {5T 185.2}
It is not pleasing to God that so many of our ministers should settle at Battle Creek. If their families
were scattered in different parts of the field, they might be far more useful. It is true that the minister
spends but a short time at home, yet there are many places where that time would be of far greater
benefit to the cause of God. {5T 185.3}
The Lord says to many at Battle Creek: What doest thou here? What account can you render for
leaving your appointed work and becoming a hindrance rather than a help to the church? {5T 185.4}
Brethren, I entreat you to compare your own spiritual state as it now is with what it was when you
were actively engaged in the cause of Christ. While helping and encouraging the church you were
gaining a useful experience and keeping your own souls in the love of God. As you have ceased to
work for others, has not your own love grown cold and your zeal languid? And how is it with your
children? Are they more
186
firmly established in the truth and more devoted to God than before coming to this large church? {5T
185.5}
The influence exerted by some who have long been connected with the work of God is fatal to
spirituality and devotion. These gospel-hardened youth have surrounded themselves with an
atmosphere of worldliness, irreverence, and infidelity. Dare you risk the effect of such associations
upon your children? It would be better for them never to obtain an education than to acquire it at the
sacrifice of principle and the blessing of God. {5T 186.1}
Among the youth who come to Battle Creek there are some who maintain their fidelity to God in the
midst of temptation, but the number is small. Many who come here with confidence in the truth, in the
Bible, and in religion have been led astray by irreligious associates and have returned to their homes
doubting every truth which we as a people hold dear. {5T 186.2}
Let all our brethren who contemplate removing to Battle Creek, or sending their children here,
consider the matter well before taking this step. Unless the forces at this great centre are keeping the
fort, unless the faith and devotion of the church are proportioned to her privileges and opportunities,
this is the most dangerous position which you can choose. I have seen the condition of this church as
angels look upon it. There is a spiritual deception upon both the people and the watchmen. They
maintain the forms of religion, but lack the abiding principles of righteousness. Unless there is a
decided change, a marked transformation in this church, the school here should be removed to some
other locality. {5T 186.3}
Had the youth who have lived here for years improved their privileges, several who are now skeptics
would have devoted themselves to the work of the ministry. But they have considered it an evidence of
intellectual superiority to doubt the truth and have been proud of their independence in cherishing
187
infidelity. They have done despite to the Spirit of grace and have trampled upon the blood of Christ.
{5T 186.4}
Where are the missionaries who should be raised up at the heart of the work? From twenty to fifty
should be sent out from Battle Creek every year to carry the truth to those who sit in darkness. But
piety is at so low an ebb, the spirit of devotion is so weak, worldliness and selfishness so prevalent,
that the moral atmosphere begets a lethargy fatal to missionary zeal. {5T 187.1}
We need not go to foreign lands to become missionaries for God. All around us are fields "white
already to harvest," and whoever will may gather "fruit unto life eternal." God calls upon many in
Battle Creek who are dying of spiritual sloth to go where their labour is needed in His cause. Move out
of Battle Creek, even if it requires a pecuniary sacrifice. Go somewhere to be a blessing to others. Go
where you can strengthen some weak church. Put to use the powers which God has given you. {5T
187.2}
Shake off your spiritual lethargy. Work with all your might to save your own souls and the souls of
others. It is no time now to cry, "Peace and safety." It is not silver-tongued orators that are needed to
give this message. The truth in all its pointed severity must be spoken. Men of action are needed --men
who will labour with earnest, ceaseless energy for the purifying of the church and the warning of the
world. {5T 187.3}
A great work is to be accomplished; broader plans must be laid; a voice must go forth to arouse the
nations. Men whose faith is weak and wavering are not the ones to carry forward the work at this
important crisis. We need the courage of heroes and the faith of martyrs. {5T 187.4}
20. Worldliness in the Church
It is recorded of the holy men of old that God was not ashamed to be called their God. The reason
assigned is that instead of coveting earthly possessions or seeking happiness in worldly plans or
aspirations they placed their all upon the altar of God and made disposition of it to build up His
kingdom. They lived only for God's glory and declared plainly that they were strangers and pilgrims on
earth, seeking a better country, that is, an heavenly. Their conduct proclaimed their faith. God could
entrust to them His truth and could leave the world to receive from them a knowledge of His will. {5T
188.1}
But how are the professed people of God today maintaining the honour of His name? How could the
world infer that they are a peculiar people? What evidence do they give of citizenship in heaven? Their
self-indulgent, ease-loving course falsifies the character of Christ. He could not honour them in any
marked manner before the world without endorsing their false representation of His character. {5T
188.2}
I speak to the church at Battle Creek: What testimony are you bearing to the world? As your course
was presented before me, I was pointed to the dwellings recently erected by our people in that city.
These buildings are so many monuments of your unbelief of the doctrines which you profess to hold.
They are preaching sermons more effective than any delivered from the pulpit. I saw worldlings point
to them with jesting and ridicule, as a denial of our faith. They proclaimed that which the owners have
been saying in their hearts: "My Lord delayeth His coming." {5T 188.3}
I looked upon the dress and listened to the conversation of many who profess the truth. Both were
opposed to the principles of truth. Dress and conversation reveal that which is most treasured by those
who claim to be pilgrims and strangers on
189
the earth. "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them." {5T
188.4}
Puritan plainness and simplicity should mark the dwellings and apparel of all who believe the solemn
truths for this time. All means needlessly expended in dress or in the adorning of our houses is a waste
of our Lord's money. It is defrauding the cause of God for the gratification of pride. Our institutions are
burdened with debt, and how can we expect the Lord to answer our prayers for their prosperity when
we are not doing what we can do to relieve them from embarrassment? {5T 189.1}
I would address you as Christ addressed Nicodemus: "Ye must be born again." Those who have Christ
ruling within will feel no desire to imitate the world's display. They will carry everywhere the standard
of the cross, ever bearing witness of higher aims and nobler themes than those in which worldlings are
absorbed. Our dress, our dwellings, our conversation, should testify of our consecration to God. What
power would attend those who thus evinced that they had given up all for Christ. God would not be
ashamed to acknowledge them as His children. He would bless His devoted people, and the
unbelieving world would fear Him. {5T 189.2}
Christ longs to work mightily by His Spirit for the conviction and conversion of sinners. But,
according to His divine plan, the work must be performed through the instrumentality of His church;
and her members have so far departed from Him that He cannot accomplish His will through them. He
chooses to work by means, yet the means employed must be in harmony with His character. {5T
189.3}
Who are there in Battle Creek that are faithful and true? Let them come over on the Lord's side. If we
would be in a position where God can use us, we must have an individual faith and an individual
experience. Only those who trust wholly in God are safe now. We must not follow any human example
or lean upon any human support. Many are
190
constantly taking wrong positions and making wrong moves; if we trust to their guidance we shall be
misled. {5T 189.4}
Some who profess to be spokesmen for God are in their daily life denying the faith. They present to the
people important truths; but who are impressed by these truths? who are convicted of sin? The hearers
know that those who are preaching today will tomorrow be the first to join in pleasure, mirth, and
frivolity. Their influence out of the pulpit soothes the conscience of the impenitent and causes the
ministry to be despised. They are themselves asleep upon the very verge of the eternal world. The
blood of souls is upon their garments. {5T 190.1}
How are the faithful servants of Christ employed? "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in
the Spirit," praying in the closet, in the family, in the congregation, everywhere; "and watching
thereunto with all perseverance." They feel that souls are in peril, and with earnest, humble faith they
plead the promises of God in their behalf. The ransom paid by Christ--the atonement on the cross--is
ever before them. They will have souls as seals of their ministry. {5T 190.2}
The rebuke of the Lord is upon His people for their pride and unbelief. He will not restore unto them
the joys of His salvation while they are departing from the instructions of His word and His Spirit. He
will give grace to those who fear Him and walk in the truth, and He will withdraw His blessing from
all that assimilate to the world. Mercy and truth are promised to the humble and penitent, and
judgments are denounced against the rebellious. {5T 190.3}
The church at Battle Creek might have stood free from idolatry, and her faithfulness would have been
an example to other churches. But she is more willing to depart from God's commandments than to
renounce the friendship of the world. She is joined to the idols which she has chosen; and because
temporal prosperity and the favour of a wicked world are hers,
191
she believes herself to be rich toward God. This will prove to many a fatal delusion. Her divine
character and spiritual strength have departed from her. {5T 190.4}
I counsel this church to give heed to the Saviour's admonition: "Remember therefore from whence thou
art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy
candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." {5T 191.1}
21. Shall We Consult Spiritualist Physicians?
"Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he
sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall
recover of this disease. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the
messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel,
that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt
not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die." {5T 191.2}
This narrative most strikingly displays the divine displeasure against those who turn from God to
satanic agencies. A short time previous to the events above recorded the kingdom of Israel had
changed rulers. Ahab had fallen under the judgment of God and had been succeeded by his son
Ahaziah, a worthless character, who did only evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the ways of his
father and mother, and causing Israel to sin. He served Baal and worshipped him and provoked the
Lord God of Israel to anger, as his father Ahab had done. But judgments followed close upon the sins
of the rebellious king. A war with Moab, and then the accident by which his
192
own life was threatened, attested the wrath of God against Ahaziah. {5T 191.3}
How much had the king of Israel heard and seen in his father's time of the wondrous works of the Most
High! What terrible evidence of His severity and jealousy had God given apostate Israel! Of all this,
Ahaziah was cognizant; yet he acted as though these awful realities, and even the fearful end of his
own father, were only an idle tale. Instead of humbling his heart before the Lord he ventured upon the
most daring act of impiety which marked his life. He commanded his servants: "Go, inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease." {5T 192.1}
The idol of Ekron was supposed to give information, through the medium of its priests, concerning
future events. It had obtained such general credence that it was resorted to by large numbers from a
considerable distance. The predictions there uttered and the information given proceeded directly from
the prince of darkness. It is Satan who created and who maintains the worship of idols, to divert the
minds of men from God. It is by his agency that the kingdom of darkness and falsehood is supported.
{5T 192.2}
The history of King Ahaziah's sin and punishment has a lesson of warning which none can disregard
with impunity. Though we do not pay homage to heathen gods, yet thousands are worshipping at
Satan's shrine as verily as did the king of Israel. The very spirit of heathen idolatry is rife today, though
under the influence of science and education it has assumed a more refined and attractive form. Every
day adds sorrowful evidence that faith in the sure word of prophecy is fast decreasing, and that in its
stead superstition and satanic witchery are captivating the minds of men. All who do not earnestly
search the Scriptures and submit every desire and purpose of life to that unerring test, all who do not
seek God in prayer for a knowledge of His will, will surely wander from the right path and fall under
the deception of Satan. {5T 192.3}
193
The heathen oracles have their counterpart in the spiritualistic mediums, the clairvoyants, and
fortunetellers of today. The mystic voices that spoke at Ekron and En-dor are still by their lying words
misleading the children of men. The prince of darkness has but appeared under a new guise. The
mysteries of heathen worship are replaced by the secret associations and seances, the obscurities and
wonders, of the sorcerers of our time. Their disclosures are eagerly received by thousands who refuse
to accept light from God's word or from His Spirit. While they speak with scorn of the magicians of
old, the great deceiver laughs in triumph as they yield to his arts under a different form. {5T 193.1}
His agents still claim to cure disease. They attribute their power to electricity, magnetism, or the socalled "sympathetic remedies." In truth, they are but channels for Satan's electric currents. By this
means he casts his spell over the bodies and souls of men. {5T 193.2}
I have from time to time received letters both from ministers and lay members of the church, inquiring
if I think it wrong to consult spiritualist and clairvoyant physicians. I have not answered these letters
for want of time. But just now the subject is again urged upon my attention. So numerous are these
agents of Satan becoming, and so general is the practice of seeking counsel from them, that it seems
needful to utter words of warning. {5T 193.3}
God has placed it in our power to obtain a knowledge of the laws of health. He has made it our duty to
preserve our physical powers in the best possible condition, that we may render to Him acceptable
service. Those who refuse to improve the light and knowledge that has been mercifully placed within
their reach are rejecting one of the means which God has granted them to promote spiritual as well as
physical life. They are placing themselves where they will be exposed to the delusions of Satan. {5T
193.4}
Not a few in this Christian age and Christian nation resort
194
to evil spirits rather than trust to the power of the living God. The mother, watching by the sickbed of
her child, exclaims: "I can do no more. Is there no physician who has power to restore my child?" She
is told of the wonderful cures performed by some clairvoyant or magnetic healer, and she trusts her
dear one to his charge, placing it as verily in the hands of Satan as if he were standing by her side. In
many instances the future life of the child is controlled by a satanic power which it seems impossible to
break. {5T 193.5}
Many are unwilling to put forth the needed effort to obtain a knowledge of the laws of life and the
simple means to be employed for the restoration of health. They do not place themselves in right
relation to life. When sickness is the result of their transgression of natural law, they do not seek to
correct their errors and then ask the blessing of God, but they resort to the physicians. If they recover
health they give to drugs and doctors all the honour. They are ever ready to idolize human power and
wisdom, seeming to know no other God than the creature--dust and ashes. {5T 194.1}
I have heard a mother pleading with some infidel physician to save the life of her child; but when I
entreated her to seek help from the Great Physician who is able to save to the uttermost all who come
unto Him in faith, she turned away with impatience. Here we see the same spirit that was manifested
by Ahaziah. {5T 194.2}
It is not safe to trust to physicians who have not the fear of God before them. Without the influence of
divine grace the hearts of men are "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Selfaggrandizement is their aim. Under the cover of the medical profession what iniquities have been
concealed, what delusions supported! The physician may claim to possess great wisdom and
marvellous skill, when his character is abandoned and his practice contrary to the laws of life. The
Lord
195
our God assures us that He is waiting to be gracious; He invites us to call upon Him in the day of
trouble. How can we turn from Him to trust in an arm of flesh? {5T 194.3}
Go with me to yonder sickroom. There lies a husband and father, a man who is a blessing to society
and to the cause of God. He has been suddenly stricken down by disease. The fire of fever seems
consuming him. He longs for pure water to moisten the parched lips, to quench the raging thirst, and
cool the fevered brow. But, no; the doctor has forbidden water. The stimulus of strong drink is given
and adds fuel to the fire. The blessed, heaven-sent water, skilfully applied, would quench the
devouring flame; but it is set aside for poisonous drugs. {5T 195.1}
For a time nature wrestles for her rights; but at last, overcome, she gives up the contest, and death sets
the sufferer free. God desired that man to live, to be a blessing to the world; Satan determined to
destroy him, and through the agency of the physician he succeeded. How long shall we permit our
most precious lights to be thus extinguished? {5T 195.2}
Ahaziah sent his servants to inquire of Baal-zebub, at Ekron; but instead of a message from the idol, he
heard the awful denunciation from the God of Israel: "Thou shalt not come down from that bed on
which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die." It was Christ that bade Elijah speak these words to the
apostate king. Jehovah Immanuel had cause to be greatly displeased at Ahaziah's impiety. What had
Christ not done to win the hearts of sinners and to inspire them with unwavering confidence in
Himself? For ages He had visited His people with manifestations of the most condescending kindness
and unexampled love. From the times of the patriarchs He had shown how His "delights were with the
sons of men." He had been a very present help to all who sought Him in sincerity. "In all their
affliction He was afflicted, and the
196
angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them." Yet Israel had
revolted from God and turned for help to the Lord's worst enemy. {5T 195.3}
The Hebrews were the only nation favoured with a knowledge of the true God. When the king of Israel
sent to inquire of a pagan oracle, he proclaimed to the heathen that he had more confidence in their
idols than in the God of his people, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. In the same manner do
those who profess to have a knowledge of God's word dishonour Him when they turn from the Source
of strength and wisdom to ask help or counsel from the powers of darkness. If God's wrath was kindled
by such a course on the part of a wicked, idolatrous king, how can He regard a similar course pursued
by those who profess to be His servants? {5T 196.1}
Why is it that men are so unwilling to trust Him who created man, and who can by a touch, a word, a
look, heal all manner of disease? Who is more worthy of our confidence than the One who made so
great a sacrifice for our redemption? Our Lord has given us definite instruction through the apostle
James as to our duty in case of sickness. When human help fails, God will be the helper of His people.
"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise
him up." If the professed followers of Christ would, with purity of heart, exercise as much faith in the
promises of God as they repose in satanic agencies, they would realize in soul and body the life-giving
power of the Holy Spirit. {5T 196.2}
God has granted to this people great light, yet we are not placed beyond the reach of temptation. Who
among us are seeking help from the gods of Ekron? Look on this picture--not drawn from imagination.
In how many, even among Seventh-day Adventists, may its leading characteristics be seen? An
invalid--apparently very conscientious, yet bigoted and
197
self-sufficient--freely avows his contempt for the laws of health and life, which divine mercy has led
us as a people to accept. His food must be prepared in a manner to satisfy his morbid cravings. Rather
than sit at a table where wholesome food is provided, he will patronize restaurants, because he can
there indulge appetite without restraint. A fluent advocate of temperance, he disregards its foundation
principles. He wants relief, but refuses to obtain it at the price of self-denial. That man is worshipping
at the shrine of perverted appetite. He is an idolater. The powers which, sanctified and ennobled, might
be employed to honour God, are weakened and rendered of little service. An irritable temper, a
confused brain, and unstrung nerves are among the results of his disregard of nature's laws. He is
inefficient, unreliable. {5T 196.3}
Whoever has the courage and honesty to warn him of danger thereby incurs his displeasure. The
slightest remonstrance or opposition is sufficient to rouse his combative spirit. But now an opportunity
is presented to seek help from one whose power comes through the medium of witchcraft. To this
source he applies with eagerness, freely expending time and money in hope of securing the proffered
boon. He is deceived, infatuated. The sorcerer's power is made the theme of praise, and others are
influenced to seek his aid. Thus the God of Israel is dishonoured, while Satan's power is revered and
exalted. {5T 197.1}
In the name of Christ I would address His professed followers: Abide in the faith which you have
received from the beginning. Shun profane and vain babblings. Instead of putting your trust in
witchcraft, have faith in the living God. Cursed is the path that leads to En-dor or to Ekron. The feet
will stumble and fall that venture upon the forbidden ground. There is a God in Israel, with whom is
deliverance for all that are oppressed. Righteousness is the habitation of His throne. {5T 197.2}
There is danger in departing in the least from the Lord's
198
instruction. When we deviate from the plain path of duty, a train of circumstances will arise that seems
irresistibly to draw us further and further from the right. Needless intimacies with those who have no
respect for God will seduce us ere we are aware. Fear to offend worldly friends will deter us from
expressing our gratitude to God or acknowledging our dependence upon Him. We must keep close to
the word of God. We need its warnings and encouragement, its threatenings and promises. We need
the perfect example given only in the life and character of our Saviour. {5T 197.3}
Angels of God will preserve His people while they walk in the path of duty, but there is no assurance
of such protection for those who deliberately venture upon Satan's ground. An agent of the great
deceiver will say and do anything to gain his object. It matters little whether he calls himself a
spiritualist, an "electric physician," or a "magnetic healer." By specious pretenses he wins the
confidence of the unwary. He pretends to read the life history and to understand all the difficulties and
afflictions of those who resort to him. Disguising himself as an angel of light, while the blackness of
the pit is in his heart, he manifests great interest in women who seek his counsel. He tells them that all
their troubles are due to an unhappy marriage. This may be too true, but such a Counsellor does not
better their condition. He tells them that they need love and sympathy. Pretending great interest in their
welfare, he casts a spell over his unsuspecting victims, charming them as the serpent charms the
trembling bird. Soon they are completely in his power; sin, disgrace, and ruin are the terrible sequel.
{5T 198.1}
These workers of iniquity are not few. Their path is marked by desolated homes, blasted reputations,
and broken hearts. But of all this the world knows little; still they go on making fresh victims, and
Satan exults in the ruin he has wrought. {5T 198.2}
199
The visible and the invisible world are in close contact. Could the veil be lifted, we would see evil
angels pressing their darkness around us and working with all their power to deceive and destroy.
Wicked men are surrounded, influenced, and aided by evil spirits. The man of faith and prayer has
yielded his soul to divine guidance, and angels of God bring to him light and strength from heaven.
{5T 199.1}
No man can serve two masters. Light and darkness are no more opposites than are the service of God
and the service of Satan. The prophet Elijah presented the matter in the true light when he fearlessly
appealed to apostate Israel: "If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him." {5T 199.2}
Those who give themselves up to the sorcery of Satan may boast of great benefit received thereby, but
does this prove their course to be wise or safe? What if life should be prolonged? What if temporal
gain should be secured? Will it pay in the end to disregard the will of God? All such apparent gain will
prove at last an irrecoverable loss. We cannot with impunity break down a single barrier which God
has erected to guard His people from Satan's power. {5T 199.3}
Our only safety is in preserving the ancient landmarks. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak
not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." {5T 199.4}
22. Looking Unto Jesus
Many make a serious mistake in their religious life by keeping the attention fixed upon their feelings
and thus judging of their advancement or decline. Feelings are not a safe criterion. We are not to look
within for evidence of our acceptance with God. We shall find there nothing but that which will
discourage us. Our only hope is in "looking unto Jesus
200
the Author and Finisher of our faith." There is everything in Him to inspire with hope, with faith, and
with courage. He is our righteousness, our consolation and rejoicing. {5T 199.5}
Those who look within for comfort will become weary and disappointed. A sense of our weakness and
unworthiness should lead us with humility of heart to plead the atoning sacrifice of Christ. As we rely
upon His merits we shall find rest and peace and joy. He saves to the uttermost all who come unto God
by Him. {5T 200.1}
We need to trust in Jesus daily, hourly. He has promised that as our day is, our strength shall be. By
His grace we may bear all the burdens of the present and perform its duties. But many are weighed
down by the anticipation of future troubles. They are constantly seeking to bring tomorrow's burdens
into today. Thus a large share of all their trials are imaginary. For these, Jesus has made no provision.
He promises grace only for the day. He bids us not to burden ourselves with the cares and troubles of
tomorrow; for "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." {5T 200.2}
The habit of brooding over anticipated evils is unwise and unchristian. In thus doing we fail to enjoy
the blessings and to improve the opportunities of the present. The Lord requires us to perform the
duties of today and to endure its trials. We are today to watch that we offend not in word or deed. We
must today praise and honour God. By the exercise of living faith today we are to conquer the enemy.
We must today seek God and be determined that we will not rest satisfied without His presence. We
should watch and work and pray as though this were the last day that would be granted us. How
intensely earnest, then, would be our life. How closely would we follow Jesus in all our words and
deeds. {5T 200.3}
There are few who rightly appreciate or improve the precious privilege of prayer. We should go to
Jesus and tell Him all our needs. We may bring Him our little cares and perplexities
201
as well as our greater troubles. Whatever arises to disturb or distress us, we should take it to the Lord
in prayer. When we feel that we need the presence of Christ at every step, Satan will have little
opportunity to intrude his temptations. It is his studied effort to keep us away from our best and most
sympathizing friend. We should make no one our confidant but Jesus. We can safely commune with
Him of all that is in our hearts. {5T 200.4}
Brethren and sisters, when you assemble for social worship, believe that Jesus meets with you; believe
that He is willing to bless you. Turn the eye away from self; look unto Jesus, talk of His matchless
love. By beholding Him you will become changed into His likeness. When you pray, be brief, come
right to the point. Do not preach the Lord a sermon in your long prayers. Ask for the bread of life as a
hungry child asks bread of his earthly father. God will bestow upon us every needed blessing if we ask
Him in simplicity and faith. {5T 201.1}
The prayers offered by ministers previous to their discourses are frequently long and inappropriate.
They embrace a whole round of subjects that have no reference to the necessities of the occasion or the
wants of the people. Such prayers are suitable for the closet, but should not be offered in public. The
hearers become weary and long for the minister to close. Brethren, carry the people with you in your
prayers. Go to your Saviour in faith, tell Him what you need on that occasion. Let the soul go out after
God with intense longing for the blessing needed at that time. {5T 201.2}
Prayer is the most holy exercise of the soul. It should be sincere, humble, earnest--the desires of a
renewed heart breathed in the presence of a holy God. When the suppliant feels that he is in the divine
presence, self will be forgotten. He will have no desire to display human talent; he will not seek to
please the ear of men, but to obtain the blessing which the soul craves. {5T 201.3}
202
If we would only take the Lord at His word, what blessings might be ours! Would that there were more
fervent, effectual prayer. Christ will be the helper of all who seek Him in faith. {5T 202.1}
23. Calls for Laborers
A spirit of worldliness and selfishness has deprived the church of many a blessing. We have no right to
suppose an arbitrary withholding from the church of the divine light and power, to account for its
limited usefulness. The measure of success which in the past has followed well-directed effort
contradicts such an idea. Success has ever been granted proportionate to the labour performed. It is the
limitation of labours and sacrifices alone which has restricted the usefulness of the church. The
missionary spirit is feeble; devotion is weak; selfishness and cupidity, covetousness and fraud, exist in
its members. {5T 202.2}
Does not God care for these things? Can He not read the intents and purposes of the heart? Earnest,
fervent, contrite prayer would open to them the windows of heaven and bring down showers of grace.
A clear, steady view of the cross of Christ would counteract their worldliness and fill their souls with
humility, penitence, and gratitude. They would then feel that they are not their own, but that they are
the purchase of Christ's blood. {5T 202.3}
A deadly spiritual malady is upon the church. Its members are wounded by Satan; but they will not
look to the cross of Christ, as the Israelites looked to the brazen serpent, that they may live. The world
has so many claims upon them that they have not time to look to the cross of Calvary long enough to
see its glory or to feel its power. When they now and then catch a glimpse of the self-denial and selfdedication which the truth demands, it is unwelcome, and they turn their attention
203
in another direction, that they may the sooner forget it. The Lord cannot make His people useful and
efficient while they are not careful to comply with the conditions He has laid down. {5T 202.4}
Great demands are everywhere made for the light which God has given to His people; but these calls
are for the most part in vain. Who feels the burden of consecrating himself to God and to His work?
Where are the young men who are qualifying themselves to answer these calls? Vast territories are
opened before us where the light of truth has never penetrated. Whichever way we look we see rich
harvests ready to be gathered, but there are none to do the reaping. Prayers are offered for the triumph
of the truth. What do your prayers mean, brethren? What kind of success do you desire?--a success to
suit your indolence, your selfish indulgence?--a success that will sustain and support itself without any
effort on your part? {5T 203.1}
There must be a decided change in the church which will inconvenience those who are reclining on
their lees, before labourers who are fitted for their solemn work can be sent into the field. There must
be an awakening, a spiritual renovation. The temperature of Christian piety must be raised. Plans must
be devised and executed for the spread of truth to all nations of the earth. Satan is lulling Christ's
professed followers to sleep while souls are perishing all around them, and what excuse can they give
to the Master for their negligence? {5T 203.2}
The words of Christ apply to the church: "Why stand ye here all the day idle?" Why are you not at
work in some capacity in His vineyard? Again and again He has bidden you: "Go ye also into the
vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive." But this gracious call from heaven has been
disregarded by the large majority. Is it not high time that you obey the commands of God? There is
work for every individual who names the name of Christ. A voice from heaven
204
is solemnly calling you to duty. Heed this voice, and go to work at once in any place, in any capacity.
Why stand ye here all the day idle? There is work for you to do, a work that demands your best
energies. Every precious moment of life is related to some duty which you owe to God or to your
fellow men, and yet you are idle! {5T 203.3}
A great work of saving souls remains yet to be done. Every angel in glory is engaged in this work,
while every demon of darkness is opposing it. Christ has demonstrated to us the great value of souls in
that He came to the world with the hoarded love of eternity in His heart, offering to make man heir to
all His wealth. He unveils before us the love of the Father for the guilty race and presents Him as just
and the justifier of him that believeth. {5T 204.1}
"Christ pleased not Himself." He did nothing for Himself; His work was in behalf of fallen man.
Selfishness stood abashed in His presence. He assumed our nature that He might suffer in our stead.
Selfishness, the sin of the world, has become the prevailing sin of the church. In sacrificing Himself for
the good of men, Christ strikes at the root of all selfishness. He withheld nothing, not even His own
honour and heavenly glory. He expects corresponding self-denial and sacrifice on the part of those
whom He came to bless and save. Everyone is required to work to the extent of his ability. Every
worldly consideration should be laid aside for the glory of God. The only desire for worldly
advantages should be that we may the better advance the cause of God. {5T 204.2}
Christ's interests and those of His followers should be one; but the world would judge that they are
separate and distinct, for those who claim to be Christ's pursue their own ends as eagerly, and waste
their substance as selfishly, as nonprofessors. Worldly prosperity comes first; nothing is made equal to
this. The cause of Christ must wait till they gather a certain portion for themselves. They must increase
their gains at all
205
hazards. Souls must perish without a knowledge of the truth. Of what value is a soul for whom Christ
died in comparison with their gains, their merchandise, their houses and lands? Souls must wait till
they get prepared to do something. God calls these servers of Mammon slothful and unfaithful
servants, but Mammon boasts of them as among his most diligent and devoted servants. They sacrifice
their Lord's goods to ease and enjoyment. Self is their idol. {5T 204.3}
Doing nothing to bring souls to Jesus, who sacrificed everything to bring salvation within our reach!
Selfishness is driving benevolence and the love of Christ from the church. Millions of the Lord's
money are squandered in the gratification of worldly lust, while His treasury is left empty. I know not
how to present this matter before you as it was presented to me. Thousands of dollars are spent every
year in gratifying pride of dress. That very means should be used in our missions. I was shown families
who load their tables with almost every luxury and gratify almost every desire for fine clothes. They
are engaged in a prosperous business, or are earning good wages, but nearly every dollar is expended
upon themselves or their families. Is this imitating Christ? What burden do these feel to carefully
economize and deny inclination that they may do more to advance the work of God on earth? Should
Elder Andrews have the advantage of some of the means thus needlessly expended, it would be a great
blessing to him and give him advantages which would prolong his life. The missionary work might be
enlarged a hundredfold if there were more means to employ in carrying out larger plans. But the means
which God designed should be used for this very purpose is expended for articles which are thought
necessary to comfort and happiness, and which there might be no sin in possessing were not means so
greatly needed in extending the truth. How many of you, my brethren, are seeking your own and not
the things which are Jesus Christ's! {5T 205.1}
206
Suppose Christ should abide in every heart and selfishness in all its forms should be banished from the
church, what would be the result? Harmony, unity, and brotherly love would be seen as verily as in the
church which Christ first established. Christian activity would be seen everywhere. The whole church
would be kindled into a sacrificial flame for the glory of God. Every Christian would cast in the fruit of
his self-denial to be consumed upon the altar. There would be far greater activity in devising fresh
methods of usefulness and in studying how to come close to poor sinners to save them from eternal
ruin. {5T 206.1}
Should we dress in plain, modest apparel, without reference to the fashions; should our tables at all
times be set with simple, healthful food, avoiding all luxuries, all extravagance; should our houses be
built with becoming plainness and furnished in the same manner, it would show the sanctifying power
of the truth and would have a telling influence upon unbelievers. But while we conform to the world in
these matters, in some cases apparently seeking to excel worldlings in fanciful arrangement, the
preaching of the truth will have but little or no effect. Who will believe the solemn truth for this time
when those who already profess to believe it contradict their faith by their works? It is not God who
has closed the windows of heaven to us, but it is our own conformity to the customs and practices of
the world. {5T 206.2}
The third angel of Revelation 14 is represented as flying swiftly through the midst of heaven crying:
"Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Here is shown the nature
of the work of the people of God. They have a message of so great importance that they are
represented as flying in the presentation of it to the world. They are holding in their hands the bread of
life for a famishing world. The love of Christ constraineth them. This is the
207
last message. There are no more to follow, no more invitations of mercy to be given after this message
shall have done its work. What a trust! What a responsibility is resting upon all to carry the words of
gracious invitation: "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And
let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." {5T 206.3}
Everyone who heareth is to say: Come. Not only ministers, but the people. All are to join in the
invitation. Not only by their profession, but by their character and dress, all are to have a winning
influence. They are made trustees for the world, executors of the will of One who has bequeathed
sacred truth to men. Would that all could feel the dignity and glory of their God-given trust. {5T
207.1}
24. The Seal of God
"He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to
draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand." {5T 207.2}
And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; and the Lord
said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon
the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst
thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not
your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and
women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary. Then they
began at the ancient men which were before the house." {5T 207.3}
Jesus is about to leave the mercy seat of the heavenly
208
sanctuary to put on garments of vengeance and pour out His wrath in judgments upon those who have
not responded to the light God has given them. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed
speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Instead of being
softened by the patience and long forbearance that the Lord has exercised toward them, those who fear
not God and love not the truth strengthen their hearts in their evil course. But there are limits even to
the forbearance of God, and many are exceeding these boundaries. They have overrun the limits of
grace, and therefore God must interfere and vindicate His own honour. {5T 207.4}
Of the Amorites the Lord said: "In the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity
of the Amorites is not yet full." Although this nation was conspicuous because of its idolatry and
corruption, it had not yet filled up the cup of its iniquity, and God would not give command for its utter
destruction. The people were to see the divine power manifested in a marked manner, that they might
be left without excuse. The compassionate Creator was willing to bear with their iniquity until the
fourth generation. Then, if no change was seen for the better, His judgments were to fall upon them.
{5T 208.1}
With unerring accuracy the Infinite One still keeps an account with all nations. While His mercy is
tendered with calls to repentance, this account will remain open; but when the figures reach a certain
amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath commences. The account is closed. Divine
patience ceases. There is no more pleading of mercy in their behalf. {5T 208.2}
The prophet, looking down the ages, had this time presented before his vision. The nations of this age
have been the recipients of unprecedented mercies. The choicest of heaven's blessings have been given
them, but increased pride, covetousness, idolatry, contempt of God, and base ingratitude are written
209
against them. They are fast closing up their account with God. {5T 208.3}
But that which causes me to tremble is the fact that those who have had the greatest light and
privileges have become contaminated by the prevailing iniquity. Influenced by the unrighteous around
them, many, even of those who profess the truth, have grown cold and are borne down by the strong
current of evil. The universal scorn thrown upon true piety and holiness leads those who do not
connect closely with God to lose their reverence for His law. If they were following the light and
obeying the truth from the heart, this holy law would seem even more precious to them when thus
despised and set aside. As the disrespect for God's law becomes more manifest, the line of demarcation
between its observers and the world becomes more distinct. Love for the divine precepts increases with
one class according as contempt for them increases with another class. {5T 209.1}
The crisis is fast approaching. The rapidly swelling figures show that the time for God's visitation has
about come. Although loath to punish, nevertheless He will punish, and that speedily. Those who walk
in the light will see signs of the approaching peril; but they are not to sit in quiet, unconcerned
expectancy of the ruin, comforting themselves with the belief that God will shelter His people in the
day of visitation. Far from it. They should realize that it is their duty to labour diligently to save others,
looking with strong faith to God for help. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much." {5T 209.2}
The leaven of godliness has not entirely lost its power. At the time when the danger and depression of
the church are greatest, the little company who are standing in the light will be sighing and crying for
the abominations that are done in the land. But more especially will their prayers arise in behalf
210
of the church because its members are doing after the manner of the world. {5T 209.3}
The earnest prayers of this faithful few will not be in vain. When the Lord comes forth as an avenger,
He will also come as a protector of all those who have preserved the faith in its purity and kept
themselves unspotted from the world. It is at this time that God has promised to avenge His own elect
which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them. {5T 210.1}
The command is: "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark
upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst
thereof." These sighing, crying ones had been holding forth the words of life; they had reproved,
COUNSELLED, and entreated. Some who had been dishonouring God repented and humbled their
hearts before Him. But the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel; although many still continued
the forms of religion, His power and presence were lacking. {5T 210.2}
In the time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will
be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and
weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse
the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God's honour and a love for
souls will not hold their peace to obtain favour of any. Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with
the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent
of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before God to see religion
despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls
because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church. The Spirit
211
of God, which prompts to reproof, is trampled underfoot, while the servants of Satan triumph. God is
dishonoured, the truth made of none effect. {5T 210.3}
The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of
others, will be left without the seal of God. The Lord commissions His messengers, the men with
slaughtering weapons in their hands: "Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye
spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but
come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary. Then they began at the
ancient men which were before the house." {5T 211.1}
Here we see that the church--the Lord's sanctuary--was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God.
The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light and who had stood as guardians of the
spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had taken the position that we need not
look for miracles and the marked manifestation of God's power as in former days. Times have
changed. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will
He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus "Peace and safety" is the cry from
men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God's people their transgressions
and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just
vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children all perish together. {5T 211.2}
The abominations for which the faithful ones were sighing and crying were all that could be discerned
by finite eyes, but by far the worst sins, those which provoked the jealousy of the pure and holy God,
were unrevealed. The great Searcher of hearts knoweth every sin committed in secret by the workers of
iniquity. These persons come to feel secure in their deceptions and, because of His long-suffering, say
that the Lord
212
seeth not, and then act as though He had forsaken the earth. But He will detect their hypocrisy and will
open before others those sins which they were so careful to hide. {5T 211.3}
No superiority of rank, dignity, or worldly wisdom, no position in sacred office, will preserve men
from sacrificing principle when left to their own deceitful hearts. Those who have been regarded as
worthy and righteous prove to be ring-leaders in apostasy and examples in indifference and in the
abuse of God's mercies. Their wicked course He will tolerate no longer, and in His wrath He deals with
them without mercy. {5T 212.1}
It is with reluctance that the Lord withdraws His presence from those who have been blessed with
great light and who have felt the power of the word in ministering to others. They were once His
faithful servants, favoured with His presence and guidance; but they departed from Him and led others
into error, and therefore are brought under the divine displeasure. {5T 212.2}
The day of God's vengeance is just upon us. The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of
those only who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land. Those who link in sympathy with
the world are eating and drinking with the drunken and will surely be destroyed with the workers of
iniquity. "The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the
face of the Lord is against them that do evil." {5T 212.3}
Our own course of action will determine whether we shall receive the seal of the living God or be cut
down by the destroying weapons. Already a few drops of God's wrath have fallen upon the earth; but
when the seven last plagues shall be poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation, then it
will be forever too late to repent and find shelter. No atoning blood will then wash away the stains of
sin. {5T 212.4}
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince
213
which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was
since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered,
everyone that shall be found written in the book." When this time of trouble comes, every case is
decided; there is no longer probation, no longer mercy for the impenitent. The seal of the living God is
upon His people. This small remnant, unable to defend themselves in the deadly conflict with the
powers of earth that are marshalled by the dragon host, make God their defence. The decree has been
passed by the highest earthly authority that they shall worship the beast and receive his mark under
pain of persecution and death. May God help His people now, for what can they then do in such a
fearful conflict without His assistance! {5T 212.5}
Courage, fortitude, faith, and implicit trust in God's power to save do not come in a moment. These
heavenly graces are acquired by the experience of years. By a life of holy endeavour and firm
adherence to the right the children of God were sealing their destiny. Beset with temptations without
number, they knew they must resist firmly or be conquered. They felt that they had a great work to do,
and at any hour they might be called to lay off their armour; and should they come to the close of life
with their work undone, it would be an eternal loss. They eagerly accepted the light from heaven, as
did the first disciples from the lips of Jesus. When those early Christians were exiled to mountains and
deserts, when left in dungeons to die with hunger, cold, and torture, when martyrdom seemed the only
way out of their distress, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ, who was
crucified for them. Their worthy example will be a comfort and encouragement to the people of God
who will be brought into the time of trouble such as never was. {5T 213.1}
Not all who profess to keep the Sabbath will be sealed.
214
There are many even among those who teach the truth to others who will not receive the seal of God in
their foreheads. They had the light of truth, they knew their Master's will, they understood every point
of our faith, but they had not corresponding works. These who were so familiar with prophecy and the
treasures of divine wisdom should have acted their faith. They should have commanded their
households after them, that by a well-ordered family they might present to the world the influence of
the truth upon the human heart. {5T 213.2}
By their lack of devotion and piety, and their failure to reach a high religious standard, they make other
souls contented with their position. Men of finite judgment cannot see that in patterning after these
men who have so often opened to them the treasures of God's word, they will surely endanger their
souls. Jesus is the only true pattern. Everyone must now search the Bible for himself upon his knees
before God, with the humble, teachable heart of a child, if he would know what the Lord requires of
him. However high any minister may have stood in the favour of God, if he neglects to follow out the
light given him of God, if he refuses to be taught as a little child, he will go into darkness and satanic
delusions and will lead others in the same path. {5T 214.1}
Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them.
It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement.
Then the latter rain will fall upon us as the early rain fell upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost.
{5T 214.2}
We are too easily satisfied with our attainments. We feel rich and increased with goods and know not
that we are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Now is the time to heed the
admonition of the True Witness: "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be
rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
215
clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that
thou mayest see." {5T 214.3}
In this life we must meet fiery trials and make costly sacrifices, but the peace of Christ is the reward.
There has been so little self-denial, so little suffering for Christ's sake, that the cross is almost entirely
forgotten. We must be partakers with Christ of His sufferings if we would sit down in triumph with
Him on His throne. So long as we choose the easy path of self-indulgence and are frightened at selfdenial, our faith will never become firm, and we cannot know the peace of Jesus nor the joy that comes
through conscious victory. The most exalted of the redeemed host that stand before the throne of God
and the Lamb, clad in white, know the conflict of overcoming, for they have come up through great
tribulation. Those who have yielded to circumstances rather than engage in this conflict will not know
how to stand in that day when anguish will be upon every soul, when, though Noah, Job, and Daniel
were in the land, they could save neither son nor daughter, for everyone must deliver his soul by his
own righteousness. {5T 215.1}
No one need say that his case is hopeless, that he cannot live the life of a Christian. Ample provision is
made by the death of Christ for every soul. Jesus is our ever-present help in time of need. Only call
upon Him in faith, and He has promised to hear and answer your petitions. {5T 215.2}
Oh, for a living, active faith! We need it; we must have it, or we shall faint and fail in the day of trial.
The darkness that will then rest upon our path must not discourage us or drive us to despair. It is the
veil with which God covers His glory when He comes to impart rich blessings. We should know this
by our past experience. In that day when God has a controversy with His people this experience will be
a source of comfort and hope. {5T 215.3}
It is now that we must keep ourselves and our children unspotted from the world. It is now that we
must wash our robes
216
of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. It is now that we must overcome pride,
passion, and spiritual slothfulness. It is now that we must awake and make determined effort for
symmetry of character. "Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." We are in a most
trying position, waiting, watching for our Lord's appearing. The world is in darkness. "But ye,
brethren," says Paul, "are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." It is ever God's
purpose to bring light out of darkness, joy out of sorrow, and rest out of weariness for the waiting,
longing soul. {5T 215.4}
What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world
are receiving the worldly mould and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are distrustful of
self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth these are
receiving the heavenly mould and preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree
goes forth and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity. {5T
216.1}
Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man
or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It
will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who
receive the seal must be without spot before God--candidates for heaven. Go forward, my brethren and
sisters. I can only write briefly upon these points at this time, merely calling your attention to the
necessity of preparation. Search the Scriptures for yourselves, that you may understand the fearful
solemnity of the present hour. {5T 216.2}
25. An Appeal
[THIS APPEAL WAS WRITTEN AT HEALDSBURG, CALIFORNIA, MAY 30, 1882, TO BE
READ AT THE CAMP MEETINGS. IT PRESENTS WARNINGS AND INSTRUCTION WHICH
THE WRITER, BEING ABSENT IN PERSON, FELT URGED TO GIVE TO THE CHURCH. FOR
THE BENEFIT OF THOSE WHO WERE NOT PRESENT AT THOSE MEETINGS, AND ALSO
FOR ALL WHO MAY DESIRE TO PRESERVE IT IN PERMANENT FORM, IT IS INSERTED
HERE.]
I am filled with sadness when I think of our condition as a people. The Lord has not closed heaven to
us, but our own course of continual backsliding has separated us from God. Pride, covetousness, and
love of the world have lived in the heart without fear of banishment or condemnation. Grievous and
presumptuous sins have dwelt among us. And yet the general opinion is that the church is flourishing
and that peace and spiritual prosperity are in all her borders. {5T 217.1}
The church has turned back from following Christ her Leader and is steadily retreating toward Egypt.
Yet few are alarmed or astonished at their want of spiritual power. Doubt, and even disbelief of the
testimonies of the Spirit of God, is leavening our churches everywhere. Satan would have it thus.
Ministers who preach self instead of Christ would have it thus. The testimonies are unread and
unappreciated. God has spoken to you. Light has been shining from His word and from the
testimonies, and both have been slighted and disregarded. The result is apparent in the lack of purity
and devotion and earnest faith among us. {5T 217.2}
Let each put the question to his own heart: "How have we fallen into this state of spiritual feebleness
and dissension? Have we not brought upon ourselves the frown of God because our actions do not
correspond with our faith? Have we not been seeking the friendship and applause of the world
218
rather than the presence of Christ and a deeper knowledge of His will?" Examine your own hearts,
judge your own course. Consider what associates you are choosing. Do you seek the company of the
wise, or are you willing to choose worldly associates, companions who fear not God and obey not the
gospel? {5T 217.3}
Are your recreations such as to impart moral and spiritual vigour? Will they lead to purity of thought
and action? Impurity is today widespread, even among the professed followers of Christ. Passion is
unrestrained; the animal propensities are gaining strength by indulgence, while the moral powers are
constantly becoming weaker. Many are eagerly participating in worldly, demoralizing amusements
which God's word forbids. Thus they sever their connection with God and rank themselves with the
pleasure lovers of the world. The sins that destroyed the antediluvians and the cities of the plain exist
today--not merely in heathen lands, not only among popular professors of Christianity, but with some
who profess to be looking for the coming of the Son of man. If God should present these sins before
you as they appear in His sight, you would be filled with shame and terror. {5T 218.1}
And what has caused this alarming condition? Many have accepted the theory of the truth who have
had no true conversion. I know whereof I speak. There are few who feel true sorrow for sin, who have
deep, pungent convictions of the depravity of the unregenerate nature. The heart of stone is not
exchanged for a heart of flesh. Few are willing to fall upon the Rock and be broken. {5T 218.2}
No matter who you are or what your life has been, you can be saved only in God's appointed way. You
must repent; you must fall helpless on the Rock, Christ Jesus. You must feel your need of a physician
and of the one only remedy for sin, the blood of Christ. This remedy can be secured only by repentance
toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
219
Here the work is yet to be begun by many who profess to be Christians and even to be ministers of
Christ. Like the Pharisees of old many of you feel no need of a Saviour. You are self-sufficient, selfexalted. Said Christ: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." The blood of Christ
will avail for none but those who feel their need of its cleansing power. {5T 218.3}
What surpassing love and condescension, that when we had no claim upon divine mercy, Christ was
willing to undertake our redemption! But our great Physician requires of every soul unquestioning
submission. We are never to prescribe for our own case. Christ must have the entire management of
will and action. {5T 219.1}
Many are not sensible of their condition and their danger; and there is much in the nature and manner
of Christ's work averse to every worldly principle and opposed to the pride of the human heart. Jesus
requires us to trust ourselves wholly to His hands and confide in His love and wisdom. {5T 219.2}
We may flatter ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our moral character has been correct and we need not
humble ourselves before God like the common sinner. But we must be content to enter into life in the
very same way as the chief of sinners. We must renounce our own righteousness and plead for the
righteousness of Christ to be imputed to us. We must depend wholly upon Christ for our strength. Self
must die. We must acknowledge that all we have is from the exceeding riches of divine grace. Let this
be the language of our hearts: "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for
Thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake." {5T 219.3}
Genuine faith is followed by love, and love by obedience. All the powers and passions of the converted
man are brought under the control of Christ. His Spirit is a renewing power, transforming to the divine
image all who will receive it. It makes me sad to say that this experience is understood by but
220
few who profess the truth. Very many follow on in their own ways and indulge their sinful desires and
yet profess to be disciples of Christ. They have never submitted their hearts to God. Like the foolish
virgins they have neglected to obtain the oil of grace in their vessels with their lamps. I tell you, my
brethren, that a large number who profess to believe and even to teach the truth are under the bondage
of sin. Base passions defile the mind and corrupt the soul. Some who are in the vilest iniquity have
borrowed the livery of heaven, that they may serve Satan more effectively. {5T 219.4}
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." He feels that he is the purchase of the blood of
Christ and bound by the most solemn vows to glorify God in his body and in his spirit, which are
God's. The love of sin and the love of self are subdued in him. He daily asks: "What shall I render unto
the Lord for all His benefits toward me?" "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" The true Christian
will never complain that the yoke of Christ is galling to the neck. He accounts the service of Jesus as
the truest freedom. The law of God is his delight. Instead of seeking to bring down the divine
commands, to accord with his deficiencies, he is constantly striving to rise to the level of their
perfection. {5T 220.1}
Such an experience must be ours if we would be prepared to stand in the day of God. Now, while
probation lingers, while mercy's voice is still heard, is the time for us to put away our sins. While
moral darkness covers the earth like a funeral pall, the light of God's standard-bearers must shine the
more brightly, showing the contrast between heaven's light and Satan's darkness. {5T 220.2}
God has made ample provision that we may stand perfect in His grace, wanting in nothing, waiting for
the appearing of our Lord. Are you ready? Have you the wedding garment on? That garment will never
cover deceit, impurity, corruption,
221
or hypocrisy. The eye of God is upon you. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. We
may conceal our sins from the eyes of men, but we can hide nothing from our Maker. {5T 220.3}
God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him to death for our offenses and raised Him again for our
justification. Through Christ we may present our petitions at the throne of grace. Through Him,
unworthy as we are, we may obtain all spiritual blessings. Do we come to Him, that we may have life?
{5T 221.1}
How shall we know for ourselves God's goodness and His love? The psalmist tells us--not, hear and
know, read and know, or believe and know; but--"Taste and see that the Lord is good." Instead of
relying upon the word of another, taste for yourself. {5T 221.2}
Experience is knowledge derived from experiment. Experimental religion is what is needed now.
"Taste and see that the Lord is good." Some--yes, a large number--have a theoretical knowledge of
religious truth, but have never felt the renewing power of divine grace upon their own hearts. These
persons are ever slow to heed the testimonies of warning, reproof, and instruction indited by the Holy
Spirit. They believe in the wrath of God, but put forth no earnest efforts to escape it. They believe in
heaven, but make no sacrifice to obtain it. They believe in the value of the soul and that erelong its
redemption ceaseth forever. Yet they neglect the most precious opportunities to make their peace with
God. {5T 221.3}
They may read the Bible, but its threatenings do not alarm or its promises win them. They approve
things that are excellent, yet they follow the way in which God has forbidden them to go. They know a
refuge, but do not avail themselves of it. They know a remedy for sin, but do not use it. They know the
right, but have no relish for it. All their knowledge will
222
but increase their condemnation. They have never tasted and learned by experience that the Lord is
good. {5T 221.4}
To become a disciple of Christ is to deny self and follow Jesus through evil as well as good report.
Few are doing this now. Many prophesy falsely, and the people love to have it so; but what will be
done in the end thereof? What will be the decision when their work, with all its results, shall be
brought in review before God? {5T 222.1}
The Christian life is a warfare. The apostle Paul speaks of wrestling against principalities and powers
as he fought the good fight of faith. Again, he declares: "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving
against sin." Ah, no. Today sin is cherished and excused. The sharp sword of the Spirit, the word of
God, does not cut to the soul. Has religion changed? Has Satan's enmity to God abated? A religious life
once presented difficulties and demanded self-denial. All is made very easy now. And why is this? The
professed people of God have compromised with the power of darkness. {5T 222.2}
There must be a revival of the strait testimony. The path to heaven is no smoother now than in the days
of our Saviour. All our sins must be put away. Every darling indulgence that hinders our religious life
must be cut off. The right eye or the right hand must be sacrificed if it cause us to offend. Are we
willing to renounce our own wisdom and to receive the kingdom of heaven as a little child? Are we
willing to part with self-righteousness? Are we willing to give up our chosen worldly associates? Are
we willing to sacrifice the approbation of men? The prize of eternal life is of infinite value. Will we put
forth efforts and make sacrifices proportionate to the worth of the object to be attained? {5T 222.3}
Every association we form, however limited, exerts some influence upon us. The extent to which we
yield to that influence will be determined by the degree of intimacy, the constancy of the intercourse,
and our love and veneration for the one with whom we associate. Thus by acquaintance and
223
association with Christ we may become like Him, the one faultless Example. {5T 222.4}
Communion with Christ--how unspeakably precious! Such communion it is our privilege to enjoy if
we will seek it, if we will make any sacrifice to secure it. When the early disciples heard the words of
Christ, they felt their need of Him. They sought, they found, they followed Him. They were with Him
in the house, at the table, in the closet, in the field. They were with Him as pupils with a teacher, daily
receiving from His lips lessons of holy truth. They looked to Him as servants to their master, to learn
their duty. They served Him cheerfully, gladly. They followed Him, as soldiers follow their
commander, fighting the good fight of faith. "And they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and
faithful." {5T 223.1}
"He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." "Now if any man
have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His." This conformity to Jesus will not be unobserved by the
world. It is a subject of notice and comment. The Christian may not be conscious of the great change;
for the more closely he resembles Christ in character the more humble will be his opinion of himself;
but it will be seen and felt by all around him. Those who have had the deepest experience in the things
of God are the farthest removed from pride or self-exaltation. They have the humblest thoughts of self,
and the most exalted conceptions of the glory and excellence of Christ. They feel that the lowest place
in His service is too honourable for them. {5T 223.2}
Moses did not know that his face shone with a brightness painful and terrifying to those who had not,
like himself, communed with God. Paul had a very humble opinion of his own advancement in the
Christian life. He says: "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect." He speaks
of himself as the "chief" of sinners. Yet Paul had been highly HONOURED of the Lord. He had been
taken in holy
224
vision to the third heaven and had there received revelations of divine glory which he could not be
permitted to make known. {5T 223.3}
John the Baptist was pronounced by our Saviour the greatest of prophets. Yet what a contrast between
the language of this man of God and that of many who profess to be ministers of the cross. When
asked if he was the Christ, John declares himself unworthy even to unloose his Master's sandals. When
his disciples came with the complaint that the attention of the people was turned to the new Teacher,
John reminded them that he himself had claimed to be only the forerunner of the Promised One. To
Christ, as the bridegroom, belongs the first place in the affections of His people. "The friend of the
bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this
my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is
above all." "He that hath received His testimony hath set to his seal that God is true." {5T 224.1}
It is such workers that are needed in the cause of God today. The self-sufficient, the envious and
jealous, the critical and faultfinding, can well be spared from His sacred work. They should not be
tolerated in the ministry, even though they may apparently have accomplished some good. God is not
straitened for men or means. He calls for workers who are true and faithful, pure and holy; for those
who have felt their need of the atoning blood of Christ and the sanctifying grace of His Spirit. {5T
224.2}
My brethren, God is grieved with your envying and jealousies, your bitterness and dissension. In all
these things you are yielding obedience to Satan and not to Christ. When we see men firm in principle,
fearless in duty, zealous in the cause of God, yet humble and lowly, gentle and tender, patient toward
all, ready to forgive, manifesting love for souls
225
for whom Christ died, we do not need to inquire: Are they Christians? They give unmistakable
evidence that they have been with Jesus and learned of Him. When men reveal the opposite traits,
when they are proud, vain, frivolous, worldly-minded, avaricious, unkind, censorious, we need not be
told with whom they are associating, who is their most intimate friend. They may not believe in
witchcraft; but, notwithstanding this, they are holding communion with an evil spirit. {5T 224.3}
To this class I would say: "Glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from
above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every
evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be
entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of
righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." {5T 225.1}
When the Pharisees and Sadducees flocked to the baptism of John, that fearless preacher of
righteousness addressed them: "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to
come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." These men were actuated by unworthy
motives in coming to John. They were men of poisonous principles and corrupt practices. Yet they had
no sense of their true condition. Filled with pride and ambition, they would not hesitate at any means to
exalt themselves and strengthen their influence with the people. They came to receive baptism at the
hand of John that they might better carry out these designs. {5T 225.2}
John read their motives, and met them with the searching inquiry: "Who hath warned you to flee from
the wrath to come?" Had they heard the voice of God speaking to their hearts they would have given
evidence of the fact by bringing forth fruit meet for repentance. No such fruit was seen. They had
heard the warning as merely the voice of man. They
226
were charmed with the power and boldness with which John spoke, but the Spirit of God did not send
conviction to their hearts and as the sure result bring forth fruit unto eternal life. They gave no
evidence of a change of heart. Without the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, John would have
them understand that no outward ceremony could benefit them. {5T 225.3}
The reproof of the prophet is applicable to many in our day. They cannot gainsay the clear and
convincing arguments that sustain the truth, but they accept it more as the result of human reasoning
than of divine revelation. They have no true sense of their condition as sinners, they manifest no real
brokenness of heart; but, like the Pharisees, they feel that it is a great condescension for them to accept
the truth. {5T 226.1}
None are further from the kingdom of heaven than self-righteous formalists, filled with pride at their
own attainments, while they are wholly destitute of the spirit of Christ; while envy, jealousy, or love of
praise and popularity controls them. They belong to the same class that John addressed as a generation
of vipers, children of the wicked one. Such persons are among us, unseen, unsuspected. They serve the
cause of Satan more effectively than the vilest profligate; for the latter does not disguise his true
character; he appears what he is. {5T 226.2}
God requires fruit meet for repentance. Without such fruit our profession of faith is of no value. The
Lord is able to raise up true believers among those who have never heard His name. "Think not to say
within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones
to raise up children unto Abraham." {5T 226.3}
God is not dependent upon men who are unconverted in heart and life. He will never favour any man
who practices iniquity. "And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree
which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." {5T 226.4}
227
Those who laud and flatter the minister, while they neglect the works of righteousness, give
unmistakable evidence that they are converted to the minister and not to God. We inquire: "Who hath
warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Was it the voice of the Holy Spirit or merely the voice of
man which you heard in the message sent from God? The fruit borne will testify to the character of the
tree. {5T 227.1}
No outward forms can make us clean; no ordinance, administered by the saintliest of men, can take the
place of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of God must do its work upon the heart. All who
have not experienced its regenerating power are chaff among the wheat. Our Lord has His fan in His
hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor. In the coming day He will discern "between him that
serveth God and him that serveth Him not." {5T 227.2}
The spirit of Christ will be revealed in all who are born of God. Strife and contention cannot arise
among those who are controlled by His Spirit. "Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord." The
church will rarely take a higher stand than is taken by her ministers. We need a converted ministry and
a converted people. Shepherds who watch for souls as they that must give account will lead the flock
on in paths of peace and holiness. Their success in this work will be in proportion to their own growth
in grace and knowledge of the truth. When the teachers are sanctified, soul, body, and spirit, they can
impress upon the people the importance of such sanctification. {5T 227.3}
To talk of religious things in a casual way, to pray for spiritual blessings without real soul hunger and
living faith, avails little. The wondering crowd that pressed close about Christ realized no vital power
from the contact. But when the poor, suffering woman, in her great need, put forth her hand and
touched the hem of Jesus' garment, she felt the healing virtue. Hers was the touch of faith. Christ
recognized that touch, and He determined there to give a lesson for all
228
His followers to the close of time. He knew that virtue had gone out of Him, and turning about in the
throng He said: "Who touched My clothes?" Surprised at such a question His disciples answered:
"Thou seest the multitude thronging Thee, and sayest thou, Who touched Me?" {5T 227.4}
Jesus fixed His eyes upon her who had done this. She was filled with fear. Great joy was hers, but had
she overstepped her duty? Knowing what was done in her, she came trembling and fell at His feet and
told Him all the truth. Christ did not reproach her. He gently said: "Go in peace, and be whole of thy
plague." {5T 228.1}
Here was distinguished the casual contact from the touch of faith. Prayer and preaching, without the
exercise of living faith in God, will be in vain. But the touch of faith opens to us the divine treasure
house of power and wisdom; and thus, through instruments of clay, God accomplishes the wonders of
His grace. {5T 228.2}
This living faith is our great need today. We must know that Jesus is indeed ours, that His spirit is
purifying and refining our hearts. If the ministers of Christ had genuine faith, with meekness and love,
what a work they might accomplish! What fruit would be seen to the glory of God! {5T 228.3}
What can I say to you, my brethren, that shall arouse you from your carnal security? I have been
shown your perils. There are both believers and unbelievers in the church. Christ represents these two
classes in His parable of the vine and its branches. He exhorts His followers: "Abide in Me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye
abide in Me. I am the Vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing." {5T 228.4}
There is a wide difference between a pretended union and a real connection with Christ by faith. A
profession of the truth places men in the church, but this does not prove that
229
they have a vital connection with the living Vine. A rule is given by which the true disciple may be
distinguished from those who claim to follow Christ but have not faith in Him. The one class are fruit
bearing, the other, fruitless. The one are often subjected to the pruning knife of God that they may
bring forth more fruit; the other, as withered branches, are erelong to be severed from the living Vine.
{5T 228.5}
I am deeply solicitous that our people should preserve the living testimony among them, and that the
church should be kept pure from the unbelieving element. Can we conceive of a closer, more intimate
relation to Christ than is set forth in the words: "I am the Vine, ye are the branches"? The fibres of the
branch are almost identical with those of the vine. The communication of life, strength, and fruitfulness
from the trunk to the branches is unobstructed and constant. The root sends its nourishment through the
branch. Such is the true believer's relation to Christ. He abides in Christ and draws his nourishment
from Him. {5T 229.1}
This spiritual relation can be established only by the exercise of personal faith. This faith must express
on our part supreme preference, perfect reliance, entire consecration. Our will must be wholly yielded
to the divine will, our feelings, desires, interests, and honour identified with the prosperity of Christ's
kingdom and the honour of His cause, we constantly receiving grace from Him, and Christ accepting
gratitude from us. {5T 229.2}
When this intimacy of connection and communion is formed, our sins are laid upon Christ; His
righteousness is imputed to us. He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. We have access to God through Him; we are accepted in the Beloved. Whoever by word
of deed injures a believer thereby wounds Jesus. Whoever gives a cup of cold water to a disciple
because he is a child of God will be regarded by Christ as giving to Him. {5T 229.3}
230
It was when Christ was about to take leave of His disciples that He gave them the beautiful emblem of
His relation to believers. He had been presenting before them the close union with Himself by which
they could maintain spiritual life when His visible presence was withdrawn. To impress it upon their
minds He gave them the vine as its most striking and appropriate symbol. {5T 230.1}
The Jews had always regarded the vine as the most noble of plants and a type of all that was powerful,
excellent, and fruitful. "The vine," our Lord would seem to say, "which you prize so highly, is a
symbol. I am the reality: I am the True Vine. As a nation you prize the vine; as sinners you should
prize Me above all things earthly. The branch cannot live separated from the vine; no more can you
live unless you are abiding in Me." {5T 230.2}
All Christ's followers have as deep an interest in this lesson as had the disciples who listened to His
words. In the apostasy, man alienated himself from God. The separation is wide and fearful; but Christ
has made provision again to connect use with Himself. The power of evil is so identified with human
nature that no man can overcome except by union with Christ. Through this union we receive moral
and spiritual power. If we have the spirit of Christ we shall bring forth the fruit of righteousness, fruit
that will honour and bless men, and glorify God. {5T 230.3}
The Father is the vinedresser. He skilfully and mercifully prunes every fruit-bearing branch. Those
who share Christ's suffering and reproach now will share His glory hereafter. He "is not ashamed to
call them brethren." His angels minister to them. His second appearing will be as the Son of man, thus
even in His glory identifying Himself with humanity. To those who have united themselves to Him, He
declares: "Though a mother may forget her child, 'yet will not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee
upon the palms of My hands.' Thou art continually before Me." {5T 230.4}
231
Oh, what amazing privileges are proffered us! {5T 231.1}
Will we put forth most earnest efforts to form this alliance with Christ, through which alone these
blessings are attained? Will we break off our sins by righteousness and our iniquities by turning unto
the Lord? Skepticism and infidelity are widespread. Christ asked the question: "When the Son of man
cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" We must cherish a living, active faith. The permanence of
our faith is the condition of our union. {5T 231.2}
A union with Christ by living faith is enduring; every other union must perish. Christ first chose us,
paying an infinite price for our redemption; and the true believer chooses Christ as first and last and
best in everything. But this union costs us something. It is a union of utter dependence, to be entered
into by a proud being. All who form this union must feel their need of the atoning blood of Christ.
They must have a change of heart. They must submit their own will to the will of God. There will be a
struggle with outward and internal obstacles. There must be a painful work of detachment as well as a
work of attachment. Pride, selfishness, vanity, worldliness--sin in all its forms--must be overcome if
we would enter into a union with Christ. The reason why many find the Christian life so deplorably
hard, why they are so fickle, so variable, is that they try to attach themselves to Christ without first
detaching themselves from these cherished idols. {5T 231.3}
After the union with Christ has been formed, it can be preserved only by earnest prayer and untiring
effort. We must resist, we must deny, we must conquer self. Through the grace of Christ, by courage,
by faith, by watchfulness, we may gain the victory. {5T 231.4}
Believers become one in Christ, but one branch cannot be sustained by another. The nourishment must
be obtained through the vital connection with the vine. We must feel our utter dependence on Christ.
We must live by faith on the
232
Son of God. That is the meaning of the injunction: "Abide in Me." The life we live in the flesh is not to
the will of men, not to please our Lord's enemies, but to serve and honour Him who loved us and gave
Himself for us. A mere assent to this union, while the affections are not detached from the world, its
pleasures and its dissipations, only emboldens the heart in disobedience. {5T 231.5}
As a people we are sadly destitute of faith and love. Our efforts are altogether too feeble for the time of
peril in which we live. The pride and self-indulgence, the impiety and iniquity, by which we are
surrounded have an influence upon us. Few realize the importance of shunning, so far as possible, all
associations unfriendly to religious life. In choosing their surroundings, few make their spiritual
prosperity the first consideration. {5T 232.1}
Parents flock with their families to the cities because they fancy it easier to obtain a livelihood there
than in the country. The children, having nothing to do when not in school, obtain a street education.
From evil associates they acquire habits of vice and dissipation. The parents see all this; but it will
require a sacrifice to correct their error, and they stay where they are until Satan gains full control of
their children. Better sacrifice any and every worldly consideration than to imperil the precious souls
committed to your care. They will be assailed by temptations, and should be taught to meet them; but it
is your duty to cut off every influence, to break up every habit, to sunder every tie, that keeps you from
the most free, open, and hearty committal of yourselves and your family to God. {5T 232.2}
Instead of the crowded city seek some retired situation where your children will be, so far as possible,
shielded from temptation, and there train and educate them for usefulness. The prophet Ezekiel thus
enumerates the causes that led to Sodom's sin and destruction: "Pride, fullness of bread, and
233
abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor
and needy." All who would escape the doom of Sodom must shun the course that brought God's
judgments upon that wicked city. {5T 232.3}
My brethren, you are disregarding the most sacred claims of God by your neglect to consecrate
yourselves and your children to Him. Many of you are reposing in false security, absorbed in selfish
interests, and attracted by earthly treasures. You fear no evil. Danger seems a great way off. You will
be deceived, deluded, to your eternal ruin unless you arouse and with penitence and deep humiliation
return unto the Lord. {5T 233.1}
Again and again has the voice from heaven addressed you. Will you obey this voice? Will you heed
the counsel of the True Witness to seek the gold tried in the fire, the white raiment, and the eyesalve?
The gold is faith and love, the white raiment is the righteousness of Christ, the eyesalve is that spiritual
discernment which will enable you to see the wiles of Satan and shun them, to detect sin and abhor it,
to see truth and obey it. {5T 233.2}
The deadly lethargy of the world is paralysing your senses. Sin no longer appears repulsive because
you are blinded by Satan. The judgments of God are soon to be poured out upon the earth. "Escape for
thy life" is the warning from the angels of God. Other voices are heard saying: "Do not become
excited; there is no cause for special alarm." Those who are at ease in Zion cry "Peace and safety,"
while heaven declares that swift destruction is about to come upon the transgressor. The young, the
frivolous, the pleasure loving, consider these warnings as idle tales and turn from them with a jest.
Parents are inclined to think their children about right in the matter, and all sleep on at ease. Thus it
was at the destruction of the old world and when Sodom and Gomorrah were consumed by fire. On the
night prior to their destruction the
234
cities of the plain rioted in pleasure. Lot was derided for his fears and warnings. But it was these
scoffers that perished in the flames. That very night the door of mercy was forever closed to the
wicked, careless inhabitants of Sodom. {5T 233.3}
It is God who holds in His hands the destiny of souls. He will not always be mocked; He will not
always be trifled with. Already His judgments are in the land. Fierce and awful tempests leave
destruction and death in their wake. The devouring fire lays low the desolate forest and the crowded
city. Storm and shipwreck await those who journey upon the deep. Accident and calamity threaten all
who travel upon the land. Hurricanes, earthquakes, sword and famine, follow in quick succession. Yet
the hearts of men are hardened. They recognize not the warning voice of God. They will not flee to the
only refuge from the gathering storm. {5T 234.1}
Many who have been placed upon the walls of Zion, to watch with eagle eye for the approach of
danger and lift the voice of warning, are themselves asleep. The very ones who should be most active
and vigilant in this hour of peril are neglecting their duty and bringing upon themselves the blood of
souls. {5T 234.2}
My brethren, beware of the evil heart of unbelief. The word of God is plain and close in its restrictions;
it interferes with your selfish indulgence; therefore you do not obey it. The testimonies of His Spirit
call your attention to the Scriptures, point out your defects of character, and rebuke your sins; therefore
you do not heed them. And to justify your carnal, ease-loving course you begin to doubt whether the
testimonies are from God. If you would obey their teachings you would be assured of their divine
origin. Remember, your unbelief does not affect their truthfulness. If they are from God they will
stand. Those who seek to lessen the faith of God's people in these testimonies, which have been in the
church for the last thirty-six years, are fighting against God.
235
It is not the instrument whom you slight and insult, but God, who has spoken to you in these warnings
and reproofs. {5T 234.3}
In the instruction given by our Saviour to His disciples are words of admonition especially applicable
to us: "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and
drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." Watch, pray, work--this
is the true life of faith. "Pray always;" that is, be ever in the spirit of prayer, and then you will be in
readiness for your Lord's coming. {5T 235.1}
The watchmen are responsible for the condition of the people. While you open the door to pride, envy,
doubt, and other sins, there will be strife, hatred, and every evil work. Jesus, the meek and lowly One,
asks an entrance as your guest; but you are afraid to bid Him enter. He has spoken to us in both the Old
and the New Testament; He is speaking to us still by His Spirit and His providences. His instructions
are designed to make men true to God and true to themselves. {5T 235.2}
Jesus took upon Himself man's nature, that He might leave a pattern for humanity, complete, perfect.
He proposes to make us like Himself, true in every purpose, feeling, and thought--true in heart, soul,
and life. This is Christianity. Our fallen nature must be purified, ennobled, consecrated by obedience to
the truth. Christian faith will never harmonize with worldly principles; Christian integrity is opposed to
all deception and pretense. The man who cherishes the most of Christ's love in the soul, who reflects
the Saviour's image most perfectly, is in the sight of God the truest, most noble, most honourable man
upon the earth. {5T 235.3}
26. Christian Unity
"I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and
that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in
the same judgment." {5T 236.1}
Union is strength; division is weakness. When those who believe present truth are united, they exert a
telling influence. Satan well understands this. Never was he more determined than now to make of
none effect the truth of God by causing bitterness and dissension among the Lord's people. {5T 236.2}
The world is against us, the popular churches are against us, the laws of the land will soon be against
us. If there was ever a time when the people of God should press together, it is now. God has
committed to us the special truths for this time to make known to the world. The last message of mercy
is now going forth. We are dealing with men and women who are judgment bound. How careful
should we be in every word and act to follow closely the Pattern, that our example may lead men to
Christ. With what care should we seek so to present the truth that others by beholding its beauty and
simplicity may be led to receive it. If our characters testify of its sanctifying power, we shall be a
continual light to others--living epistles, known and read of all men. We cannot afford now to give
place to Satan by cherishing disunion, discord, and strife. {5T 236.3}
That union and love might exist among His disciples was the burden of our Saviour's last prayer for
them prior to His crucifixion. With the agony of the cross before Him, His solicitude was not for
Himself, but for those whom He should leave to carry forward His work in the earth. The severest
trials awaited them, but Jesus saw that their greatest danger would be from a spirit of bitterness and
division. Hence He prayed: {5T 236.4}
237
"Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth. As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so
have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be
sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me
through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also
may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." {5T 237.1}
That prayer of Christ embraces all His followers to the close of time. Our Saviour foresaw the trials
and dangers of His people; He is not unmindful of the dissensions and divisions that distract and
weaken His church. He is looking upon us with deeper interest and more tender compassion than
moves an earthly parent's heart toward a wayward, afflicted child. He bids us learn of Him. He invites
our confidence. He bids us open our hearts to receive His love. He has pledged Himself to be our
helper. {5T 237.2}
When Christ ascended to heaven, He left the work on earth in the hands of His servants, the
undershepherds. "And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of
the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." {5T 237.3}
In sending forth His ministers our Saviour gave gifts unto men, for through them He communicates to
the world the words of eternal life. This is the means which God has ordained for the perfecting of the
saints in knowledge and true holiness. The work of Christ's servants is not merely to preach the truth;
they are to watch for souls as they that must render account to God. They are to reprove, rebuke, exhort
with long-suffering and doctrine. {5T 237.4}
238
All who have been benefited by the labours of God's servant should, according to their ability, unite
with him in working for the salvation of souls. This is the work of all true believers, ministers and
people. They should keep the grand object ever in view, each seeking to fill his proper position in the
church, and all working together in order, harmony, and love. {5T 238.1}
There is nothing selfish or narrow in the religion of Christ. Its principles are diffusive and aggressive.
It is represented by Christ as the bright light, as the saving salt, as the transforming leaven. With zeal,
earnestness, and devotion the servants of God will seek to spread far and near the knowledge of the
truth; yet they will not neglect to labour for the strength and unity of the church. They will watch
carefully lest opportunity be given for diversity and division to creep in. {5T 238.2}
There have of late arisen among us men who profess to be the servants of Christ, but whose work is
opposed to that unity which our Lord established in the church. They have original plans and methods
of labour. They desire to introduce changes into the church to suit their ideas of progress and imagine
that grand results are thus to be secured. These men need to be learners rather than teachers in the
school of Christ. They are ever restless, aspiring to accomplish some great work, to do something that
will bring honour to themselves. They need to learn that most profitable of all lessons, humility and
faith in Jesus. Some are watching their fellow labourers and anxiously endeavouring to point out their
errors, when they should rather be earnestly seeking to prepare their own souls for the great conflict
before them. The Saviour bids them: "Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find
rest unto your souls." {5T 238.3}
Teachers of the truth, missionaries, officers in the church, can do a good work for the Master if they
will but purify their own souls by obeying the truth. Every living Christian will
239
be a disinterested worker for God. The Lord has given us a knowledge of His will that we may become
channels of light to others. If Christ is abiding in us, we cannot help working for Him. It is impossible
to retain the favour of God and enjoy the blessing of a Saviour's love, and yet be indifferent to the
danger of those who are perishing in their sins. "Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much
fruit." {5T 238.4}
Paul urges the Ephesians to preserve unity and love: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you
that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with
long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you
all." {5T 239.1}
The apostle exhorts his brethren to manifest in their lives the power of the truth which he had presented
to them. By meekness and gentleness, forbearance and love, they were to exemplify the character of
Christ and the blessings of His salvation. There is but one body, and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith. As
members of the body of Christ all believers are animated by the same spirit and the same hope.
Divisions in the church dishonour the religion of Christ before the world and give occasion to the
enemies of truth to justify their course. Paul's instructions were not written alone for the church in his
day. God designed that they should be sent down to us. What are we doing to preserve unity in the
bonds of peace? {5T 239.2}
When the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the early church, the brethren loved one another. "They . . .
did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the
people: and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Those primitive
240
Christians were few in numbers, without wealth or honour, yet they exerted a mighty influence. The
light of the world shone out from them. They were a terror to evildoers wherever their character and
their doctrines were known. For this cause they were hated by the wicked and persecuted even unto
death. {5T 239.3}
The standard of holiness is the same today as in the days of the apostles. Neither the promises nor the
requirements of God have lost aught of their force. But what is the state of the Lord's professed people
as compared with the early church? Where is the Spirit and power of God which then attended the
preaching of the gospel? Alas, "how is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed!" {5T
240.1}
The Lord planted His church as a vine in a fruitful field. With tenderest care He nourished and
cherished it, that it might bring forth the fruits of righteousness. His language is: "What could have
been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it?" But this vine of God's planting has
inclined to the earth and entwined its tendrils about human supports. Its branches are extended far and
wide, but it bears the fruit of a degenerate vine. The Master of the vineyard declares: "When I looked
that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" {5T 240.2}
The Lord has bestowed great blessings upon His church. Justice demands that she return these talents
with usury. As the treasures of truth committed to her keeping have increased, her obligations have
increased. But instead of improving upon these gifts and going forward unto perfection, she has fallen
away from that which she had attained in her earlier experience. The change in her spiritual state has
come gradually and almost imperceptibly. As she began to seek the praise and friendship of the world,
her faith diminished, her zeal grew languid, her fervent devotion gave place to dead formality. Every
advance step toward the world was a step away from God. As pride and worldly ambition have been
cherished, the spirit of Christ has departed, and emulation,
241
dissension, and strife have come in to distract and weaken the church. {5T 240.3}
Paul writes to his Corinthian brethren: "Ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and
strife, and divisions, are yet not carnal, and walk as men?" It is impossible for minds distracted by envy
and strife to comprehend the deep spiritual truths of God's word. "The natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned." We cannot rightly understand or appreciate divine revelation without the aid
of that Spirit by whom the word was given. {5T 241.1}
Those who are appointed to guard the spiritual interests of the church should be careful to set a right
example, giving no occasion for envy, jealousy, or suspicion, ever manifesting that same spirit of love,
respect, and courtesy which they desire to encourage in their brethren. Diligent heed should be given to
the instructions of God's word. Let every manifestation of animosity or unkindness be checked; let
every root of bitterness be removed. When trouble arises between brethren, the Saviour's rule should
be strictly followed. All possible effort should be made to effect a reconciliation; but if the parties
stubbornly persist in remaining at variance, they should be suspended till they can harmonize. {5T
241.2}
Upon the occurrence of trials in the church let every member examine his own heart to see if the cause
of trouble does not exist within. By spiritual pride, a desire to dictate, an ambitious longing for honour
or position, a lack of self-control, by the indulgence of passion or prejudice, by instability or lack of
judgment, the church may be disturbed and her peace sacrificed. {5T 241.3}
Difficulties are often caused by the vendors of gossip, whose whispered hints and suggestions poison
unsuspecting minds and separate the closest friends. Mischief-makers are seconded in their evil work
by the many who stand with open ears and
242
evil heart, saying: "Report, . . . and we will report it." This sin should not be tolerated among the
followers of Christ. No Christian parent should permit gossip to be repeated in the family circle or
remarks to be made disparaging the members of the church. {5T 241.4}
Christians should regard it as a religious duty to repress a spirit of envy or emulation. They should
rejoice in the superior reputation or prosperity of their brethren, even when their own character or
achievements seem to be cast in the shade. It was the pride and ambition cherished in the heart of Satan
that banished him from heaven. These evils are deeply rooted in our fallen nature, and if not removed
they will overshadow every good and noble quality and bring forth envy and strife as their baleful
fruits. {5T 242.1}
We should seek for true goodness rather than greatness. Those who possess the mind of Christ will
have humble views of themselves. They will labour for the purity and prosperity of the church, and be
ready to sacrifice their own interests and desires rather than to cause dissension among their brethren.
{5T 242.2}
Satan is constantly seeking to cause distrust, alienation, and malice among God's people. We shall be
often tempted to feel that our rights are invaded, when there is no real cause for such feelings. Those
whose love for self is stronger than their love for Christ and His cause will place their own interests
first and resort to almost any expedient to guard and maintain them. When they consider themselves
injured by their brethren, some will even go to law instead of following the Saviour's rule. Even many
who appear to be conscientious Christians are hindered by pride and self-esteem from going privately
to those they think in error, that they may talk the matter over in the spirit of Christ and pray for one
another. Contentions, strife, and lawsuits between brethren are a disgrace to
243
the cause of truth. Those who take such a course expose the church to the ridicule of her enemies and
cause the powers of darkness to triumph. They are piercing the wounds of Christ afresh and putting
Him to an open shame. By ignoring the authority of the church they show contempt for God, who gave
to the church its authority. {5T 242.3}
Paul writes to the Galatians: "I would they were even cut off which trouble you. For, brethren, ye have
been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye
bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk
in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." {5T 243.1}
False teachers had brought to the Galatians doctrines that were opposed to the gospel of Christ. Paul
sought to expose and correct these errors. He greatly desired that the false teachers might be separated
from the church, but their influence had affected so many of the believers that it seemed hazardous to
take action against them. There was danger of causing strife and division which would be ruinous to
the spiritual interests of the church. He therefore sought to impress upon his brethren the importance of
trying to help one another in love. He declared that all the requirements of the law setting forth our
duty to our fellow men are fulfilled in love to one another. He warned them that if they indulged hatred
and strife, dividing into parties, and like the brutes biting and devouring one another, they would bring
upon themselves present unhappiness and future ruin. There was but one way to prevent these terrible
evils and that was, as the apostle enjoined upon them, to "walk in the Spirit." They must by constant
prayer seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which would lead them to love and unity. {5T 243.2}
244
A house divided against itself cannot stand. When Christians contend, Satan comes in to take control.
How often has he succeeded in destroying the peace and harmony of churches. What fierce
controversies, what bitterness, what hatred, has a very little matter started! What hopes have been
blasted, how many families have been rent asunder by discord and contention! {5T 244.1}
Paul charged his brethren to beware lest in trying to correct the faults of others they should commit
sins equally great themselves. He warns them that hatred, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
and envyings are as truly the works of the flesh as are lasciviousness, adultery, drunkenness, and
murder, and will as surely close the gate of heaven against the guilty. {5T 244.2}
Christ declares: "Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in Me, it is better for him
that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea." Whoever by willful
deception or by a wrong example misleads a disciple of Christ is guilty of a great sin. Whoever would
make him an object of slander or ridicule is insulting Jesus. Our Saviour marks every wrong done to
His followers. {5T 244.3}
How were those punished who in olden time made light of what God had chosen as sacred to Himself?
Belshazzar and his thousand lords profaned the golden vessels of Jehovah and praised the idols of
Babylon. But the God whom they defied was a witness of the unholy scene. In the midst of their
sacrilegious mirth a bloodless hand was seen tracing mysterious characters upon the palace wall. Filled
with terror, king and courtiers heard their doom pronounced by the servant of the Most High. {5T
244.4}
Let those who delight to trace words of calumny and falsehood against the servants of Christ remember
that God is a witness of their deeds. Their slanderous touch is not profaning soulless vessels but the
characters of those whom Christ
245
has purchased by His blood. The hand which traced the characters upon the walls of Belshazzar's
palace keeps faithful record of every act of injustice or oppression committed against God's people.
{5T 244.5}
Sacred history presents striking examples of the Lord's jealous care for the weakest of His children.
During the journeying of Israel in the wilderness the weary and feeble ones who had fallen behind the
body of the people were attacked and slain by the cowardly and cruel Amalekites. Afterward Israel
made war with the Amalekites and defeated them. "And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a
memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of
Amalek from under heaven." Again the charge was repeated by Moses just before his death, that it
might not be forgotten by his posterity: "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye
were come forth out of Egypt; how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all
that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. . . . Thou shalt
blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it." {5T 245.1}
If God thus punished the cruelty of a heathen nation, how must He regard those who, professing to be
His people, will make war upon their own brethren who are worn and wearied labourers in His cause?
Satan has great power over those who yield to his control. It was the chief priests and elders--the
religious teachers of the people--that urged on the murderous throng from the judgment hall to
Calvary. There are hearts today among the professed followers of Christ inspired by the same spirit
that clamoured for the crucifixion of our Saviour. Let the workers of evil remember that to all their acts
there is one witness, a holy, sin-hating God. He will bring all their works into judgment, with every
secret thing. {5T 245.2}
"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of
246
the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to
edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself." As Christ has pitied and helped us in our weakness
and sinfulness, so should we pity and help others. Many are perplexed with doubt, burdened with
infirmities, weak in faith, and unable to grasp the unseen; but a friend whom they can see, coming to
them in Christ's stead, can be as a connecting link to fasten their trembling faith upon God. Oh, this is a
blessed work! Let not pride and selfishness prevent us from doing the good which we may do if we
will work in Christ's name and with a loving, tender spirit. {5T 245.3}
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of
meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill
the law of Christ." Here, again, our duty is plainly set before us. How can the professed followers of
Christ so lightly regard these inspired injunctions? Not long since I received a letter describing a
circumstance in which a brother had manifested indiscretion. Although it occurred years ago, and was
a very small matter, hardly worthy of a second thought, the writer stated that it had forever destroyed
her confidence in that brother. If that sister's life should show upon review no greater errors, it would
be indeed a marvel, for human nature is very weak. I have been and am still fellowshipping as brethren
and sisters those who have been guilty of grave sins and who even now do not see their sins as God
sees them. But the Lord bears with these persons, and why should not I? He will yet cause His Spirit so
to impress their hearts that sin will appear to them as it appeared to Paul, exceedingly sinful. {5T
246.1}
We know but little of our own hearts and have but little sense of our own need of the mercy of God.
This is why we cherish so little of that sweet compassion which Jesus manifests toward us and which
we should manifest toward one
247
another. We should remember that our brethren are weak, erring mortals like ourselves. Suppose that a
brother has through unwatchfulness been overborne by temptation and contrary to his general conduct
has committed some error, what course shall be pursued toward him? We learn from the Bible that
men whom God had used to do a great and good work committed grave sins. The Lord did not pass
these by unrebuked, neither did He cast off His servants. When they repented, He graciously forgave
them and revealed to them His presence and wrought through them. Let poor, weak mortals consider
how great is their own need of pity and forbearance from God and from their brethren. Let them
beware how they judge and condemn others. We should give heed to the instruction of the apostle: "Ye
which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be
tempted." We may fall under temptation and need all the forbearance which we are called to exercise
toward the offender. "With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again." {5T 246.2}
The apostle adds a caution to the independent and self-confident: "If a man think himself to be
something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. . . . Every man shall bear his own burden." He
who considers himself superior in judgment and experience to his brethren and despises their counsel
and admonition, evinces that he is in a dangerous delusion. The heart is deceitful. He should test his
character and life by the Bible standard. God's word sheds an unerring light upon the pathway of man's
life. Notwithstanding the many influences which arise to divert and distract the mind, those who
honestly seek God for wisdom will be guided into the right course. Every man must at last stand or fall
for himself, not according to the opinion of the party that sustains or opposes him, not according to the
judgment of any man, but according to his
248
real character in the sight of God. The church may warn, counsel, and admonish, but it cannot compel
any to take a right course. Whoever persists in disregarding the word of God must bear his own
burden, answer to God for himself, and suffer the consequences of his own course. {5T 247.1}
The Lord has given us in His word definite, unmistakable instructions, by obedience to which we may
preserve union and harmony in the church. Brethren and sisters, are you giving heed to these inspired
injunctions? Are you Bible readers and doers of the word? Are you striving to fulfill the prayer of
Christ that His followers might be one? "The God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth
glorify God." "Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and
peace shall be with you." {5T 248.1}
27. The Work of the Gospel Minister
There are many things that need to be corrected in the Upper Columbia and North Pacific Conferences.
[THESE WERE LOCAL CONFERENCES IN WHAT IS NOW THE NORTH PACIFIC UNION
CONFERENCE.--TRUSTEES OF ELLEN G. WHITE.] The Creator expected the brethren there to
bear fruit according to the light and privileges bestowed upon them, but in this He has been
disappointed. He has given them every advantage; but they have not improved in meekness, godliness,
benevolence. They have not pursued that course of life, have not revealed that character nor exercised
that influence, which would tend most to honour their Creator, ennoble themselves, and make them a
blessing to their fellow men. Selfishness exists in their hearts. They love to have their own way and
seek their own ease, honour, and wealth, and their own pleasure in its grosser or more refined forms. If
we pursue the course of the world and follow the bent of our own minds, will that work for our best
good? Does not God, who formed man, look for something better from us? {5T 249.1}
"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children." Christians must be like Christ. They should have
the same spirit, exert the same influence, and have the same moral excellence that He possessed. The
idolatrous and corrupt in heart must repent and turn to God. Those who are proud and self-righteous
must abase self and become penitent and meek and lowly in heart. The worldly-minded must have the
tendrils of the heart removed from the rubbish of the world, around which they are clinging, and
entwined about God; they must
250
become spiritually minded. The dishonest and untruthful must become just and true. The ambitious and
covetous must be hid in Jesus and seek His glory, not their own. They must despise their own holiness
and lay up their treasure above. The prayerless must feel the need of both secret and family prayer, and
must make their supplications to God with great earnestness. {5T 249.2}
As the worshippers of the true and living God we should bear fruit corresponding to the light and
privileges we enjoy. Many are worshipping idols instead of the Lord of heaven and earth. Anything
that men love and trust in instead of loving the Lord and trusting wholly in Him becomes an idol and is
thus registered in the books of heaven. Even blessings are often turned into a curse. The sympathies of
the human heart, strengthened by exercise, are sometimes perverted until they become a snare. If one is
reproved, there are always some who will sympathize with him. They entirely overlook the harm that
has been done to God's cause by the wrong influence of one whose life and character do not in any way
resemble those of the Pattern. God sends His servants with a message to the people professing to be
followers of Christ; but some are children of God only in name, and they reject the warning. {5T
250.1}
God has in a wonderful manner endowed man with reasoning powers. He who fitted the tree to bear its
burden of goodly fruit has made man capable of bearing the precious fruits of righteousness. He has
planted man in His garden and tenderly cared for him, and He expects him to bear fruit. In the parable
of the fig tree Christ says: "Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit." For more than two years
has the Owner looked for the fruit that He has a right to expect from these conferences, but how has
His search been rewarded? How anxiously we watch a favourite tree or plant, expecting it to reward
our care by producing buds, blossoms, and fruit; and how disappointed we are to find upon it nothing
but leaves. With how much more anxiety and tender interest does the heavenly Father watch the
spiritual growth of those whom He has made in His own image and for whom He condescended
251
to give His Son that they may be elevated, ennobled, and glorified. {5T 250.2}
The Lord has His appointed agencies to meet men in their errors and backslidings. His messengers are
sent to bear a plain testimony to arouse them from their sleepy condition and to open the precious
words of life, the Holy Scriptures, to their understanding. These men are not to be preachers merely,
but ministers, light bearers, faithful watchmen, who will see the threatened danger and warn the
people. They must resemble Christ in their earnest zeal, in their thoughtful tact, in their personal
efforts--in short, in all their ministry. They are to have a vital connection with God, and are to become
so familiar with the prophecies and the practical lessons of the Old and the New Testament that they
may bring from the treasure house of God's word things new and old. {5T 251.1}
Some of these ministers make a mistake in the preparation of their discourses. They arrange every
minutia with such exactness that they give the Lord no room to lead and impress their minds. Every
point is fixed, stereotyped as it were, and they cannot depart from the plan marked out. This course, if
continued, will cause them to become narrow-minded, circumscribed in their views, and will soon
leave them as destitute of life and energy as are the hills of Gilboa of dew and rain. They must throw
the soul open and let the Holy Spirit take possession to impress the mind. When everything is laid out
beforehand, and they feel that they cannot vary from these set discourses, the effect is little better than
that produced by reading a sermon. {5T 251.2}
God would have His ministers wholly dependent upon Him, but at the same time they should be
thoroughly furnished unto every good work. No subject can be treated before all congregations in the
same manner. The Spirit of God, if allowed to do its work, will impress the mind with ideas calculated
to meet the cases of those who need help. But the tame, formal discourses of many who enter the desk
have very little of the vitalizing power of the Holy Spirit in them. The habit of preaching such
discourses will effectually destroy a minister's
252
usefulness and ability. This is one reason why the efforts of the workers in ----- and ----- have not been
more successful. God has had too little to do with impressing the mind in the desk. {5T 251.3}
Another cause of failure in these conferences is that the people to whom God's messenger is sent wish
to mould his ideas to theirs and to put into his mouth the words that he should speak. God's watchmen
must not study how they shall please the people, nor listen to their words and utter them; but they must
listen to hear what saith the Lord, what is His word for the people. If they rely upon discourses
prepared years before they may fail to meet the necessities of the occasion. Their hearts should be laid
open so that the Lord may impress their minds, and then they will be able to give the people the
precious truth warm from heaven. God is not pleased with those narrow-minded ministers who devote
their God-given powers to matters of little moment and fail to grow in divine knowledge to the full
stature of men in Christ Jesus. He would have His ministers possess breadth of mind and true moral
courage. Such men will be prepared to meet opposition and surmount difficulties, and will lead the
flock of God instead of being led by them. {5T 252.1}
There is altogether too little of the Spirit and power of God in the labour of the watchmen. The Spirit
which characterized that wonderful meeting on the Day of Pentecost is waiting to manifest its power
upon the men who are now standing between the living and the dead as ambassadors for God. The
power which stirred the people so mightily in the 1844 movement will again be revealed. The third
angel's message will go forth, not in whispered tones, but with a loud voice. {5T 252.2}
Many who profess to have great light are walking in sparks of their own kindling. They need to have
their lips touched with a live coal from off the altar, that they may pour forth the truth like men who
are inspired. Too many go into the desk with mechanical discourses that have no light from heaven in
them. {5T 252.3}
253
There is too much of self and too little of Jesus in the ministry of all denominations. The Lord uses
humble men to proclaim His messages. Had Christ come in the majesty of a king, with the pomp which
attends the great men of earth, many would have accepted Him. But Jesus of Nazareth did not dazzle
the senses with a display of outward glory and make this the foundation of their reverence. He came as
a humble man to be the Teacher and Exemplar as well as the Redeemer of the race. Had He
encouraged pomp, had He come followed by a retinue of the great men of earth, how could He have
taught humility? how could He have presented such burning truths as in His Sermon upon the Mount?
His example was such as He wished all His followers to imitate. Where would have been the hope of
the lowly in life had He come in exaltation and dwelt as a king upon the earth? Jesus knew the needs of
the world better than they themselves knew. He did not come as an angel, clothed with the panoply of
heaven, but as a man. Yet combined with His humility was an inherent power and grandeur that awed
men while they loved Him. Although possessing such loveliness, such an unassuming appearance, He
moved among them with the dignity and power of a heaven-born king. The people were amazed,
confounded. They tried to reason the matter out; but, unwilling to renounce their own ideas, they
yielded to doubts, clinging to the old expectation of a Saviour to come in earthly grandeur. {5T 253.1}
When Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, His disciples were gathered close about Him, and the
multitude, filled with intense curiosity, also pressed as near as possible. Something more than usual
was expected. Eager faces and listening attitudes gave evidence of the deep interest. The attention of
all seemed rivetted upon the speaker. His eyes were lighted up with unutterable love, and the heavenly
expression upon His countenance gave meaning to every word uttered. Angels of heaven were in that
listening throng. There, too, was the adversary of souls with his evil angels, prepared to counteract, as
far as possible, the influence of the heavenly Teacher. The
254
truths there uttered have come down through the ages and have been a light amid the general darkness
of error. Many have found in them that which the soul most needed--a sure foundation of faith and
practice. But in these words spoken by the greatest Teacher the world has ever known there is no
parade of human eloquence. The language is plain, and the thoughts and sentiments are marked with
the greatest simplicity. The poor, the unlearned, the most simple-minded, can understand them. The
Lord of heaven was in mercy and kindness addressing the souls He came to save. He taught them as
one having authority, speaking the words of eternal life. {5T 253.2}
All should copy the Pattern as closely as possible. While they cannot possess the consciousness of
power which Jesus had, they can so connect with the Source of strength that Jesus can abide in them
and they in Him, and so His spirit and His power will be revealed in them. {5T 254.1}
"Walk in the light, as He is in the light." It is earthliness and selfishness that separate from God. The
messages from heaven are of a character to arouse opposition. The faithful witnesses for Christ and the
truth will reprove sin. Their words will be like a hammer to break the flinty heart, like a fire to
consume the dross. There is constant need of earnest, decided messages of warning. God will have
men who are true to duty. At the right time He sends His faithful messengers to do a work similar to
that of Elijah. {5T 254.2}
Ministers as Educators
The state of things in ----- is a matter of deep regret. That which the Lord has been pleased to present
before me has been of a character to give me pain. Whoever shall labour here or in ----- hereafter will
have uphill work and must carry a heavy load because the work has not been faithfully bound off, but
has been left in an unfinished state. And this is the more grievous because the failure is not wholly
chargeable to worldliness and want of love for Jesus and the truth on the part of the people; but much
of it lies at the door of the ministers,
255
who, while labouring among them, have signally failed in their duty. They have not had the missionary
spirit; they have not felt the great need of thoroughly educating the people in all branches of the work,
in all places where the truth has gained a foothold. The work done thoroughly for one soul is done for
many. But the ministers have not realized this and have failed to educate persons who in their turn
should stand steadfast in defence of the truth and educate others. This loose, slack, halfway manner of
working is displeasing to God. {5T 254.3}
A minister may enjoy sermonizing, for it is the pleasant part of the work and is comparatively easy; but
no minister should be measured by his ability as a speaker. The harder part comes after he leaves the
desk, in watering the seed sown. The interest awakened should be followed up by personal labour,-visiting, holding Bible readings, teaching how to search the Scriptures, praying with families and
interested ones, seeking to deepen the impression made upon hearts and consciences. {5T 255.1}
There are many who have no desire to become acquainted with their unbelieving neighbours and those
with whom they come in contact, and they do not feel it their duty to overcome this reluctance. The
truth they teach and the love of Jesus should have great power to help them to overcome this feeling.
They should remember that they must meet these very men and women in the judgment. Have they left
words unsaid that should have been spoken? Have they felt interest enough for souls, to warn, to
entreat, to pray for them, to make every effort to win them to Christ? Have they united discrimination
with zeal, heeding the direction of the apostle: "Of some have compassion, making a difference: and
others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh"? {5T
255.2}
There is earnest work to be done by all who would be successful in their ministry. I entreat you, dear
brethren, ministers of Christ, not to fail in your appointed duty to educate the people to work
intelligently to sustain the cause of God in all
256
its varied interests. Christ was an educator, and His ministers, who represent Him, should be educators.
When they neglect to teach the people their obligation to God in tithes and offerings, they neglect one
important part of the work which their Master has left them to do, and "Unfaithful servant" is written
against their names in the books of heaven. The church come to the conclusion that if these things were
essential, the minister, whom God has sent to present the truth to them, would tell them so; and they
feel secure and at ease while neglecting their duty. They go contrary to the express requirements of
God and as the result become lifeless and inefficient. They do not exert a saving influence upon the
world, and they are represented by Christ as salt without savour. {5T 255.3}
Companies of Sabbathkeepers may be raised up in many places. Often they will not be large
companies; but they must not be neglected, they must not be left to die for want of proper personal
effort and training. The work should not be left prematurely. See that all are intelligent in the truth,
established in the faith, and interested in every branch of the work, before leaving them for another
field. And then, like the apostle Paul, visit them often to see how they do. Oh, the slack work that is
done by many who claim to be commissioned of God to preach His word, makes angels weep. {5T
256.1}
The cause might be in a healthful condition in every field, and it would be if ministers would trust in
God and allow nothing to come between them and their work. Labourers are needed much more than
mere preachers, but the two offices must be united. It has been proved in the missionary field that,
whatever may be the preaching talent, if the labouring part is neglected, if the people are not taught
how to work, how to conduct meetings, how to act their part in missionary labour, how to reach people
successfully, the work will be nearly a failure. There is much to be done in the Sabbath school work
also in bringing the people to realize their obligation and to act their part. God calls them to work for
Him, and the ministers should guide their efforts. {5T 256.2}
257
The sad fact is apparent that the work in these fields ought to be years in advance of what it now is.
The negligence on the part of the ministers has discouraged the people, and the lack of interest, selfsacrifice, and appreciation of the work on the part of the people has discouraged the ministers. "Two
years behind" stands recorded in the Ledger of Heaven. This people might have done much to advance
the cause of truth and to bring souls to Christ in different localities, and at the same time might
themselves have been growing in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, had they improved their
opportunities and made the most of their privileges, walking, not with murmuring and complaining,
but in faith and courage. Eternity alone can reveal how much has been lost during these years--how
many souls have been left to perish through this state of things. The loss is too great to be computed.
God has been insulted. The course pursued has brought upon the cause a wound which will be years in
healing; and if the mistakes that have been made are not seen and repented of, they will surely be
repeated. {5T 257.1}
A realization of these facts has brought unspeakable burdens upon me, driving sleep from my eyes. At
times it has seemed that my heart would break, and I could only pray, while giving vent to my anguish
in weeping aloud. Oh, I felt so sorry for my Saviour! His searching for fruit amid the leaf-covered
branches of the fig tree and His disappointment in finding nothing but leaves" seemed so vivid before
my eyes. I felt that I could not have it so. I could in no way be reconciled to the past years of neglect of
duty on the part of ministers and people. I feared that the withering curse passed upon the fig tree
might be the fate of these careless ones. The terrible neglect of doing the work and fulfilling the
mission which God has entrusted to them incurs a loss which none of us can afford to sustain. It is
running a risk too fearful to contemplate and too terrible to be ventured at any time in our religious
history, but especially now, when time is so short and so much is to be done in this day of God's
preparation. All
258
heaven is earnestly engaged for the salvation of men; light is coming from God to His people, defining
their duty, so that none need err from the right path. But God does not send His light and truth to be
lightly esteemed and trifled with. If the people are inattentive, they are doubly guilty before Him. {5T
257.2}
As Christ was riding into Jerusalem, on the crest of Olivet He broke forth in uncontrollable grief,
exclaiming in broken utterances as He looked upon Jerusalem: "If thou hadst known, even thou, at
least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." He
wept not for Himself, but for the despisers of His mercy, long-suffering, and forbearance. The course
taken by the hardhearted and impenitent inhabitants of the doomed city is similar to the attitude of
churches and individuals toward Christ at the present time. They neglect His requirements and despise
His forbearance. There is a form of godliness, there is ceremonial worship, there are complimentary
prayers, but the real power is wanting. The heart is not softened by grace, but is cold and
unimpressible. Many, like the Jews, are blinded by unbelief and know not the time of their visitation.
So far as the truth is concerned, they have had every advantage, God has been appealing to them for
years in warnings, reproofs, corrections, and instruction in righteousness; but special directions have
been given only to be disregarded and placed on a level with common things. {5T 258.1}
Duty to Reprove Money Lovers
Many who are numbered with the believers are not really with them in faith and principle. They are
doing exactly that which Jesus told them not to do--seeking to lay up treasures upon the earth. Christ
said: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth: . . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven:
. . . for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Here is one danger which threatens
Christians. They are not obedient to Christ's positive directions. They show no
259
real faith and confidence in God. In order to gain riches they accumulate burdens and cares until their
minds are almost wholly engrossed with them. They are eager for gains and always anxious for fear of
losses. The more money and lands they possess the more eager are they for more. "They are drunken,
but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink." They are surfeited with the cares of this
life, which affect them as strong drink does the drunkard. They are so blinded by selfishness that they
work night and day to secure perishable treasures. Their eternal interests are neglected; they have no
time to attend to these things. The great matters of truth are not kept in mind, as is evidenced by their
words, their plans, and their course of action. What if souls around them perish in their sins? This is
not of so much consequence to them as their earthly treasures. Let souls for whom Christ died sink to
ruin; they have no time to save them. In laying plans for earthly gain they show skill and talent; but
these precious qualities are not devoted to winning souls to Christ, to the upbuilding of the Redeemer's
kingdom. Are not the senses of such persons perverted? Are they not drunken with the intoxicating cup
of worldliness? Is not reason laid aside, and have not selfish aims and purposes be come the ruling
power? The work of preparing themselves to stand in the day of the Lord, and employing their Godgiven abilities in helping to prepare a people for that day, is considered too tame and unsatisfying. {5T
258.2}
The Saviour of the world has presented a most profitable business in which rich and poor, learned and
unlearned, may engage. All may safely lay up for themselves "a treasure in the heavens that faileth
not." This is investing their powers on the right side. It is putting out their talents to the exchangers.
{5T 259.1}
Jesus illustrated His teaching by the case of a substantial farmer whom the Lord had greatly favoured.
The Lord had blessed his grounds, causing them to produce plentifully, thus placing it in his power to
exercise liberality to others not so greatly blessed. But when he found that his grounds had produced
260
so abundantly, far beyond his expectation, instead of planning how to relieve the poor in their
necessities, he began to devise means to secure all to himself. As he saw the gifts of heaven rolling into
his garners he poured not out his soul in thanksgiving to the bounteous Giver, neither did he consider
that this great blessing had brought additional responsibility. In the pure selfishness of his nature he
inquires: "What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?" Taking counsel with
his own covetous heart, he said: "This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there
will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid
up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." The means of real enjoyment and
elevation of soul are activity, self-control, holy purposes; but all that this man proposed to do with the
bounties God had given him was to degrade the soul. And what was the result? "God said unto him,
Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou
hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." {5T 259.2}
This poor rich man possessed great earthly treasure, but was destitute of the true riches. How many
today are under condemnation for a similar reason. Streams of salvation are poured in upon us from the
throne of God. Temporal blessings are given, but they are not improved to bless humanity or to glorify
God. The Lord is our gracious benefactor. He has brought light and immortality to light through Jesus
Christ. Yes, through Jesus all our blessings come. Oh, that every tongue would acknowledge the great
Giver! Let every voice, in clear and joyful strains, proclaim the glad tidings that through Jesus the
future, immortal life is opened to us; and invitations are given for all to accept this great boon. All the
treasures of heaven are brought within our reach, waiting our demand. Can we be surprised that this
poor rich man was called a fool because he turned away from eternal riches, the priceless gift of
immortal life, the eternal weight
261
of glory, and was satisfied with perishable, earthly treasures? {5T 260.1}
God tests men, some in one way, and some in another. He tests some by bestowing upon them His rich
bounties, and others by withholding His favours. He proves the rich to see if they will love God, the
Giver, and their neighbour as themselves. When man makes a right use of these bounties, God is
pleased; He can then trust him with greater responsibilities. The Lord reveals man's relative estimate of
time and eternity, of earth and heaven. He has admonished us: "If riches increase, set not your heart
upon them." They have a value when used for the good of others and the glory of God; but no earthly
treasure is to be your portion, your god, or your saviour. {5T 261.1}
My brethren, the world will never believe that you are in earnest in your faith until you have less to say
about temporal things and more about the realities of the eternal world. The Lord is coming, but many
who profess the faith do not realize that that event is nigh. They cannot fasten their faith upon the
revealed purposes of God. With some, the passion for money-making has become all-absorbing, and
earthly riches have eclipsed the heavenly treasure. Eternal things have faded from the mind as of minor
consequence, while worldliness has come in like a flood. The great question is: How can I make
money? Men are alive to every hope of gain. They try a thousand plans and devices, among them
various inventions and patent rights. Some dig in the earth for the precious metals, others deal in bank
stock, still others till the soil; but all have the one object in view of making money. They become
bewildered and even insane in the pursuit of wealth, yet they refuse to see the advantage of securing an
immortal inheritance. {5T 261.2}
When Christ was on earth, He was brought in contact with some whose imaginations were fevered
with the hope of worldly gain. They were never at rest, but were constantly trying something new, and
their extravagant expectations were aroused only to be disappointed. Jesus knew the wants of the
human heart, which are the same in all ages; and He
262
called their attention to the only permanent riches. "The kingdom of heaven," said He, "is like unto
treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy there-of goeth and
selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." He tells men of treasure beyond estimate, which is
within the reach of all. He came to earth to guide their minds in their search for this treasure. The way
is marked out; the very poorest who will follow Him will be made richer than the most wealthy upon
earth who know not Jesus, and they will be made increasingly rich by sharing their happiness with
others. {5T 261.3}
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves
break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." Those who do this will meet with no loss.
The treasure laid up in heaven is secure; and it is put to our account, for Jesus said: "Lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven." Men may sow here, but they reap in eternity. {5T 262.1}
It is this eternal treasure that ministers of Christ are to present wherever they may go. They are to urge
the people to become wise unto salvation. They are not to allow world-loving, timeserving professed
believers to influence their course and weaken their faith. It is not their mission to help individuals or
churches to contrive how they can save money by narrow plans and circumscribed efforts in the cause
of God. Instead of this they are to teach men how to work disinterestedly and thus become rich toward
God. They should educate minds to place the right estimate on eternal things and to make the kingdom
of heaven first. {5T 262.2}
Calebs are wanted in these two fields. There must be in these conferences, not children, but men who
will move understandingly and bear burdens, letting their voice be heard above the voices of the
unfaithful, who present objections, doubts, and criticism. Great interests are not to be managed by
children. An undeveloped Christian, dwarfed in religious growth, destitute of wisdom from above, is
unprepared to
263
meet the fierce conflicts through which the church is often called to pass. "I have set watchmen upon
thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night." Unless the minister shall
fearlessly declare the whole truth, unless he shall have an eye single to the glory of God and shall work
under the direction of the great Captain of his salvation, unless he shall move to the front, irrespective
of censure and uncontaminated by applause, he will be accounted an unfaithful watchman. {5T 262.3}
There are some in ----- who ought to be men instead of boys and heavenly minded instead of earthly
and sensual; but their spiritual vision has become obscured; the Saviour's great love has not ravished
their souls. He has many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. You are children in
growth and cannot comprehend the mysteries of God. When God raises up men to do His work, they
are false to their trust if they allow their testimony to be shaped to please the minds of the
unconsecrated. He will prepare men for the times. They will be humble, God-fearing men, not
conservative, not policy men; but men who have moral independence and will move forward in the
fear of the Lord. They will be kind, noble, courteous; yet they will not be swayed from the right path,
but will proclaim the truth in righteousness whether men will hear or whether they will forbear. {5T
263.1}
28. Christian Growth
I have been shown that those who have a knowledge of the truth, and yet allow all their powers to be
absorbed in worldly interests, are unfaithful. They are not, by their good works, letting the light of
truth shine to others. Nearly all their ability is devoted to becoming sharp, skilful men of the world.
They forget that their talents were given them of God to be used in advancing His cause. If they were
faithful to their duty, the result would be great gain of souls to the Master, but many are lost through
their neglect. God calls upon those who know His will to be doers of {5T 263.2}
264
His word. Weakness, halfheartedness, and indecision provoke the assaults of Satan; and those who
permit these traits to grow will be borne helplessly down by the surging waves of temptation.
Everyone who professes the name of Christ is required to grow up to the full stature of Christ, the
Christian's living head. {5T 264.1}
We all need a guide through the many strait places in life as much as the sailor needs a pilot over the
sandy bar or up the rocky river, and where is this guide to be found? We point you, dear brethren, to
the Bible. Inspired of God, written by holy men, it points out with great clearness and precision the
duties of both old and young. It elevates the mind, softens the heart, and imparts gladness and holy joy
to the spirit. The Bible presents a perfect standard of character; it is an infallible guide under all
circumstances, even to the end of the journey of life. Take it as the man of your counsel, the rule of
your daily life. {5T 264.2}
Every means of grace should be diligently improved that the love of God may abound in the soul more
and more, "that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense
till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness." Your Christian life must take on
vigorous and stalwart forms. You can attain to the high standard set before you in the Scriptures, and
you must if you would be children of God. You cannot stand still; you must either advance or
retrograde. You must have spiritual knowledge, that you "may be able to comprehend with all saints
what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ," that you may
"be filled with all the fullness of God." {5T 264.3}
Many who have an intelligent knowledge of the truth, and are able to defend it by arguments, are doing
nothing for the upbuilding of Christ's kingdom. We meet them from time to time, but they bear no
fresh testimonies of personal experience in the Christian life; they relate no new victories gained in the
holy warfare. Instead of this you notice the same old routine, the same expressions in prayer and
exhortation.
265
Their prayers have no new note; they express no greater intelligence in the things of God, no more
earnest, living faith. Such persons are not living plants in the garden of the Lord, sending forth fresh
shoots and new foliage, and the grateful fragrance of a holy life. They are not growing Christians. They
have limited views and plans, and there is no expansion of mind, no valuable additions to the treasures
of Christian knowledge. Their powers have not been taxed in this direction. They have not learned to
view men and things as God views them, and in many cases unsanctified sympathy has injured souls
and greatly crippled the cause of God. The spiritual stagnation that prevails is terrible. Many lead a
formal Christian life and claim that their sins have been forgiven, when they are as destitute of any real
knowledge of Christ as is the sinner. {5T 264.4}
Brethren, will you have a stinted Christian growth, or will you make healthy progress in the divine
life? Where there is spiritual health there is growth. The child of God grows up to the full stature of a
man or woman in Christ. There is no limit to his improvement. When the love of God is a living
principle in the soul, there are no narrow, confined views; there is love and faithfulness in warnings
and reproofs; there is earnest work and a disposition to bear burdens and take responsibilities. {5T
265.1}
Some are not willing to do self-denying work. They show real impatience when urged to take some
responsibility. "What need is there," say they, of an increase of knowledge and experience? This
explains it all. They feel that they are "rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing,"
while heaven pronounces them poor, miserable, blind, and naked. To these the True Witness says: "I
counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou
mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with
eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Your very self-complacency shows you to be in need of everything.
You are spiritually sick and need Jesus as your physician. {5T 265.2}
266
In the Scriptures thousands of gems of truth lie hidden from the surface seeker. The mine of truth is
never exhausted. The more you search the Scriptures with humble hearts, the greater will be your
interest, and the more you will feel like exclaiming with Paul: "O the depth of the riches both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!"
Every day you should learn something new from the Scriptures. Search them as for hid treasures, for
they contain the words of eternal life. Pray for wisdom and understanding to comprehend these holy
writings. If you would do this you would find new glories in the word of God; you would feel that you
had received new and precious light on subjects connected with the truth, and the Scriptures would be
constantly receiving a new value in your estimation. {5T 266.1}
"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly." Jesus says: "Behold, I come
quickly." We should keep these words ever in mind, and act as though we do indeed believe that the
coming of the Lord is nigh, and that we are pilgrims and strangers upon the earth. The vital energies of
the church of God must be brought into active exercise for the great object of self-renovation; every
member must be an active agent for God. "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father. 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 an habitation of God through the
Spirit." This is a particular work, which must be carried forward in all harmony, in unity of Spirit, and
in the bonds of peace. No place should be given to criticisms, doubts, and unbelief. {5T 266.2}
The Upper Columbia and North Pacific Conferences [SEE FOOTNOTE ON PAGE 249.] years
behind. Some who ought to be strong and established in Christ are as babes in understanding and
experimental
267
knowledge of the workings of the Spirit of God. After years of experience they are able to comprehend
only the first principles of that grand system of faith and doctrine that constitutes the Christian religion.
They do not comprehend that perfection of character which will receive the commendation: "Well
done." {5T 266.3}
Brethren, your duty, happiness, future usefulness, and final salvation call upon you to sever the tendrils
of your affections from everything earthly and corruptible. There is an unsanctified sympathy that
partakes of the nature of lovesick sentimentalism and is earthly, sensual. It will require no feeble effort
for some of you to overcome this and change the course of your life, for you have not placed
yourselves in connection with the Strength of Israel and have become enfeebled in all your faculties.
Now you are loudly called upon to be diligent in the use of every means of grace, that you may be
transformed in character and may grow to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. {5T
267.1}
We have great victories to gain, and a heaven to lose if we do not gain them. The carnal heart must be
crucified; for its tendency is to moral corruption, and the end thereof is death. Nothing but the lifegiving influences of the gospel can help the soul. Pray that the mighty energies of the Holy Spirit, with
all their quickening, recuperative, and transforming power, may fall like an electric shock on the palsystricken soul, causing every nerve to thrill with new life, restoring the whole man from his dead,
earthly, sensual state to spiritual soundness. You will thus become partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust; and in your souls will be reflected the
image of Him by whose stripes you are healed. {5T 267.2}
Tithes and Offerings
The Lord requires that we return to Him in tithes and offerings a portion of the goods He has lent us.
He accepts these offerings as an act of humble obedience on our part and
268
a grateful acknowledgment of our indebtedness to Him for all the blessings we enjoy. Then let us offer
willingly, saying with David: "All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee."
Withholding more than is meet tends to poverty. God will bear long with some, He will test and prove
all; but His curse will surely follow the selfish, world-loving professor of truth. God knows the heart;
every thought and every purpose is open to His eye. He says: "Them that honour Me I will honour, and
they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed." He knows whom to bless and who are deserving of His
curse. He makes no mistakes, for angels are keeping a record of all our works and words. {5T 267.3}
When the people of God were about to build the sanctuary in the wilderness, extensive preparations
were necessary. Costly materials were collected, and among them was much gold and silver. As the
rightful owner of all their treasures, the Lord called for these offerings from the people; but He
accepted only those that were given freely. The people offered willingly, until word was brought to
Moses: "The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord
commanded to make." And the proclamation was made to all the congregation: "Let neither man nor
woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from
bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much." {5T 268.1}
Had some men of limited ideas been on the ground they would have opened their eyes in horror. Like
Judas they would have asked: "To what purpose is this waste?" "Why not make everything in the
cheapest manner?" But the sanctuary was not designed to honour man, but the God of heaven. He had
given specific directions how everything was to be done. The people were to be taught that He was a
being of greatness and majesty, and that He was to be worshipped with reverence and awe. {5T 268.2}
The house where God is worshipped should be in accordance with His character and majesty. There
are small
269
churches that ever will be small because they place their own interests above the interests of God's
cause. While they have large, convenient houses for themselves, and are constantly improving their
premises, they are content to have a most unsuitable place for the worship of God, where His holy
presence is to dwell. They wonder that Joseph and Mary were obliged to find shelter in a stable, and
that there the Saviour was born; but they are willing to expend upon themselves a large part of their
means, while the house of worship is shamefully neglected. How often they say: "The time is not
come, the time that the Lord's house should be built." But the word of the Lord to them is: "Is it time
for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?" {5T 268.3}
The house where Jesus is to meet with His people should be neat and attractive. If there are but few
believers in a place, put up a neat but humble house, and by dedicating it to God invite Jesus to come
as your guest. How does He look upon His people when they have every convenience that heart could
wish, but are willing to meet for His worship in a barn, some miserable, out-of-the-way building, or
some cheap, forsaken apartment? You work for your friends, you expend means to make everything
around them as attractive as possible; but Jesus, the One who gave everything for you, even His
precious life,--He who is the Majesty of heaven, the King of kings and Lord of lords,--is favoured with
a place on earth but little better than the stable which was His first home. Shall we not look at these
things as God looks at them? Shall we not test our motives and see what kind of faith we possess? {5T
269.1}
"God loveth a cheerful giver," and those who love Him will give freely and cheerfully when by so
doing they can advance His cause and promote His glory. The Lord never requires His people to offer
more than they are able, but according to their ability He is pleased to accept and bless their thank
offerings. Let willing obedience and pure love bind upon the altar every offering that is made to God;
for with such sacrifices He is well pleased, while those that are offered
270
grudgingly are an offense to Him. When churches or individuals have no heart in their offerings, but
would limit the cost of carrying forward the work of God, and gauge it by their own narrow views,
they show decidedly that they have no living connection with God. They are at variance with His plan
and manner of working, and He will not bless them. {5T 269.2}
We are builders for God, and we must build upon the foundation which He has prepared for us. No
man is to build upon his own foundation, independent of the plan which God has devised. There are
men whom God has raised up as counsellors, men whom He has taught, and whose heart and soul and
life are in the work. These men are to be highly esteemed for their work's sake. There are some who
will wish to follow their own crude notions; but they must learn to receive advice and to work in
harmony with their brethren, or they will sow doubt and discord that they will not care to harvest. It is
the will of God that those who engage in His work shall be subject to one another. His worship must be
conducted with consistency, unity, and sound judgment. God is our only sufficient helper. The laws
which govern His people, their principles of thought and action, are received from Him through His
word and Spirit. When His word is loved and obeyed, His children walk in the light, and there is no
occasion of stumbling in them. They do not accept the world's low standard, but work from the Bible
standpoint. {5T 270.1}
The selfishness which exists among God's people is very offensive to Him. The Scriptures denounce
covetousness as idolatry. No "covetous man," says Paul, "who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in
the kingdom of Christ and of God." The trouble with many is that they have too little faith. Like the
rich man in the parable they want to see their supplies piled up in their granaries. The world is to be
warned, and God wants us wholly engaged in His work; but men have so much to do to forward their
money-making projects that they have no time to push the triumphs of the cross of Christ. They have
neither time nor disposition to put their intellect, tact, and energy into the cause of God. {5T 270.2}
271
Brethren and sisters, I wish to excite in your minds disgust for your present limited ideas of God's
cause and work. I want you to comprehend the great sacrifice that Christ made for you when He
became poor, that through His poverty you might come into possession of eternal riches. Oh! do not,
by your indifference to the eternal weight of glory which is within your reach, cause angels to weep
and hide their faces in shame and disgust. Arouse from your lethargy; arouse every God-given faculty,
and work for precious souls for whom Christ died. These souls, if brought to the fold of Christ, will
live through the ceaseless ages of eternity; and will you plan to do as little as possible for their
salvation, while, like the man with the one talent, you invest your means in the earth? Like that
unfaithful servant, are you charging God with reaping where He has not sown, and gathering where He
has not strewed? {5T 271.1}
All that you have and are belongs to God. Then will you not say from the heart: "All things come of
Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee"? "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first
fruits of all thine increase." Paul thus exhorts his Corinthian brethren to Christian beneficence: "As ye
abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to
us, see that ye abound in this grace also." In his epistle to Timothy he says: "Charge them that are rich
in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who
giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to
distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the
time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." {5T 271.2}
Liberality is not so natural to us that we gain this virtue by accident. It must be cultivated. We must
deliberately resolve that we will honour God with our substance; and then we must let nothing tempt
us to rob Him of the tithes and offerings that are His due. We must be intelligent, systematic, and
continuous in our acts of charity to men and our expressions
272
of gratitude to God for His bounties to us. This is too sacred a duty to be left to chance or to be
controlled by impulse or feeling. We should regularly reserve something for God's cause, that He may
not be robbed of the portion which He claims. When we rob God we rob ourselves also. We give up
the heavenly treasure for the sake of having more of this earth. This is a loss that we cannot afford to
sustain. If we live so that we can have the blessing of God we shall have His prospering hand with us
in our temporal affairs, but if His hand is against us He can defeat all our plans and scatter faster than
we can gather. {5T 271.3}
I was shown that the situation of things in these two conferences is sad indeed; but God has many
precious souls here over whom He has a jealous care, and He will not leave them to be deceived and
misled. {5T 272.1}
29. Faithfulness in the Work of God
There is precious talent in the churches in Oregon and Washington Territory; and had it been
developed by well-directed labour, there might now be efficient workers in these conferences. A live
church is always a working church. The truth is a power, and those who see its force will stand boldly
and fearlessly in its defence. Truth must be apprehended by the intellect, received into the heart, and its
principles incorporated into the character; and then there must be a constant effort to win others to
accept it, for God holds men responsible for the use they make of the light He imparts to them. {5T
272.2}
The Lord calls upon all His people to improve the ability He has given them. The mental powers
should be developed to the utmost; they should be strengthened and ennobled by dwelling upon
spiritual truths. If the mind is allowed to run almost entirely upon trifling things and the common
business of everyday life, it will, in accordance with one of its unvarying laws, become weak and
frivolous, and deficient in spiritual power. {5T 272.3}
273
Times that will try men's souls are just before us, and those who are weak in the faith will not stand the
test of those days of peril. The great truths of revelation are to be carefully studied, for we shall all
want an intelligent knowledge of the word of God. By Bible study and daily communion with Jesus we
shall gain clear, well-defined views of individual responsibility and strength to stand in the day of trial
and temptation. He whose life is united to Christ by hidden links will be kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation. {5T 273.1}
More thought should be given to the things of God, and less to temporal matters. The world-loving
professor, if he will exercise his mind in that direction, may become as familiar with the word of God
as he now is with worldly business. "Search the Scriptures," said Christ; "for in them ye think ye have
eternal life; and they are they which testify of Me." The Christian is required to be diligent in searching
the Scriptures, to read over and over again the truths of God's word. Willful ignorance on this subject
endangers the Christian life and character. It blinds the understanding and corrupts the noblest powers.
It is this that brings confusion into our lives. Our people need to understand the oracles of God; they
need to have a systematic knowledge of the principles of revealed truth, which will fit them for what is
coming upon the earth and prevent them from being carried about by every wind of doctrine. {5T
273.2}
Great changes are soon to take place in the world, and everyone will need an experimental knowledge
of the things of God. It is the work of Satan to dishearten the people of God and to unsettle their faith.
He tries in every way to insinuate doubts and questionings in regard to the position, the faith, the plans,
of the men upon whom God has laid the burden of a special work and who are zealously doing that
work. Although he may be baffled again and again, yet he renews his attacks, working through those
who profess to be humble and God-fearing, and who are apparently interested in, or believers of,
present truth. The advocates of truth
274
expect fierce and cruel opposition from their open enemies, but this is far less dangerous than the
secret doubts expressed by those who feel at liberty to question and find fault with what God's servants
are doing. These may appear to be humble men; but they are self-deceived, and they deceive others. In
their hearts are envy and evil surmisings. They unsettle the faith of the people in those in whom they
should have confidence, those whom God has chosen to do His work; and when they are reproved for
their course they take it as personal abuse. While professing to be doing God's work they are in reality
aiding the enemy. {5T 273.3}
Brethren, never allow anyone's ideas to unsettle your faith in regard to the order and harmony which
should exist in the church. Many of you do not see all things clearly. The directions in regard to order
in the tabernacle service were recorded that lessons might be drawn from it by all who should live
upon the earth. Men were selected to do various parts of the work of setting up and taking down the
tabernacle, and if one strayed in carelessly and put his hands to the work assigned to another, he was to
be put to death. We serve the same God today. But the death penalty has been abolished; had it not
been, there would not now be so much careless, disorderly work in His cause. The God of heaven is a
God of order, and He requires all His followers to have rules and regulations, and to preserve order.
All should have a perfect understanding of God's work. {5T 274.1}
It is unsafe to cherish doubt in the heart even for a moment. The seeds of doubt which Pharaoh sowed
when he rejected the first miracle were allowed to grow, and they produced such an abundant harvest
that all subsequent miracles could not persuade him that his position was wrong. He continued to
venture on in his own course, going from one degree of questioning to another, and his heart became
more and more hardened until he was called to look upon the cold, dead faces of the first-born. {5T
274.2}
God is at work, and we are not doing one half that must be done to prepare a people to stand in the day
when the Son of man shall be revealed. Woe be to the
275
man that shall in the least degree seek to hinder the work which God is doing. We must labour for
others; we must try to weaken the hold of our brethren upon their earthly treasures; for many will sell
their birthright to eternal life for worldly advantages. How much better to encourage them to lay up
their treasure in heaven than complainingly to drop the words: "It is money, money, that these men are
continually calling for; and they are getting rich by it." How sweet are words like these to the worldloving professor! How they strengthen his courage to withhold from God the proportion which belongs
to Him and which should be returned to Him in tithes and offerings! The curse of the Lord will rest
upon those who fail to render to Him His own. Let us work in harmony with God. His servants have a
message to bear to money lovers; why should they not bear a close testimony in regard to bringing all
the tithes into the storehouse, when the Lord Himself has set them the example? {5T 274.3}
The religion of Christ subdues the selfish spirit and transforms the mind and the affections; it lays low
the pride of men, that God alone may be exalted. This is what Brother A wants. He needs a practical
faith in God. He needs to see and feel the glory of serving Christ; he needs to exalt principle and
elevate the Christian standard; he needs to store his mind with the rich promises, the warnings, the
counsels and threatenings, of God's word; he needs to see the importance of having faith and
corresponding works, that he may fairly represent, at home, in the church, and in his business, the
purity and elevated character of religion. He should place himself in connection with Christ, that he
may have spiritual power. His connection with the world, and with influences adverse to the spirit of
truth, have greater power over him than the Spirit of Christ. Here is his danger; and he will eventually
make shipwreck of faith unless he changes his course of action and firmly connects with the Source of
light. {5T 275.1}
If his interest in spiritual things were as great as it is in the things of the world, his consecration to God
would be
276
entire; he would show himself a true disciple of Christ, and God would accept and use the talents
which are now wholly devoted to the service of the world. The very same ability is required in the
cause of God that is now given to the accumulation of property. Managers are needed in every branch
of His work, that it may be carried on with energy and system. If a man has tact, industry, and
enthusiasm, he will make a success in temporal business, and the same qualities, consecrated to the
work of God, will prove even doubly efficient; for divine power will be combined with human effort.
The best of plans, either in temporal or spiritual matters, will prove a failure if their execution is
entrusted to inexperienced, incapable hands. {5T 275.2}
Those who bury their talents in this world are not pleasing God. All their powers are devoted to the
accumulation of property, and the desire to accumulate becomes a passion. Brother A is an active man,
and he takes pride in carrying out worldly projects. If the same interest, tact, and ambition were
exercised in trading for the Lord, how much grander, nobler results would he realize! The education
obtained in worldly business will not be of the least advantage in the future life, for no such business
will be carried on in heaven; but if the faculties which God has given are used to His glory, to the
upbuilding of His kingdom, and education is received which will be taken into heaven. {5T 276.1}
What is our position in the world? We are in the waiting time. But this period is not to be spent in
abstract devotion. Waiting, watching, and vigilant working are to be combined. Our life should not be
all bustle and drive and planning about the things of the world, to the neglect of personal piety and of
the service that God requires. While we should not be slothful in business, we should be fervent in
spirit, serving the Lord. The lamp of the soul must be trimmed, and we must have the oil of grace in
our vessels with our lamps. Every precaution must be used to prevent spiritual declension, lest the day
of the Lord overtake us as a thief. That day is not to be put far off; it is near, and no man should say,
even in
277
his heart, much less by his works, "My Lord delayeth His coming," lest for so doing his portion be
appointed with hypocrites and unbelievers. {5T 276.2}
I saw that God's people are in great peril; many are dwellers upon the earth; their interest and
affections are centred in the world. Their example is not right. The world is deceived by the course
pursued by many who profess great and noble truths. Our responsibility is in accordance with the light
given, the graces and gifts bestowed. On the workers whose talents, whose means, whose opportunities
and abilities, are greatest rests the heaviest responsibility. God calls upon Brother A to change his
course of action, to use his ability to God's glory instead of debasing it to sordid worldly interests. Now
is his day of trust; soon will come his day of reckoning. {5T 277.1}
Brother A was presented before me to represent a class who are in a similar position. They have never
been indifferent to the smallest worldly advantage. By diligent business tact and successful
investments, by trading, not on pounds, but on pence and farthings, they have accumulated property.
But in doing this they have educated faculties inconsistent with the development of Christian character.
Their lives in no way represent Christ; for they love the world and its gain better than they love God or
the truth. "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." {5T 277.2}
All the abilities which men possess belong to God. Worldly conformity and attachments are
emphatically forbidden in His word. When the power of the transforming grace of God is felt upon the
heart, it will send a man, hitherto worldly, into every pathway of beneficence. He who has in his heart
a determination to lay up treasure in the world, will "fall into temptation and a snare, and into many
foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the
root of all evil [the foundation of all avarice and worldliness]: which while some coveted after, they
have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." {5T 277.3}
278
Each member of the church should feel under sacred obligations to guard strictly the interests of the
cause of God. The individual members of the church are responsible for its distracted, discouraged
state, by which the most sacred truths ever committed to man are dishonoured. There is no excuse for
this condition of things. Jesus has opened to everyone a way by which wisdom, grace, and power may
be obtained. He is our example in all things, and nothing should divert the mind from the main object
in life, which is to have Christ in the soul, melting and subduing the heart. When this is the case, every
member of the church, every professor of the truth, will be Christlike in character, in words, in actions.
{5T 278.1}
Some who have been channels of light, whose hearts have been made glad by the precious light of
truth, have denied that truth by assimilating to the world. They have thus lost the spirit of self-sacrifice
and the power of the truth, and have depended for happiness upon unstable things of earth. They are in
great peril. Having once rejoiced in the light, they will be left in total darkness unless they speedily
gather up the rays that are still shining upon them and return to the Lord with repentance and
confession. We are in a day of peril, when error and deception are captivating the people. Who will
warn the world, who will show them the better way, unless those who have had the light of truth are
sanctified through it and shall let their light so shine that others may see their good works and glorify
God? I wish I could impress upon all the danger they are in of losing heaven. Joining the church is one
thing, and connecting with Christ is quite another. Not all the names registered in the church books are
registered in the Lamb's book of life. Many, though apparently sincere believers, do not keep up a
living connection with Christ. They have enlisted, they have entered their names on the register; but
the inner work of grace is not wrought in the heart. As the result they are not happy, and they make
hard work of serving God. {5T 278.2}
"With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged." Remember that your brethren are fallible creatures
like yourself,
279
and regard their mistakes and errors with the same mercy and forbearance that you wish them to
exercise toward you. They should not be watched and their defects paraded to the front for the world to
exult over. Those who dare to do this have climbed upon the judgment seat and made themselves
judges, while they have neglected the garden of their own hearts and have allowed poisonous weeds to
obtain a rank growth. {5T 278.3}
We individually have a case pending in the court of heaven. Character is being weighed in the balances
of the sanctuary, and it should be the earnest desire of all to walk humbly and carefully, lest, neglecting
to let their light shine forth to the world, they fail of the grace of God and lose everything that is
valuable. All dissension, all differences and faultfinding, should be put away, with all evil speaking
and bitterness; kindness, love, and compassion for one another should be cherished, that the prayer of
Christ that His disciples might be one as He is one with the Father may be answered. The harmony and
unity of the church are the credentials that they present to the world that Jesus is the Son of God.
Genuine conversion will ever lead to genuine love for Jesus and for all those for whom He died. {5T
279.1}
Everyone who does what he can for God, who is true and earnest to do good to those around him, will
receive the blessing of God upon his efforts. A man may render effective service for God although he
is not the head or the heart of the body of Christ. The service represented in the word of God by that of
the hand or the foot, though lowly, is nevertheless important. It is not the greatness of the work, but the
love with which it is done, the motive underlying the action, that determines its worth. There is work to
be done for our neighbours and for those with whom we associate. We have no liberty to cease our
patient, prayerful labours for souls as long as any are out of the ark of safety. There is no release in this
war. We are soldiers of Christ, and are under obligation to watch lest the enemy gain the advantage and
secure to his service souls that we might win to Christ. {5T 279.2}
280
The day of trust and responsibility is ours; we have a work to do for God. The church in ----- has been
gradually growing cold and irreligious. There is much to be done for its individual members. Great
light has shone upon their pathway. For this they will be held accountable. Said Christ: "Ye are the
light of the world;" "ye are the salt of the earth." They need a deeper work of grace in their hearts.
There must be a reformation before God can bless them. There are plenty of formal professors. A
selfish grasping for gain eclipses the heavenly inheritance. If the kingdom of heaven is made first,
noble integrity will shine forth in the life and character. This is what Brother A needs if he would exert
an influence for good. He loves to handle money, and to see it accumulate by turning it one way and
another. His mind and affections are absorbed in worldly enterprises. He is drunken with the cares of
this life; that is, he is so swallowed up in his business that he cannot think rationally and intelligently
of the things of God; his vision is obscured by love of money. The truth should reach down deep into
his heart and develop fruit in his private and public life. {5T 280.1}
Brother A has excused himself for not making the Scriptures his study because he was a businessman.
But to one pressed with business cares the Scriptures will be a source of strength and safety. Such a
man has greater need of light from the word of God, of its counsels and warnings, than if he were not
placed in such a dangerous position. If Brother A would exercise the same forethought and business
tact in the things of God that he has given to worldly matters, he would realize blessed results. If he
thinks that God is satisfied with him while giving his talent and energy almost entirely to the service of
mammon, he is fearfully deceived. Said Christ: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate
the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God
and mammon." If Brother A continues to make eternal things subordinate to his worldly interests, his
passion for accumulating will steadily increase until it will overrule principle, and he will
281
be so blinded by the god of this world that he will be unable to discern between the sacred and the
common. {5T 280.2}
Brother A has a strong influence upon the minds of his brethren; they view things largely from his
standpoint. He needs to improve in spiritual soundness and be wise in the things of God. He should
begin to show an interest in and devotion to heavenly things and to so educate his powers that they
may be of service in the cause of God. He needs the armour of righteousness with which to ward off
the darts of the enemy. It is impossible for him to obtain salvation unless there is a decided change in
the objects and pursuits of his life, unless he exercises himself continually in spiritual things. {5T
281.1}
God calls upon the individual members of the churches in these two conferences to arouse and be
converted. Brethren, your worldliness, your distrust, your murmuring, have placed you in such a
position that it will be exceedingly difficult for anyone to labour among you. While your president
neglected his work and failed in his duty, your attitude was not such as to give him any
encouragement. The one in authority should have acquitted himself as a man of God, reproving,
exhorting, encouraging, as the case demanded, whether you would receive or reject his testimony. But
he was easily discouraged, and left you without the help that a faithful minister of Christ should have
given. He failed in not keeping up with the opening providence of God, and in not showing you your
duty and educating you up to the demands of the time; but the minister's neglect should not dishearten
you and lead you to excuse yourselves for neglecting duty. There is the more need of energy and
fidelity on your part. {5T 281.2}
Vowing and Not Paying
Some of you have been stumbling over your pledges. The Spirit of the Lord came into the ----- meeting
in answer to prayer, and while your hearts were softened under its influence, you pledged. While the
streams of salvation were pouring upon your hearts, you felt that you must follow the
282
example of Him who went about doing good and who cheerfully gave His life to ransom man from sin
and degradation. Under the heavenly, inspiring influence you saw that selfishness and worldliness
were not consistent with Christian character and that you could not live for yourselves and be
Christlike. But when the influence of His abundant love and mercy was not felt in so marked a manner
in your hearts, you withdrew your offerings, and God withdrew His blessing from you. {5T 281.3}
Adversity came upon some. There was a failure in their crops, so that they could not redeem their
pledges; and some were even brought into straitened circumstances. Then, of course, they could not be
expected to pay. But had they not murmured and withdrawn their hearts from their pledges, God would
have worked for them and would have opened ways whereby every one could have paid what he had
promised. They did not wait in faith, trusting God to open the way so that they could redeem their
pledges. Some had means at their command; and had they possessed the same willing mind as when
they pledged, and had they heartily rendered to God in tithes and offerings that which He had lent them
for this purpose, they would have been greatly blessed. But Satan came in with his temptations and led
some to question the motives and the spirit which actuated the servant of God in presenting the call for
means. Some felt that they had been deceived and defrauded. In spirit they repudiated their vows, and
whatever they did afterward was with reluctance, and therefore they received no blessing. {5T 282.1}
In the parable of the talents the man to whom was entrusted one talent manifested a grudging spirit and
hid his money so that his lord could not be benefited by it. When his master required him to give an
account of his stewardship, he excused his neglect by laying blame upon his lord. "I knew thee [he
professes to be acquainted with his lord] that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown,
and gathering where thou hast not strewed: and I was afraid [that all my improvements would not be
mine, but that you would claim them], and went and hid thy talent in the earth:
283
lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant,
thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed: thou oughtest
therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine
own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For
unto everyone that hath [made a right use of my goods] shall be given, and he shall have abundance
[for I can trust him, knowing that he will make right improvement of what is lent him]: but from him
that hath not [who has been fearful to trust me] shall be taken away even that which he hath. [I shall
deprive him of what he claims as his; he shall forfeit all right of trust; I will take away his talents and
give them to one who will improve them.] And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." {5T 282.2}
The spirit manifested by the brethren in regard to their pledges has been very offensive to God. Had
they seen the cause prospering in the fields already entered they would have felt differently. There was
no deception practised upon them, and the charge of deception which they made was against the Spirit
of God and not against the servant He sent. Had Brother A occupied the right position in this matter,
had he cherished the spirit which influenced him to make the pledge, he would not have felt such an
unwillingness to invest in the cause of God. But he thought how much he could do with his means by
investing it in worldly enterprises. Avarice, worldliness, and covetousness are defects in character
which are opposed to the exercise of the Christian graces. Said the apostle: "Let your conversation
[your very deportment and habits of life] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as
ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." {5T 283.1}
It was evident that many who vowed had no faith and believed themselves wronged. They talked of it
and dwelt upon it until it seemed a reality to them. They felt that they ought not to have aided the
General Conference, and urged that
284
they ought to have had the means to use in their own field. The Lord worked for them according to
their limited faith. Satan, who had been holding their minds in deception, caused them to think that
they had done a liberal thing in sending means to the General Conference, when, upon investigation,
the facts showed that they still lacked a considerable of returning to the conference the amount that had
been paid out in sending them labourers and in helping them in various ways to start the work and
carry it forward. Yet these persons have been grieved, dissatisfied, unhappy, and have backslidden
from God, because they thought they were doing such great things. This only shows what a terrible
deception can come upon minds when they are not under the special control of the Spirit of God. Their
doubting, their suspicions, their prejudice in regard to the General Conference, were all prompted by
Satan. The cause of God is one the world over. Every branch of the work centres in Christ. No one
portion of the field is independent of the rest. {5T 283.2}
Dear brethren, you have let Satan into your hearts, and he will never be fully vanquished until you
repent of your wicked doubts and the withdrawal of your pledges. The Lord's messenger was despised
and charged with bringing an undue pressure upon the people. God was displeased with Brother B
because he did not bear a decided testimony against everything of that sort and show you your sin as it
really was. {5T 284.1}
"When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath no pleasure in fools: pay that
which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not
pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an
error; wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?" {5T 284.2}
Here the matter is presented in its true light. Your work was done before the angel of God. Your words
were not only heard by men, but the angel of God listened to them, and can you be surprised that God
was angry with you? Can you wonder that He has not blessed you and made you able
285
to pay your pledges? When you have grumbled and murmured and withdrawn your pledges and felt
that God's servants had deceived you and extorted from you pledges that were not just, the enemy has
exulted. Could you see your course as it is you would never make one semblance of an excuse for it.
{5T 284.3}
Be careful how you speak one word to lessen the influence of God's messengers. There may sometimes
have been too much urging for means. But when the light and love of Jesus illuminates the hearts of
His followers, there will be no occasion for urging or begging their money or their service. When they
become one with Jesus, and realize that they are not their own, that they are bought with a price and
are therefore the Lord's property, and that all they have is simply entrusted to them as His stewards,
they will with cheerful heart and unswerving fidelity render to God the things that are His. The Lord
will not accept an offering that is made unwillingly, grudgingly. With your present feelings there
would be no virtue in making more pledges. When you recover from this snare of the enemy, when
you heal the breach that you have made, and realize that the wants of God's cause are as continual as
are His gifts to the children of men, your works will correspond with your faith, and you will receive a
rich blessing from the Lord. {5T 285.1}
30. Influence of Unbelief
The church in ----- ----- has greatly backslidden from God. It is no longer in a state of healthful
prosperity. Each individual member of the church has had burdens and discouragements of his own to
bear, but these he should have borne and kept his soul alive before God without weakening others in
the church. He should have added to the strength of the church instead of diminishing it. Brother C has
not taken a position to strengthen his own faith or that of the
286
church. He has been acting on the side of the enemy to dishearten and discourage. Satan is constantly
encouraging unbelief. He notes the mistakes and failings of Christ's professed followers, and taunts the
angels of God with them. He is an accuser of the brethren, and he will influence as many as possible to
do the same work. Those who take it upon themselves to watch their neighbour's garden instead of
weeding their own plot of ground will surely find their own gardens so grown up to weeds that every
precious plant will be crowded out. {5T 285.2}
Brother C is not in a position to be a light to the world. Oh, no; he is a body of darkness. Eternity will
reveal the fact that his inconsiderate words have planted the seeds of questioning, doubt, and
faultfinding in many minds and that his influence has turned many souls from the truth. He has
consented to make himself a channel of darkness, to communicate suspicion and bring discouragement
upon minds. God is not pleased with him. His own soul is becoming less and less susceptible to the
influence of the Spirit of God. He has but little faith; and how could it be otherwise, when by his words
he is constantly strengthening unbelief? While he suggests doubts instead of letting beams of precious
light shine upon others, he is aiding the enemy in his work. This spirit makes him almost an infidel,
and unless he turns square about he will yet become one. {5T 286.1}
Brother C is thoughtless of his words and actions. Idle words, for which he must render an account in
the day of God, are almost continually falling from his lips. He places himself upon the enemy's
ground and, as the result, has not the Spirit of Christ. He will sometime see that he has made a great
mistake, that he has been losing precious, golden moments which he might have employed in purifying
his own heart. He has been picking flaws in others, living on their mistakes; and this is spiritual
starvation. Every revival is liable to bring persons into the church who are not really converted. They
hold the truth nominally, but are not sanctified by its sweet influence. Being destitute of grace, they are
selfish,
287
hard, and unyielding. Such persons are always unreliable. They will ever be doing and saying things
contrary to our faith. The church that has such a burden inflicted upon it deserves pity. The world is in
opposition to the church, and Satan and his angels are constantly at war with it. Therefore the defects
of these unworthy members are held up before those who are sound in the faith. {5T 286.2}
Those who believe the truth should be determined to help and not to hinder the few in ----- ----- who
are struggling under discouragements. The members of the church should each have a jealous care that
the enemies of our faith have no occasion to triumph over their lifeless, backslidden state. Some have
wasted their influence, when with a little self-denial, earnestness, and zeal, they might have been a
power on the side of good. This zeal will not come without effort, without earnest struggles. If only
three faithful souls were left in the ----- ----- church, they would, if connected with God, be living
channels of light, and He would add to their numbers. God has raised up standard-bearers in ----- -----.
Some have moved away, some have died, and some have become spiritually dead; their services are
given to Satan. They do not realize that a by-and-by is coming when their account in the heavenly
records will be balanced and when every man's work will be revealed of what sort it is. {5T 287.1}
Remember that everyone must be judged according to his work. When, in the great day of final
reckoning, the record of your life shall be opened before you, my doubting, questioning, accusing
brother, how will it stand? "Your words have been stout against Me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What
have we spoken so much against Thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that
we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?" This has
been the language of your heart; and "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." By your
words you are to be justified or condemned. Accusing the brethren is the very work that Satan has been
engaged in since his fall. You have disheartened the church who had
288
little enough courage at best. You have presented the truth in almost every objectionable light. This is
the work Satan is doing. You have no occasion to be proud of your words; for they will bring
confusion of face, shame and despair, in the day when every man shall receive according to the deeds
done in the body. {5T 287.2}
Your wife has heard your expressions of darkness until she is moulded in a great degree to your ideas.
The fear of the Lord is almost entirely removed from you both. You are now sowing seeds of unbelief,
and they will produce a plentiful harvest by and by, in the reaping of which you will take no
satisfaction. You have lent yourself to the enemy to be his agent to lead souls to doubt and unbelief.
Your whole work has been to scatter from Christ. You glory in your sharpness, your aptness in
confusing minds. You think it a mark of intelligence; but it is the same kind of intelligence that the
prince of darkness possesses, and will receive the same reward that he is winning by his intense
activity and shrewdness. The tendency of this age is to unbelief, to making light of godliness and true
religion. This is Satan's plan, and when you yield your powers to unbelief you are led captive by his
devices to do his work. {5T 288.1}
Your wife will have a hard fight to conquer the devices of the enemy, to overcome her own defects of
character, and bring all her powers into subjection to the will of God, planting her feet firmly upon the
platform of eternal truth. She is not naturally devotional, and you have placed things before her in such
an uncertain light that she is left to drift without anchorage. She takes no real comfort in faith and
hope, for she has not an intelligent knowledge of the truth. She is greatly affected by the atmosphere of
unbelief she breathes, and if she is lost, the blood of her soul will be found on your garments. {5T
288.2}
You are just as surely doing the work of Satan as is any one of his open agents. The doubts which you
have introduced into many minds will bear fruit. Your harvest is ripening for the final gathering. Will
you be proud of it then?
289
You may turn to the Lord; you may find rest in Him. But you have so long educated yourself to
criticize, to turn and twist everything in a false light, that it will require earnest prayer and constant
watchfulness to break the habit which has become second nature. My heart yearns over you and your
family. The Lord is displeased with you; He is grieved every day. You must be a thoroughly converted,
transformed man, or you will never have the precious gift of everlasting life. {5T 288.3}
31. Deceitfulness of Sin
Brother D was presented before me as doing a work which in the judgment he will wish undone. He is
not correct in all points of doctrine, and he obstinately maintains his erroneous positions. He is an
accuser of the brethren. He has not only thought evil of those whom God has chosen as labourers in
His cause, but he has spoken this evil to others. He has not conformed to the Bible rule and conferred
with the leading brethren, and yet he finds fault with them all. {5T 289.1}
The excuse made for him is: "Oh, Brother D is such a good man. He is a pattern of amiability and
kindheartedness, and is a ready helper anywhere." Brother D has many excellent traits of character. He
has no great ability as a preacher, but may become an earnest, faithful worker. The enemy has come in
through his estimation of himself. Had he not esteemed himself more highly than he should, he would
never have dared to use the reputation of his brethren as he has done. By his freedom in gathering up
and repeating false reports, he has come in between the people and the message which God has given
His ministers to bear to them to fit them to stand in the day of the Lord. His good traits have made him
all the more dangerous; for they have given him influence. People have thought that what he said must
be so. Had he been an immoral or quarrelsome person, he could not have succeeded in winning the
confidence of so many. {5T 289.2}
290
Brother D's manner of working also makes his course more deserving of censure and a greater offense
to God. Had he shown his feelings undisguised, had he said in public the things he talked in private, no
one would have thought for a moment of sending him out to labour in the conference. While he is
labouring under its sanction, his brethren have a right to suppose that his views are correct. And with
this sanction his influence has been a power for evil. There are some who would never have
entertained suspicion of their brethren or thought evil of them had it not been for his words. He has
started minds on a track which, if pursued, will end in rebellion and the loss of the soul. Stripped of its
disguise, this is the work which our good brother has been doing. {5T 290.1}
God has presented this matter before me in its true light. Brother D's heart is not right. It is defiled with
bitterness, wrath, envy, jealousy, and evil surmising, and it needs to be purified. Unless he changes his
course entirely, he will soon be a fallen man. Charity, or love, "suffereth long, and is kind; charity
envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not
her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." {5T 290.2}
Suppose that Brother D leads the people to question and reject the testimonies that God has been
giving to His people during the past thirty-eight years; suppose he makes them believe that the leaders
in this work are designing, dishonest men, engaged in deceiving the people; what great and good work
has he done? It is a work exactly similar to that of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and with all whom he
has influenced the result will be disastrous. He has thought that he could not be in error; but does this
work bear the signet of heaven? No; Brother D has indulged a self-righteous spirit, which has almost
ruined him. Let him come upon an equality with his brethren; if he has difficulties with them in regard
to their course of action, let him show wherein their sin lies. {5T 290.3}
291
When Satan became disaffected in heaven, he did not lay his complaint before God and Christ; but he
went among the angels who thought him perfect and represented that God had done him injustice in
preferring Christ to himself. The result of this misrepresentation was that through their sympathy with
him one third of the angels lost their innocence, their high estate, and their happy home. Satan is
instigating men to continue on earth the same work of jealousy and evil surmising that he commenced
in heaven. {5T 291.1}
When Jesus was upon earth, the Jews were ever acting as spies on His track. They gathered up every
false report and charged Him with one crime after another. They were constantly endeavouring to turn
the people away from Him. Was their course right? If it was, then Brother D has not sinned, for he is
doing a similar work. He may now break the snare of the enemy; he may conquer this spirit which
leads him to exalt himself above his brethren. Let him seek meekness, and learn to esteem others better
than himself. If he will work in fidelity and in harmony with God's plan he will hear the sweet words,
"Well done," from the lips of the Master. But if he rejects the labours of God's servants, if he chooses
his own way and leans to his own understanding, he will surely make shipwreck of faith. God has not
passed His people by and chosen one solitary man here and another there as the only ones worthy to be
entrusted with His truth. He does not give one man new light contrary to the established faith of the
body. In every reform men have arisen making this claim. Paul warned the church in his day: "Of your
own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." The greatest
harm to God's people comes through those who go out from among them speaking perverse things.
Through them the way of truth is evil spoken of. {5T 291.2}
Let none be self-confident, as though God had given them special light above their brethren. Christ is
represented as dwelling in His people. Believers are represented as "built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Cornerstone; in whom all the building
292
fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together
for an habitation of God through the Spirit." "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord," says Paul, "beseech
you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness,
with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you
all." {5T 291.3}
That which Brother D calls light is apparently harmless; it does not look as though anyone could be
injured by it. But, brethren, it is Satan's device, his entering wedge. This has been tried again and
again. One accepts some new and original idea which does not seem to conflict with the truth. He talks
of it and dwells upon it until it seems to him to be clothed with beauty and importance, for Satan has
power to give this false appearance. At last it becomes the all-absorbing theme, the one great point
around which everything centres; and the truth is uprooted from the heart. {5T 292.1}
No sooner are erratic ideas started in his mind than Brother D begins to lose faith and to question the
work of the Spirit which has been manifested among us for so many years. He is not a man who will
entertain what he believes to be special light without imparting it to others; therefore it is not safe to
give him influence that will enable him to unsettle other minds. It is opening a door through which
Satan will rush in many errors to divert the mind from the importance of the truth for this time.
Brethren, as an ambassador of Christ I warn you to beware of these side issues, whose tendency is to
divert the mind from the truth. Error is never harmless. It never sanctifies, but always brings confusion
and dissension. It is always dangerous. The enemy has great power over minds that are not thoroughly
fortified by prayer and established in Bible truth. {5T 292.2}
293
There are a thousand temptations in disguise prepared for those who have the light of truth; and the
only safety for any of us is in receiving no new doctrine, no new interpretation of the Scriptures,
without first submitting it to brethren of experience. Lay it before them in a humble, teachable spirit,
with earnest prayer; and if they see no light in it, yield to their judgment; for "in the multitude of
counsellors there is safety." {5T 293.1}
Satan saw in Brother D traits that would enable him to gain an advantage. "The prince of this world
cometh," said Christ, "and hath nothing in Me." But while appearing to possess great humility, Brother
D has placed too high an estimate upon himself. For years he has entertained the feeling that his
brethren did not appreciate him, and he has expressed this feeling to others, and Satan found in him a
self-conceit to which he could successfully appeal. {5T 293.2}
This is a time of extreme peril to Brother D, and to many others. Angels of God are watching these
souls with intense interest, and Satan and his angels are very anxious to see how their plans will
succeed. This is a crisis in Brother D's life. He will here make decisions for time and for eternity. God
loves him, and this experience may be one of great value to him. If he fully yields his heart to God and
accepts all the truth he will be a tireless labourer; God will work through him, and he may do much
good. But he must work in harmony with his brethren. He must overcome sensitiveness and learn to
endure hardness as a good soldier of the cross of Christ. {5T 293.3}
Satan is constantly at work, but few have any idea of his activity and subtlety. The people of God must
be prepared to withstand the wily foe. It is this resistance that Satan dreads. He knows better than we
do the limit of his power and how easily he can be overcome if we resist and face him. Through divine
strength the weakest saint is more than a match for him and all his angels, and if brought to the test he
would be able to prove his superior power. Therefore Satan's step is
294
noiseless, his movements stealthy, and his batteries masked. He does not venture to show himself
openly, lest he arouse the Christian's dormant energies and send him to God in prayer. {5T 293.4}
The enemy is preparing for his last campaign against the church. He has so concealed himself from
view that many can hardly believe that he exists, much less can they be convinced of his amazing
activity and power. They have to a great extent forgotten his past record; and when he makes another
advance move, they will not recognize him as their enemy, that old serpent, but they will consider him
a friend, one who is doing a good work. Boasting of their independence they will, under his specious,
bewitching influence, obey the worst impulses of the human heart and yet believe that God is leading
them. Could their eyes be opened to distinguish their captain, they would see that they are not serving
God, but the enemy of all righteousness. They would see that their boasted independence is one of the
heaviest fetters Satan can rivet on unbalanced minds. {5T 294.1}
Man is Satan's captive and is naturally inclined to follow his suggestions and do his bidding. He has in
himself no power to oppose effectual resistance to evil. It is only as Christ abides in him by living
faith, influencing his desires and strengthening him with strength from above, that man may venture to
face so terrible a foe. Every other means of defence is utterly vain. It is only through Christ that Satan's
power is limited. This is a momentous truth that all should understand. Satan is busy every moment,
going to and fro, walking up and down in the earth, seeking whom he may devour. But the earnest
prayer of faith will baffle his strongest efforts. Then take "the shield of faith," brethren, "wherewith ye
shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." {5T 294.2}
The worst enemies we have are those who are trying to destroy the influence of the watchmen upon the
walls of Zion. Satan works through agents. He is making an earnest effort here. He works according to
a definite plan, and his
295
agents act in concert. A line of unbelief stretches across the continent and is in communication with the
church of God. Its influence has been exerted to undermine confidence in the work of the Spirit of
God. This element is here and is silently working. Be careful lest you be found aiding the enemy of
God and man by spreading false reports and by criticisms and decided opposition. {5T 294.3}
Through deceptive means and unseen channels, Satan is working to strengthen his authority and to
place obstacles in the way of God's people, that souls may not be freed from his power and gathered
under the banner of Christ. By his deceptions he is seeking to allure souls from Christ, and those who
are not established upon the truth will surely be taken in his snare. And those whom he cannot lead into
sin he will persecute, as the Jews did Christ. {5T 295.1}
Satan's object is to dishonour God, and he works with every element that is unsanctified to accomplish
this design. The men whom he makes his instruments in doing this work are blinded and do not see
what they are doing until they are so deeply involved in guilt that they think it would be useless to try
to recover themselves, and they risk all and continue in their course of transgression to the bitter end.
{5T 295.2}
Satan hopes to involve the remnant people of God in the general ruin that is coming upon the earth. As
the coming of Christ draws nigh, he will be more determined and decisive in his efforts to overthrow
them. Men and women will arise professing to have some new light or some new revelation whose
tendency is to unsettle faith in the old landmarks. Their doctrines will not bear the test of God's word,
yet souls will be deceived. False reports will be circulated, and some will be taken in this snare. They
will believe these rumours and in their turn will repeat them, and thus a link will be formed connecting
them with the archdeceiver. This spirit will not always be manifested in an open defiance of the
messages that God sends, but a settled unbelief is expressed in many ways. Every false statement that
is made feeds and
296
strengthens this unbelief, and through this means many souls will be balanced in the wrong direction.
{5T 295.3}
We cannot be too watchful against every form of error, for Satan is constantly seeking to draw men
from the truth. He fills them with notions of their own sufficiency, and persuades them, as he has
Brother D, that originality is a gift much to be coveted. Brother D needs to learn the truth more
perfectly. Satan has taken advantage of his ignorance in this direction, and here comes the danger. One
man has been drawn aside who is hard to be persuaded when once he has set his feet in a wrong track,
and many who thought they were only following the man as he followed Christ are betrayed into
following him when he has turned his back upon his Saviour. {5T 296.1}
Pride dwells in the heart of Brother D, and it will be exceedingly difficult for him to yield; but unless
he makes a full surrender to Christ, the enemy will continue to work through him. And if he does not at
once take a decided stand, I fear he never will. {5T 296.2}
The ----- and ----- churches have taken a heavy responsibility. The full result of the work they have
done will not be known until the judgment. You need heavenly wisdom, brethren, for sin has many
disguises. The want of spiritual vision makes you stumble like blind men. Had you had singleness of
purpose, it would have been in your conference an element of tremendous power. But the very things I
feared have come. There was work to be done that has been left undone. The companies that I saw
would have been raised up as the result of well-directed effort, and the meetinghouses that would have
been built,--where are they? Your unbelief has held the work. You have done comparatively nothing
yourselves, and when one would work, you hedged the way so that he could not labour to any
advantage. {5T 296.3}
Some are slow, very slow, and they pride themselves in it. But this indolent sluggishness is a defect of
character of which no man should boast. Make a firm resolve to be prompt, and with divine help you
will succeed. Let your
297
consecration be complete; bind property and friends on the altar of God, and when the heart is prepared
to receive the heavenly influence, bright beams from the throne of God will flash into your soul,
quickening all its dormant energies. {5T 296.4}
Some men have no firmness of character. They are like a ball of putty and can be pressed into any
conceivable shape. They are of no definite form and consistency, and are of no practical use in the
world. This weakness, indecision, and inefficiency must be overcome. There is an indomitableness
about true Christian character which cannot be moulded or subdued by adverse circumstances. Men
must have moral backbone, an integrity which cannot be flattered, bribed, or terrified. {5T 297.1}
I greatly fear for the church. As Paul expressed it: "I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled
Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." Paul
then explains that it is by means of corrupt teachers that the enemy will assail the faith of the church.
"For such are false apostles," he says, "deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great
thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness." {5T 297.2}
The more we learn in reference to the early days of the Christian church, and see with what subtlety
Satan worked to weaken and destroy, the better we shall be prepared to resist his devices and meet
coming perils. We are in the time when tribulations such as the world has never yet seen will prevail.
"Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great
wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." But God has set bounds that Satan cannot
pass. Our most holy faith is this barrier; and if we build ourselves up in the faith, we shall be safe in the
keeping of the Mighty One. "Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the
earth." {5T 297.3}
32. Criticizing Ministers
One mistake leads to another. Our brethren must learn to move intelligently and not from impulse.
Feeling must not be the criterion. A neglect of duty, the indulgence of undue sympathy, will be
followed by a neglect to properly estimate those who are labouring to build up the cause of God. Jesus
said: "I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive." {5T 298.1}
Many do not look upon preaching as Christ's appointed means of instructing His people and therefore
always to be highly prized. They do not feel that the sermon is the word of the Lord to them and
estimate it by the value of the truths spoken; but they judge it as they would the speech of a lawyer at
the bar--by the argumentative skill displayed and the power and beauty of the language. The minister is
not infallible, but God has HONOURED him by making him His messenger. If you listen to him as
though he were not commissioned from above you will not respect his words nor receive them as the
message of God. Your souls will not feed upon the heavenly manna; doubts will arise concerning some
things that are not pleasing to the natural heart, and you will sit in judgment upon the sermon as you
would upon the remarks of a lecturer or a political speaker. As soon as the meeting closes you will be
ready with some complaint or sarcastic remark, thus showing that the message, however true and
needful, has not profited you. You esteem it not; you have learned the habit of criticizing and finding
fault, and you pick and choose, and perhaps reject the very things that you most need. {5T 298.2}
There is very little reverence for sacred things in either the Upper Columbia or the North Pacific
Conference. [SEE FOOTNOTE ON PAGE 249.] The ordained instrumentalities of God are almost
entirely lost sight of. God has instituted no new method of reaching the children of men. If they cut
themselves off from heaven's appointed agencies to reprove their sins, correct their errors, and point
out the path of duty, there is no way to reach them with any
299
heavenly communication. They are left in darkness and are ensnared and taken by the adversary. {5T
298.3}
The minister of God is commanded: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show
My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." The Lord says of these people: "They
seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness." Here is a people who
are self-deceived, self-righteous, self-complacent, and the minister is commanded to cry aloud and
show them their transgressions. In all ages this work has been done for God's people, and it is needed
now more than ever before. {5T 299.1}
The word of the Lord came to Elijah; he did not seek to be the Lord's messenger, but the word came to
him. God always has men to whom He entrusts His message. His Spirit moves upon their hearts and
constrains them to speak. Stimulated by holy zeal, and with the divine impulse strong upon them, they
enter upon the performance of their duty without coldly calculating the consequences of speaking to
the people the word which the Lord has given them. But the servant of God is soon made aware that he
has risked something. He finds himself and his message made the subject of criticism. His manners, his
life, his property, are all inspected and commented upon. His message is picked to pieces and rejected
in the most illiberal and unsanctified spirit, as men in their finite judgment see fit. Has that message
done the work that God designed it should accomplish? No; it has signally failed because the hearts of
the hearers were unsanctified. {5T 299.2}
If the minister's face is not flint, if he has not indomitable faith and courage, if his heart is not made
strong by constant communion with God, he will begin to shape his testimony to please the
unsanctified ears and hearts of those he is addressing. In endeavouring to avoid the criticism to which
he is exposed, he separates from God and loses the sense of divine favour, and his testimony becomes
tame and lifeless. He finds that his courage and faith are gone and his labours powerless. The world is
full of flatterers and dissemblers who have yielded to the desire to please; but the faithful men, who do
300
not study self-interest, but love their brethren too well to suffer sin upon them, are few indeed. {5T
299.3}
It is Satan's settled purpose to cut off all communication between God and His people, that he may
practice his deceptive wiles with no voice to warn them of their danger. If he can lead men to distrust
the messenger or to attach no sacredness to the message, he knows that they will feel under no
obligation to heed the word of God to them. And when light is set aside as darkness, Satan has things
his own way. {5T 300.1}
Our God is a jealous God; He is not to be trifled with. He who does all things according to the counsel
of His own will has been pleased to place men under various circumstances, and to enjoin upon them
duties and observances peculiar to the times in which they live and the conditions under which they are
placed. If they would prize the light given them, their faculties would be greatly enlarged and
ennobled, and broader views of truth would be opened before them. The mysteries of eternal things,
and especially the wonderful grace of God as manifested in the plan of redemption, would be unfolded
to their minds; for spiritual things are spiritually discerned. {5T 300.2}
We are never to forget that Christ teaches through His servants. There may be conversions without the
instrumentality of a sermon. Where persons are so situated that they are deprived of every means of
grace, they are wrought upon by the Spirit of God and convinced of the truth through reading the word;
but God's appointed means of saving souls is through "the foolishness of preaching." Though human,
and compassed with the frailties of humanity, men are God's messengers; and the dear Saviour is
grieved when so little is effected by their labours. Every minister who goes out into the great harvest
field should magnify his office. He should not only seek to bring men to the knowledge of the truth,
but he should labour, as did Paul, "warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom," that he
may "present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." {5T 300.3}
301
The man is to be regarded and HONOURED only as God's ambassador. To praise the man is not
pleasing to God. The message he brings is to be brought to the test of the Bible. "To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." But the
word of the Lord is not to be judged by a human standard. It will be seen that those whose minds have
the mould of earthliness, those who have a limited Christian experience and know but little of the
things of God, are the ones who have the least respect for God's servants and the least reverence for the
message He bids them bear. They listen to a searching discourse and go to their homes prepared to sit
in judgment on it, and the impression disappears from their minds like the morning dew before the sun.
If the preaching is of an emotional character, it will affect the feelings, but not the heart and
conscience. Such preaching results in no lasting good, but it often wins the hearts of the people and
calls out their affections for the man who pleases them. They forget that God has said: "Cease ye from
man, whose breath is in his nostrils." {5T 301.1}
Jesus is waiting with longing desire to open before His people the glory that will attend His second
advent, and to carry them forward to a contemplation of the landscapes of bliss. There are wonders to
be revealed. A long lifetime of prayer and research will leave much unexplored and unexplained. But
what we know not now will be revealed hereafter. The work of instruction begun here will be carried
on to all eternity. The Lamb, as He leads the hosts of the redeemed to the Fountain of living waters,
will impart rich stores of knowledge; He will unravel mysteries in the works and providence of God
that have never before been understood. {5T 301.2}
We can never by searching find out God. He does not lay open His plans to prying, inquisitive minds.
We must not attempt to lift with presumptuous hand the curtain behind which He veils His majesty.
The apostle exclaims: "How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" It is a
proof of His mercy that there is the hiding of His
302
power, that He is enshrouded in the awful clouds of mystery and obscurity; for to lift the curtain that
conceals the divine presence is death. No mortal mind can penetrate the secrecy in which the Mighty
One dwells and works. We can comprehend no more of His dealings with us and the motives that
actuate Him than He sees fit to reveal. He orders everything in righteousness, and we are not to be
dissatisfied and distrustful, but to bow in reverent submission. He will reveal to us as much of His
purposes as it is for our good to know; and beyond that we must trust the hand that is omnipotent, the
heart that is full of love. {5T 301.3}
33. Fidelity and Perseverance Needed
The state of the church in ----- is far from what it should be. Unless there is a decided change, it will
wither and die. There is much faultfinding; many are giving way to doubt and unbelief. Those who talk
faith and cultivate faith will have faith, but those who cherish and express doubts will have doubts. {5T
302.1}
There has been a neglect on the part of the ministers. They have not urged home to the hearts of their
hearers the necessity of faithfulness. They have not educated the church on all points of truth and duty
nor laboured with zeal to bring them into working order and to get them interested in every branch of
the cause of God. I have been shown that had the church been properly educated, they would have
been far in advance of their present position. The neglect on the part of the ministers has made the
people careless and unfaithful. They have not felt their individual responsibility, but have excused
themselves on account of the failure of the ministers to do the work of a pastor. But God does not hold
them excused. Had they no Bible, had they no warnings, reproofs, and entreaties from heaven to bring
duty to their minds, there would be less condemnation. But the Lord has given counsel and instruction;
303
the duty of each individual has been made so plain that he need make no mistake. {5T 302.2}
God gives light to guide those who honestly desire light and truth; but it is not His purpose to remove
all cause for questioning and doubt. He gives sufficient evidence to found faith upon, and then requires
men to accept that evidence and exercise faith. {5T 303.1}
He who will study the Bible with a humble and teachable spirit will find it a sure guide, pointing out
the way of life with unfailing accuracy. But what does your study of the Bible avail, brethren and
sisters, unless you practice the truths it teaches? That holy book contains nothing that is nonessential;
nothing is revealed that has not a bearing upon our actual lives. The deeper our love for Jesus, the more
highly we shall regard that word as the voice of God directly to us. {5T 303.2}
The church in ----- is standing on Satan's enchanted ground, and there is necessity for a thorough
conversion. Individual effort is needed. The rich promises of the Bible are for those who take up their
cross and deny self daily. Everyone who has a sincere desire to be a learner in the school of Christ will
cultivate spiritual-mindedness and will avail himself of every means of grace, but in this church
opportunities and privileges have been slighted. One may be able to say but few words in public and to
do but little in the vineyard of the Lord, but he is in duty bound to say something and to be an
interested worker. Every member should help to strengthen and sustain the church; but in many cases
there are one or two who have the spirit of faithfulness that characterized Caleb of old, and these are
permitted to bear the burdens and take the responsibilities, while the rest shirk all care. {5T 303.3}
Caleb was faithful and steadfast. He was not boastful, he made no parade of his merits and good deeds;
but his influence was always on the side of right. And what was his reward? When the Lord denounced
judgments against the men who refused to hearken to His voice, He said: "But My servant Caleb,
because he had another spirit with him, and hath
304
followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it."
While the cowards and murmurers perished in the wilderness, faithful Caleb had a home in the
promised Canaan. "Them that honour Me I will honour," saith the Lord. {5T 303.4}
Hannah prayed and trusted; and in her son Samuel she gave to the Israel of God a most precious
treasure--a useful man, with a well-formed character, one who was as firm as a rock where principle
was concerned. {5T 304.1}
In Joppa there was a Dorcas, whose skilful fingers were more active than her tongue. She knew who
needed comfortable clothing and who needed sympathy, and she freely ministered to the wants of both
classes. And when Dorcas died, the church in Joppa realized their loss. It is no wonder that they
mourned and lamented, nor that warm teardrops fell upon the inanimate clay. She was of so great value
that by the power of God she was brought back from the land of the enemy, that her skill and energy
might still be a blessing to others. {5T 304.2}
Such patient, prayerful, and persevering fidelity as was possessed by these saints of God is rare; yet the
church cannot prosper without it. It is needed in the church, in the Sabbath school, and in society.
Many come together in church relationship with their natural traits of character unsubdued; and in a
crisis, when strong, hopeful spirits are needed, they give up to discouragement and bring burdens on
the church; and they do not see that this is wrong. The cause does not need such persons, for they are
unreliable; but there is always a call for steadfast, God-fearing workers, who will not faint in the day of
adversity. {5T 304.3}
There are some in the church in ----- who will cause trouble, for their wills have never been brought
into harmony with the will of Christ. Brother E will be a great hindrance to this church. When he can
have the supremacy he is satisfied, but when he cannot stand first he is always upon the wrong side. He
moves from impulse. He will not draw in even cords,
305
but questions and takes opposite views, because it is his nature to be faultfinding and an accuser of his
brethren. While he claims to be very zealous for the truth, he is drawing away from the body; he is not
strong in moral power, rooted and grounded in the faith. The holy principles of truth are not made a
part of his nature. He cannot be trusted; God is not pleased with him. {5T 304.4}
Brother and Sister E have not regarded the directions of God's word in the training of their children.
These children have been allowed to control at home to a very great degree and have come and gone as
they pleased. Unless they are placed under entirely different influences they will be found in the
enemy's ranks, warring against order, discipline, and subordination. Children thus left to have their
own way are not happy; and where parental authority is lightly regarded, the authority of God will not
be respected. {5T 305.1}
The work of the parent is solemn and sacred; but many do not realize this because their eyes are
blinded by the enemy of all righteousness. Their children are allowed to grow up undisciplined,
uncourteous, forward, self-confident, unthankful, and unholy, when a firm, decided, even course, in
which justice and mercy are blended with patience and self-control, would produce wonderful results.
{5T 305.2}
Brother E must have transforming grace. There is no safety for him while he retains his natural defects
of character, and he must war against them continually. Unless he will live a watchful, prayerful life he
will not be well balanced, and there is danger that the truth will be hindered, misrepresented, and
brought into disrepute through his influence. Let him be careful lest he awaken in unbelievers
prejudices that can never be removed. {5T 305.3}
There is in human nature a tendency to run to extremes and from one extreme to another entirely
opposite. Many are fanatics. They are consumed by a fiery zeal which is mistaken for religion, but
character is the true test of discipleship. Have they the meekness of Christ? have they His humility and
306
sweet benevolence? Is the soul-temple emptied of pride, arrogance, selfishness, and censoriousness? If
not, they know not what manner of spirit they are of. They do not realize that true Christianity consists
in bearing much fruit to the glory of God. {5T 305.4}
Others go to an extreme in their conformity to the world. There is no clear, distinct line of separation
between them and the worldling. If in one case men are driven away from the truth by a harsh,
censorious, condemnatory spirit, in this they are led to conclude that the professed Christian is destitute
of principle and knows nothing of a change of heart or character. "Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven," are the words of
Christ. {5T 306.1}
There are many who have not a correct knowledge of what constitutes a Christian character, and their
lives are a reproach to the cause of truth. If they were thoroughly converted they would not bear briers
and thorns, but rich clusters of the precious fruits of the Spirit,-- "love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." The great danger is in neglecting a heartwork.
Many feel well pleased with themselves; they think that a nominal observance of the divine law is
sufficient, while they are unacquainted with the grace of Christ, and He is not abiding in the heart by
living faith. {5T 306.2}
"Without Me," says Christ, "ye can do nothing;" but with His divine grace working through our human
efforts, we can do all things. His patience and meekness will pervade the character, diffusing a
precious radiance which makes bright and clear the pathway to heaven. By beholding and imitating His
life we shall become renewed in His image. The glory of heaven will shine in our lives and be reflected
upon others. At the throne of grace we are to find the help we need to enable us to live thus. This is
genuine sanctification, and what more exalted position can mortals desire than to be connected with
Christ as a branch is joined to the vine? {5T 306.3}
307
I have seen a device representing a bullock standing between a plow and an altar, with the inscription,
"Ready for either"--willing to swelter in the weary furrow or to bleed on the altar of sacrifice. This is
the position the child of God should ever be in--willing to go where duty calls, to deny self, and to
sacrifice for the cause of truth. The Christian church was founded upon the principle of sacrifice. "If
any man will come after Me," says Christ, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and
follow Me." He requires the whole heart, the entire affections. The exhibitions of zeal, earnestness, and
unselfish labour which His devoted followers have given to the world should kindle our ardour and
lead us to emulate their example. Genuine religion gives an earnestness and fixedness of purpose
which Moulds the character to the divine image and enables us to count all things but loss for the
excellency of Christ. This singleness of purpose will prove an element of tremendous power. {5T
307.1}
We have a greater and more solemn truth than was ever before committed to mortals, and we are
responsible for the way we treat that truth. Every one of us should be intent on saving souls. We should
show the power of the truth upon our own hearts and characters, while doing all we can to win others
to love it. To bring a sinner to Christ is to elevate, dignify, and ennoble his whole character, and make
him a blessing in the home, in society, and in the church. Is not this a work that is worthy of our
noblest powers? {5T 307.2}
Persons of little talent, if faithful in keeping their hearts in the love of God, may win many souls to
Christ. Harlan Page was a poor mechanic of ordinary ability and limited education; but he made it his
chief business to seek to advance the cause of God, and his efforts were crowned with marked success.
He laboured for the salvation of his fellow men in private conversation and in earnest prayer. He
established prayer meetings, organized Sunday schools, and distributed tracts and other religious
reading. And on his deathbed, with the shadow of eternity resting upon his countenance, he was able to
say: "I
308
know that it is all of God's grace, and not through any merit of anything that I have done, but I think I
have evidence that more than one hundred souls have been converted to God through my personal
instrumentality." {5T 307.3}
Every member of the church should be instructed in a regular system of labour. All are required to do
something for the Lord. They may interest persons to read; they may converse and pray with them. The
minister who shall educate, discipline, and lead an army of efficient workers will have glorious
conquests here, and a rich reward awaits him when, around the great white throne, he shall meet those
saved through his influence.
Do something, do it soon, with all thy might;
An angel's wing would droop if long at rest;
And God Himself, inactive, were no longer blest. {5T 308.1}
After the church in ----- came to the knowledge of the truth, they would have been fruitful in good
works, and would have had an influence that would make them a power on the side of right, had they
manifested becoming earnestness, zeal, and love. But they have been indifferent, and have been
growing cold and dead. Some have attended social meetings when they have carried with them the
atmosphere of earth rather than that of heaven. The church has not been ready to respond to the efforts
that have been made for them. In their present state they cannot see or realize the need of co-operation
on their part; and their lack of earnestness and consecration has discouraged the ministers. Instead of
this carelessness, there should have been a feeling of individual responsibility. This church will never
prosper until the members commence the work of reform in their own hearts. Many who profess the
faith are easily satisfied; if they come up to a few points of self-denial and reform they do not see the
necessity of going further. Why is there such a resting on the lees? There is no halting place for us this
side of heaven. None of us should be content with our present spiritual attainments. No one is living up
to his opportunities unless he can show continual
309
progress. He must be climbing, still climbing. It is the privilege of every Christian to grow up until he
shall reach the full stature of a man in Christ Jesus. {5T 308.2}
How much the dear people in ----- need instruction in personal godliness; how much they need pastoral
labour. But they do not do as well as they know. God will test you, brethren, and some will prove to be
chaff and some precious grains of wheat. Yield not to the power of the tempter. He will come as a
strong man armed, but give him no advantage. Nerve yourselves for duty, and dispute every inch of
ground. Instead of retreating, advance; instead of becoming weak and nerveless, brace yourselves for
the conflict. God calls on you to engage with all your powers against sin in every form. Put on the
whole armour of God, and keep your eye steadily fixed on the Captain of your salvation; for there is
danger ahead. Follow no false colours, but watch the banner of our holy faith, and be found where that
waves, even though it be in the thickest of the fight. Soon the warfare will be over and the victory won,
and if you are faithful you will come off more than conquerors through Him that has loved you. The
glorious prize, the eternal weight of glory, will then be yours. {5T 309.1}
34. Sinfulness of Repining
Dear Friends: I have been shown that as a family you experience much needless unhappiness. God has
not designed that you should be miserable; but you have taken your minds from Jesus and centred
them too much upon yourselves. The great sin of your family is that of needless repining over God's
providences; your unsubmissiveness in this respect is indeed alarming. You have magnified small
difficulties and have talked discouragements too much. You have a habit of draping everything about
you in mourning and have made yourselves unhappy without cause. Your continued murmurings are
separating you from God. {5T 309.2}
310
You should keep off from Satan's enchanted ground and not allow your minds to be swayed from
allegiance to God. Through Christ you may and should be happy and should acquire habits of selfcontrol. Even your thoughts must be brought into subjection to the will of God and your feelings under
the control of reason and religion. Your imagination was not given you to be allowed to run riot and
have its own way without any effort at restraint or discipline. If the thoughts are wrong the feelings
will be wrong, and the thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character. When you decide
that as Christians you are not required to restrain your thoughts and feelings you are brought under the
influence of evil angels and invite their presence and their control. If you yield to your impressions and
allow your thoughts to run in a channel of suspicion, doubt, and repining you will be among the most
unhappy of mortals, and your lives will prove a failure. {5T 310.1}
Dear Sister F, you have a diseased imagination; and you dishonour God by allowing your feelings to
have complete control of your reason and judgment. You have a determined will, which causes the
mind to react upon the body, unbalancing the circulation and producing congestion in certain organs;
and you are sacrificing health to your feelings. {5T 310.2}
You are making a mistake, which, if not corrected, will not end with wrecking your own happiness
merely. You are doing positive injury, not only to yourself, but to the other members of your family,
and especially your mother. She is very nervous and highly sensitive. If one of her children is
suffering, she becomes confused and almost distracted. Her mind is becoming unbalanced by the
frequent fits of hysteria which she is compelled to witness, and great unhappiness is brought upon all
around you. And yet you are capable of controlling your imagination and overcoming these nervous
attacks. You have will power, and you should bring it to your aid. You have not done this, but have let
your highly wrought imagination control reason. In this you have grieved the Spirit of God. Had
311
you no power over your feelings, this would not be sin; but it will not answer thus to yield to the
enemy. Your will needs to be sanctified and subdued instead of being arrayed in opposition to that of
God. {5T 310.3}
My dear friends, instead of taking a course to baffle disease, you are petting it and yielding to its
power. You should avoid the use of drugs and carefully observe the laws of health. If you regard your
life you should eat plain food, prepared in the simplest manner, and take more physical exercise. Each
member of the family needs the benefits of health reform. But drugging should be forever abandoned;
for while it does not cure any malady, it enfeebles the system, making it more susceptible to disease.
{5T 311.1}
Man has been placed in a world of sorrow, care, and perplexity. He is placed here to be tested and
proved, as were Adam and Eve, that he may develop a right character and bring harmony out of
discord and confusion. There is much for us to do that is essential to our own happiness and that of
others. And there is much for us to enjoy. Through Christ we are brought into connection with God.
His mercies place us under continual obligation; feeling unworthy of His favours, we are to appreciate
even the least of them. {5T 311.2}
For all that you have and are, dear friends, you are indebted to God. He has given you powers that, to a
certain extent, are similar to those which He Himself possesses; and you should labour earnestly to
develop these powers, not to please and exalt self, but to glorify Him. You have not improved your
privileges to the best advantage. You should educate yourselves to bear responsibilities. Intellect must
be cultivated; if left to rust from inaction it will become debased. {5T 311.3}
This earth is the Lord's. Here it may be seen that nature, animate and inanimate, obeys His will. God
created man a superior being; he alone is formed in the image of God and is capable of partaking of the
divine nature, of co-operating with his Creator and executing His plans; and he alone is found at war
with God's purposes. {5T 311.4}
312
How wonderfully, with what marvellous beauty, has everything in nature been fashioned. Everywhere
we see the perfect works of the great Master Artist. The heavens declare His glory, and the earth,
which is formed for the happiness of man, speaks to us of His matchless love. Its surface is not a
monotonous plain, but grand old mountains rise to diversify the landscape. There are sparkling streams
and fertile valleys, beautiful lakes, broad rivers, and the boundless ocean. God sends the dew and the
rain to refresh the thirsty earth. The breezes, that promote health by purifying and cooling the
atmosphere, are controlled by His wisdom. He has placed the sun in the heavens to mark the periods of
day and night, and by its genial beams give light and warmth to the earth, causing vegetation to
flourish. {5T 312.1}
I call your attention to these blessings from the bounteous hand of God. Let the fresh glories of each
new morning awaken praise in your hearts for these tokens of His loving care. But while our kind
heavenly Father has given us so many things to promote our happiness, He has given us also blessings
in disguise. He understands the necessities of fallen man; and while He has given us advantages on the
one hand, on the other there are inconveniences which are designed to stimulate us to use the ability
He has given us. These develop patient industry, perseverance, and courage. {5T 312.2}
There are evils which man may lessen but can never remove. He is to overcome obstacles and make
his surroundings instead of being moulded by them. He has room to exercise his talents in bringing
order and harmony out of confusion. In this work he may have divine aid if he will claim it. He is not
left to battle with temptations and trials in his own strength. Help has been laid upon One who is
mighty. Jesus left the royal courts of heaven and suffered and died in a world degraded by sin, that He
might teach man how to pass through the trials of life and overcome its temptations. Here is a pattern
for us. {5T 312.3}
As the benefits conferred upon His creatures by our heavenly
313
Father are recounted, do you not feel reproved for your ungrateful repinings? For a number of years He
lent you a daughter and sister, until you began to regard her as yours and felt that you had a right to
this good gift. God heard your murmurings. If there was a cloud in sight, you seemed to forget that the
sun ever shone; and clouds and darkness were ever about you. God sent you affliction; He removed
your treasure from you that you might discern between prosperity and real sorrow. But you did not
subdue your hearts before Him and repent of the great sin of ingratitude which had separated you from
His love. Like Job, you felt that you had cause for grief, and would not be comforted. Was this
reasonable? You know that death is a power that none can resist; but you have made your lives nearly
useless by your unavailing grief. Your feelings have been little less than rebellion against God. I saw
you all dwelling upon your bereavement, and giving way to your excitable feelings, until your noisy
demonstrations of grief caused angels to hide their faces and withdraw from the scene. {5T 312.4}
While thus giving way to your feelings, did you remember that you had a Father in heaven who gave
His only Son to die for us that death might not be an eternal sleep? Did you remember that the Lord of
life and glory passed through the tomb and brightened it with His own presence? Said the beloved
disciple: "Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." The apostle well knew what he was
talking about when he wrote these words; but when you give way to uncontrollable grief, is your
conduct consistent with the comfort which they express? {5T 313.1}
The Lord is gracious, merciful, and true. He has permitted the one of your household band who was
the most innocent and the best prepared to rest through the perils of the last days. Oh! do not shut up
your souls against melody and joy, mourning as though there were to be no resurrection of the dead,
but praise God that for her there is no more death, no more trial,
314
no more sorrow. She rests in Jesus until the Life-giver shall call forth His sleeping saints to a glorious
immortality. {5T 313.2}
F has a work to do, through the grace of God, to control her feelings. She knows that she is not in
heaven, but in a world where death reigns and where our loved ones may be removed from us at any
moment. She should feel that the great burden of life is to prepare for a better world. If she has a right
hold on eternal life, it will not disqualify her for living in this world and nobly bearing life's burdens,
but it will help her in the performance of self-denying, self-sacrificing duties. {5T 314.1}
As a family you have talked darkness and complaining until you are changed into the same image. You
seem to work upon one another's sympathies and to arouse nervous excitability until you have a dark,
sad, dismal time by yourselves. You have held mourning services, but these do not attract angels
around you. If you do not change your course, God will come a little closer and deal with you in
judgment. Is it not time that you hold thanksgiving services in your home and recount with rejoicing
the blessings that have been bestowed upon you? {5T 314.2}
The power of the truth should be sufficient to sustain and console in every adversity. It is in enabling
its possessor to triumph over affliction that the religion of Christ reveals its true value. It brings the
appetites, the passions, and the emotions under the control of reason and conscience, and disciplines
the thoughts to flow in a healthful channel. And then the tongue will not be left to dishonour God by
expressions of sinful repining. {5T 314.3}
Our Creator justly claims the right to do as He chooses with the creatures of His hand. He has a right to
govern as He will, and not as man chooses. But He is not a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He
is the very fountain of love, the giver of blessings innumerable. It should cause you the deepest grief
that you have disregarded such love, and have not let gratitude and praise well up in your hearts for the
marvellous goodness of God. We do not deserve all His benefits; but they are
315
continued to us, notwithstanding our unworthiness and cruel ingratitude. Then cease to complain as
though you were bond servants under a hard taskmaster. Jesus is good. Praise Him. Praise Him who is
the health of your countenance, and your God. {5T 314.4}
35. "Praise Ye the Lord!"
"Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord." Have any of us duly considered how much we have
to be thankful for? Do we remember that the mercies of the Lord are new every morning and that His
faithfulness faileth not? Do we acknowledge our dependence upon Him and express gratitude for all
His favours? On the contrary, we too often forget that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights." {5T 315.1}
How often those who are in health forget the wonderful mercies that are continued to them day by day,
year after year. They render no tribute of praise to God for all His benefits. But when sickness comes,
God is remembered. The strong desire for recovery leads to earnest prayer, and this is right. God is our
refuge in sickness as in health. But many do not leave their cases with Him; they encourage weakness
and disease by worrying about themselves. If they would cease repining and rise above depression and
gloom, their recovery would be more sure. They should remember with gratitude how long they
enjoyed the blessing of health; and should this precious boon be restored to them, they should not
forget that they are under renewed obligations to their Creator. When the ten lepers were healed, only
one returned to find Jesus and give Him glory. Let us not be like the unthinking nine, whose hearts
were untouched by the mercy of God. {5T 315.2}
God is love. He has a care for the creatures He has formed. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the
Lord pitieth them
316
that fear Him." Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be
called the sons of God." What a precious privilege is this, that we may be sons and daughters of the
Most High, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Then let us not mourn and grieve because in
this life we are not free from disappointments and afflictions. If in the providence of God we are called
upon to endure trials, let us accept the cross and drink the bitter cup, remembering that it is a Father's
hand that holds it to our lips. Let us trust Him in the darkness as well as in the day. Can we not believe
that He will give us everything that is for our good? "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered
Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Even in the night of
affliction how can we refuse to lift heart and voice in grateful praise, when we remember the love to us
expressed by the cross of Calvary? {5T 315.3}
What a theme for meditation is the sacrifice that Jesus made for lost sinners! "He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and
with His stripes we are healed." How shall we estimate the blessings thus brought within our reach?
Could Jesus have suffered more? Could He have purchased for us richer blessings? Should it not melt
the hardest heart when we remember that for our sakes He left the happiness and glory of heaven and
suffered poverty and shame, cruel affliction and a terrible death? Had He not by His death and
resurrection opened for us the door of hope, we should have known nothing but the horrors of darkness
and the miseries of despair. In our present state, favoured and blessed as we are, we cannot realize
from what depths we have been rescued. We cannot measure how much deeper our afflictions would
have been, how much greater our woes, had not Jesus encircled us with His human arm of sympathy
and love, and lifted us up. {5T 316.1}
We may rejoice in hope. Our Advocate is in the heavenly sanctuary, pleading in our behalf. Through
His merits we
317
have pardon and peace. He died that He might wash away our sins, clothe us with His righteousness,
and fit us for the society of heaven, where we may dwell in light forever. Dear brother, dear sister,
when Satan would fill your mind with despondency, gloom, and doubt, resist his suggestions. Tell him
of the blood of Jesus, that cleanses from all sin. You cannot save yourself from the tempter's power,
but he trembles and flees when the merits of that precious blood are urged. Then will you not
gratefully accept the blessings Jesus bestows? Will you not take the cup of salvation that He presents,
and call on the name of the Lord? Do not show distrust of Him who has called you out of darkness into
His marvellous light. Do not for a moment pain the heart of the pitying Saviour by your unbelief. He
watches with the most intense interest your progress in the heavenly way; He sees your earnest efforts;
He notes your declensions and your recoveries, your hopes and your fears, your conflicts and your
victories. {5T 316.2}
Shall all our devotional exercises consist in asking and receiving? Shall we be always thinking of our
wants and never of the benefits we receive? Shall we be recipients of His mercies and never express
our gratitude to God, never praise Him for what He has done for us? We do not pray any too much, but
we are too sparing of giving thanks. If the loving-kindness of God called forth more thanksgiving and
praise, we would have far more power in prayer. We would abound more and more in the love of God
and have more bestowed to praise Him for. You who complain that God does not hear your prayers,
change your present order and mingle praise with your petitions. When you consider His goodness and
mercies you will find that He will consider your wants. {5T 317.1}
Pray, pray earnestly and without ceasing, but do not forget to praise. It becomes every child of God to
vindicate His character. You can magnify the Lord; you can show the power of sustaining grace. There
are multitudes who do not appreciate the great love of God nor the divine compassion of
318
Jesus. Thousands even regard with disdain the matchless grace shown in the plan of redemption. All
who are partakers of this great salvation are not clear in this matter. They do not cultivate grateful
hearts. But the theme of redemption is one that the angels desire to look into; it will be the science and
the song of the ransomed throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Is it not worthy of careful thought
and study now? Should we not praise God with heart and soul and voice "for His wonderful works to
the children of men"? {5T 317.2}
Praise the Lord in the congregation of His people. When the word of the Lord was spoken to the
Hebrews anciently, the command was: "And let all the people say, Amen." When the ark of the
covenant was brought into the city of David, and a psalm of joy and triumph was chanted, "all the
people said, Amen, and praised the Lord." This fervent response was an evidence that they understood
the word spoken and joined in the worship of God. {5T 318.1}
There is too much formality in our religious services. The Lord would have His ministers who preach
the word energized by His Holy Spirit; and the people who hear should not sit in drowsy indifference,
or stare vacantly about, making no responses to what is said. The impression that is thus given to the
unbeliever is anything but favourable for the religion of Christ. These dull, careless professed
Christians are not destitute of ambition and zeal when engaged in worldly business; but things of
eternal importance do not move them deeply. The voice of God through His messengers may be a
pleasant song; but its sacred warnings, reproofs, and encouragements are all unheeded. The spirit of the
world has paralysed them. The truths of God's word are spoken to leaden ears and hard, unimpressible
hearts. There should be wide-awake, active churches to encourage and uphold the ministers of Christ
and to aid them in the work of saving souls. Where the church is walking in the light, there will ever be
cheerful, hearty responses and words of joyful praise. {5T 318.2}
Our God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth,
319
declares: "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me." All heaven unite in praising God. Let us learn the
song of the angels now, that we may sing it when we join their shining ranks. Let us say with the
psalmist: "While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being."
"Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee." {5T 318.3}
36. Parental Responsibility
Parents are in a great degree responsible for the mould given to the characters of their children. They
should aim at symmetry and proportion. There are few well-balanced minds, because parents are
wickedly negligent of their duty to stimulate weak traits and repress wrong ones. They do not
remember that they are under the most solemn obligation to watch the tendencies of each child, that it
is their duty to train their children to right habits and right ways of thinking. {5T 319.1}
Sometimes parents wait for the Lord to do the very work that He has given them to do. Instead of
restraining and controlling their children as they should, they pet and indulge them, and gratify their
whims and desires. When these children go out from their early homes, it is with characters deformed
by selfishness, with ungoverned appetites, with strong self-will; they are destitute of courtesy or
respect for their parents, and do not love religious truth or the worship of God. They have grown up
with traits that are a lifelong curse to themselves and to others. Home is made anything but happy if the
evil weeds of dissension, selfishness, envy, passion, and sullen stubbornness are left to flourish in the
neglected garden of the soul. {5T 319.2}
Parents should show no partiality, but should treat all their children with tenderness, remembering that
they are the purchase of Christ's blood. Children imitate their parents; hence great care should be taken
to give them correct models.
320
Parents who are kind and polite at home, while at the same time they are firm and decided, will see the
same traits manifested in their children. If they are upright, honest, and honourable, their children will
be quite likely to resemble them in these particulars. If they reverence and worship God, their children,
trained in the same way, will not forget to serve Him also. {5T 319.3}
It is often the case that parents are not careful to surround their children with right influences. In
choosing a home they think more of their worldly interests than of the moral and social atmosphere,
and the children form associations that are unfavourable to the development of piety and the formation
of right characters. Then parents allow the world to engross their time, strength, and thought; and when
the Sabbath comes, it finds them so utterly exhausted that they have nought to render to God on His
holy day, no sweet piety to grace the home and make the Sabbath a delight to their children. They are
seldom visited by a minister, for they have placed themselves out of reach of religious privileges. An
apathy steals over the soul. The children are contaminated by evil communications, and the tenderness
of soul that they once felt dies away and is forgotten. {5T 320.1}
Parents who denounce the Canaanites for offering their children to Moloch, what are you doing? You
are making a most costly offering to your mammon god; and then, when your children grow up
unloved and unlovely in character, when they show decided impiety and a tendency to infidelity, you
blame the faith you profess because it was unable to save them. You are reaping that which you have
sown--the result of your selfish love of the world and neglect of the means of grace. You moved your
families into places of temptation, and the ark of God, your glory and defence, you did not consider
essential; and the Lord has not worked a miracle to deliver your children from temptation. {5T 320.2}
You who profess to love God, take Jesus with you wherever you go; and, like the patriarchs of old,
erect an altar to the Lord wherever you pitch your tent. A reformation in this
321
respect is needed, a reformation that shall be deep and broad. Parents need to reform; ministers need to
reform. They need God in their households. They need to build the waste places of Zion, to set up her
gates and make strong her walls for a defence of the people. {5T 320.3}
There is earnest work to be done in this age, and parents should educate their children to share in it.
The words of Mordecai to Esther may apply to the men and youth of today: "Who knoweth whether
thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Young men should be gaining solidity of
character, that they may be fitted for usefulness. Daniel and Joseph were youth of firm principle,
whom God could use to carry out His purposes. Mark their history, and see how God wrought for
them. Joseph met with a variety of experiences, experiences that tested his courage and uprightness to
the fullest extent. After being sold into Egypt he was at first favoured and entrusted with great
responsibilities; but suddenly, without any fault on his part, he was unjustly accused and cast into
prison. But he is not discouraged. He trusts in God; and the purpose of his heart, the purity of his
motive, is made manifest. The eye of God is upon him, a divine hand leads him, and soon we see him
come forth from prison to share the throne of Egypt. {5T 321.1}
Joseph's checkered life was not an accident; it was ordered of Providence. But how was he enabled to
make such a record of firmness of character, uprightness, and wisdom? It was the result of careful
training in his early years. He had consulted duty rather than inclination; and the purity and simple
trust of the boy bore fruit in the deeds of the man. The most brilliant talents are of no value unless they
are improved; industrious habits and force of character must be gained by cultivation. A high moral
character and fine mental qualities are not the result of accident. God gives opportunities; success
depends upon the use made of them. The openings of Providence must be quickly discerned and
eagerly seized upon. {5T 321.2}
Young men, if you would be strong, if you would have the
322
integrity and wisdom of a Joseph or a Daniel, study the Scriptures. Parents, if you would educate your
children to serve God and do good in the world, make the Bible your textbook. It exposes the wiles of
Satan. It is the great elevator of the race, the reprover and corrector of moral evils, the detector which
enables us to distinguish between the true and the false. Whatever else is taught in the home or at
school, the Bible, as the great educator, should stand first. If it is given this place, God is
HONOURED, and He will work for you in the conversion of your children. There is a rich mine of
truth and beauty in this Holy Book, and parents have themselves to blame if they do not make it
intensely interesting to their children. {5T 321.3}
To many, education means a knowledge of books; but "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom." The true object of education is to restore the image of God in the soul. The first and most
precious knowledge is the knowledge of Christ; and wise parents will keep this fact ever before the
minds of their children. Should a limb be broken or fractured, parents will try every means that love or
wisdom can suggest to restore the affected member to comeliness and soundness. This is right; it is
their duty. But the Lord requires that still greater tact, patience, and persevering effort be employed to
remedy blemishes of the soul. That father is unworthy of the name who is not to his children a
Christian teacher, ruler, and friend, binding them to his heart by the strong ties of sanctified love--a
love which has its foundation in duty faithfully performed. {5T 322.1}
Parents have a great and responsible work to do, and they may well inquire: "Who is sufficient for
these things?" But God has promised to give wisdom to those that ask in faith, and He will do just as
He said He would. He is pleased with the faith that takes Him at His word. The mother of Augustine
prayed for her son's conversion. She saw no evidence that the Spirit of God was impressing his heart,
but she was not discouraged. She laid her finger upon the texts, presenting before God His own words,
and pleaded as only a mother can.
323
Her deep humiliation, her earnest importunities, her unwavering faith, prevailed, and the Lord gave her
the desire of her heart. Today He is just as ready to listen to the petitions of His people. His "hand is
not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear;" and if Christian parents
seek Him earnestly, He will fill their mouths with arguments, and for His name's sake will work
mightily in their behalf in the conversion of their children. {5T 322.2}
37. The Training of Children
Dear Brother and Sister G: I am troubled in reference to your case. I see dangers that you seem never
to have realized. Have you thoughtfully and prayerfully considered your duty to the children you have
taken the responsibility of bringing into the world? Have you thought whether these children are
receiving from you an education and discipline that will lead them to honour their Creator in the days
of their youth? Have you considered that if you fail to teach them to respect you, their father and
mother, and to yield to your authority, you are educating them to dishonour God? Every time you
allow them to trample on your authority, and their will to control yours, you are fostering a defect
which will be carried with them into all their experience should they become religiously inclined, and
will teach them to disregard and trample upon divine authority. {5T 323.1}
The question to be settled by you is: "Am I raising a family of children to strengthen the influence and
swell the ranks of the powers of darkness, or am I bringing up children for Christ?" If you do not
govern your children and mould their characters to meet the requirements of God, then the fewer
children there are to suffer from your defective training the better it will be for you, their parents, and
the better it will be for society. Unless children can be trained and disciplined from their babyhood by
a wise and judicious mother, who is
324
conscientious and intelligent, and who rules her household in the fear of the Lord, moulding and
shaping their characters to meet the standard of righteousness, it is a sin to increase your family. God
has given you reason, and He requires you to use it. {5T 323.2}
You should feel under obligation, by patient, painstaking effort and by earnest, fervent prayer, to so
form the characters of your children as to make them a blessing in the home, a blessing in the church,
and a blessing in society. You will receive no credit for your work if you allow your children to be
controlled by the enemy of all righteousness; the reward is promised for conscientiously forming their
characters after the divine Pattern. If you neglect this work, which is so far-reaching in its results,
because for the present it is more agreeable for you to do so, and your children grow up morally
deformed, their feet in the broad road to death, can God pronounce your work well done? Those who
cannot inform themselves, and work intelligently with all their powers to bring their children to Jesus,
should decide not to take upon themselves the responsibility of becoming parents. {5T 324.1}
Mothers must be willing and even anxious to qualify themselves for their important work of
developing the characters of their children, guiding, instructing, and restraining their tender charge.
Fathers and mothers should be united in this work. Weakness in requiring obedience, and false love
and sympathy--the false notion that to indulge and not to restrain is wisdom--constitute a system of
training that grieves angels; but it delights Satan, for it brings hundreds and thousands of children into
his ranks. This is why he blinds the eyes of parents, benumbs their sensibilities, and confuses their
minds. They see that their sons and daughters are not pleasant, lovely, obedient, and care-taking; yet
children accumulate in their homes, to poison their lives, fill their hearts with grief, and add to the
number whom Satan is using to allure souls to destruction. {5T 324.2}
Oh! when will parents be wise? When will they see and realize the character of their work in
neglecting to require
325
obedience and respect according to the instructions of God's word? The results of this lax training are
seen in the children as they go out into the world and take their place at the head of families of their
own. They perpetuate the mistakes of their parents. Their defective traits have full scope; and they
transmit to others the wrong tastes, habits, and tempers that were permitted to develop in their own
characters. Thus they become a curse instead of a blessing to society. {5T 324.3}
Because men and women do not obey God, but choose their own way and follow their own perverted
imagination, Satan is permitted to set up his hellish banner in their families and make his power felt
through babes, children, and youth. His voice and will are expressed in the unsubdued will and warped
characters of the children, and through them he exerts a controlling power and carries out his plans.
God is dishonoured by the exhibition of perverse tempers, which exclude reverence for Him and
induce obedience to Satan's suggestions. The sin committed by parents in thus permitting Satan to bear
sway is beyond conception. They are sowing seed which will produce briers and thorns, and choke out
every plant of heavenly growth; and the harvest that will be gathered the judgment alone will reveal.
But how sad is the thought that when life and its mistakes are viewed in the light of eternity, it will be
too late for this aftersight to be of any avail. {5T 325.1}
The utter neglect of training children for God has perpetuated evil and thrown into the ranks of the
enemy many who with judicious care might have been co-labourers with Christ. False ideas and a
foolish, misdirected affection have nurtured traits which have made the children unlovely and
unhappy, have embittered the lives of the parents, and have extended their baleful influence from
generation to generation. Any child that is permitted to have his own way will dishonour God and
bring his father and mother to shame. Light has been shining from the word of God and the testimonies
of His Spirit so that none need err in regard to their duty. God requires parents to bring up their
children to know Him and to
326
respect His claims; they are to train their little ones, as the younger members of the Lord's family, to
have beautiful characters and lovely tempers, that they may be fitted to shine in the heavenly courts.
By neglecting their duty and indulging their children in wrong, parents close to them the gates of the
city of God. {5T 325.2}
These facts must be pressed home upon parents; they must arouse, and take up their long-neglected
work. Parents who profess to love God are not doing His will. Because they do not properly restrain
and direct their children, thousands are coming up with deformed characters, with lax morals, and with
little education in the practical duties of life. They are left to do as they please with their impulses,
their time, and their mental powers. The loss to the cause of God in these neglected talents lies at the
door of fathers and mothers; and what excuse will they render to Him whose stewards they are,
entrusted with the sacred duty of fitting the souls under their charge to improve all their powers to the
glory of their Creator? {5T 326.1}
My dear brother and sister, may the Lord open your eyes and quicken your minds, that you may see
and redeem your failures. You are neither of you living with an eye single to the glory of God. You
show but little power to stand up for Jesus and in defence of the faith once delivered to the saints. You
have neglected your duty in the family and have proved that youth entrusted to your care are not safe.
Thus God looks upon your work in the home; thus it stands registered in the books of heaven. You
might have brought many to Jesus; but your want of moral courage has made you unfaithful in every
position. {5T 326.2}
The errors in your lax system of family government are revealed in the characters of your children.
You have not educated yourselves to follow the instructions given in the word of God. The evils
resulting from your failures in duty are becoming serious and deep. Sister G does not have the right
influence. She has yielded to the strong wills of her wrong-minded children, and has indulged them to
their hurt.
327
Both of you should have taught your children from their very babyhood that they could not control
you, but that your will was to be obeyed. Had Sister G received the proper training in her childhood,
had she been disciplined and educated according to the word of God, she would have a different mould
of character herself and would better understand the duties that devolve upon her. She would know
how to train her children so as to make their ways pleasing to God. But the defects that have resulted
from her own wrong training are reproduced in her children, and what will be the nature of their work
should they ever stand at the head of families of their own? The oldest may have some knowledge of
domestic duties; but, further than this, she is a mere novice. {5T 326.3}
With wise, firm government these children might have been useful members of society; as it is, they
are a curse, a reproach to our faith. They are vain, frivolous, willful, extravagant. They have but little
reverence for their parents, and their consciences are far from sensitive. They have had their own way,
and their wishes have governed their parents, until it is almost impossible to arouse their moral
sensibilities. The natural tendencies of the parents, particularly those that are objectionable, are
strongly developed in the children. The whole family, parents and children, are under divine censure;
and none of them can hope to enter the peaceful abodes of bliss unless they will take up their longneglected duties and, in the spirit of Christ, build up characters that God can approve. {5T 327.1}
Parents are responsible for the work coming from their hands. They should have wisdom and firmness
to do their work faithfully and in the right spirit. They are to train their children for usefulness by
developing their God-given talents. A failure to do this should not be winked at, but should be made a
matter of church discipline, for it will bring the curse of God on the parents and a reproach and
grievous trials and difficulties on the church. A moral leprosy that is contagious, polluting the bodies
and souls of the youth, often results from
328
a failure to discipline and restrain the young; and it is time that something was done to check its
ravages. {5T 327.2}
The Bible gives explicit directions concerning the important work of educating children: "Hear, O
Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in
thine heart." The parents are themselves to be connected with God; they are to have His fear before
them and to have a knowledge of His will. Then comes their work: "And thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a
sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon
the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." {5T 328.1}
The Lord commanded Israel not to make marriages with the idolatrous nations around them. "Thy
daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will
turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be
kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly." "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God:
the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon
the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in
number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the Lord loved you, and
because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers." {5T 328.2}
Here are positive directions that reach down to our time. God is speaking to us in these last days, and
He will be understood and obeyed. God spoke to Israel through His servants: "This book of the law
shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then
329
thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." "The law of the Lord is
perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." "The entrance
of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path." {5T 328.3}
Here the duties of parents are clearly set forth. The word of God is to be their daily monitor. It gives
such instruction that parents need not err in regard to the education of their children; but it admits of no
indifference or negligence. The law of God is to be kept before the minds of the children as the great
moral standard. When they rise up, and when they sit down, when they go out, and when they come in,
this law is to be taught them as the great rule of life, and its principles are to be interwoven with all
their experience. They are to be taught to be honest, truthful, temperate, economical, and industrious,
and to love God with the whole heart. This is bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord. This is setting their feet in the path of duty and safety. {5T 329.1}
Youth are ignorant and inexperienced, and the love of the Bible and its sacred truths will not come
naturally. Unless great pains is taken to build up around them barriers to shield them from Satan's
devices, they are subject to his temptations and are led captive by him at his will. In their early years
children are to be taught the claims of God's law and faith in Jesus our Redeemer to cleanse from the
stains of sin. This faith must be taught day by day, by precept and example. {5T 329.2}
A solemn responsibility rests upon parents, and how can the Lord bless them in the positive neglect of
their duty? Children can be moulded when they are young. But years pass when their hearts are tender
and susceptible to the impressions of truth, and but little time is devoted to their moral culture. The
precious lessons of truth and duty should be instilled into their hearts daily. They should have a
knowledge of God in His created works; this will be of greater value to them than any knowledge of
books. {5T 329.3}
330
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," are
the words of our Saviour. Errors in doctrine are multiplying and twining themselves with serpentlike
subtlety around the affections of the people. There is not a doctrine of the Bible that has not been
denied. The great truths of prophecy, showing our position in the history of the world, have been shorn
of their beauty and power by the clergy, who seek to make these all-important truths dark and
incomprehensible. In many cases the children are drifting away from the old landmarks. The Lord
commanded His people Israel: "When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the
testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you? then
thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of
Egypt with a mighty hand: and the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon
Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: and He brought us out from thence, that He
might bring us in, to give us the land which He sware unto our fathers. And the Lord commanded us to
do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as
it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before
the Lord our God, as He hath commanded us." {5T 330.1}
Here are principles that we are not to regard with indifference. Those who have seen the truth and felt
its importance, and have had an experience in the things of God, are to teach sound doctrine to their
children. They should make them acquainted with the great pillars of our faith, the reasons why we are
Seventh-day Adventists,--why we are called, as were the children of Israel, to be a peculiar people, a
holy nation, separate and distinct from all other people on the face of the earth. These things should be
explained to the children in simple language, easy to be understood; and as they grow in years, the
lessons imparted should be suited to their increasing capacity, until the foundations of truth have been
laid broad and deep. {5T 330.2}
331
Parents, you profess to be children of God; are you obedient children? Are you doing the will of your
heavenly Father? Are you following His directions, or are you walking in the light of sparks of your
own kindling? Are you daily working to outgeneral the enemy and save your children from his
devices? Are you opening to them the precious truths of the word of God, explaining to them the
reasons of our faith, that their young feet may be planted on the platform of truth? {5T 331.1}
The Bible with its precious gems of truth was not written for the scholar alone. On the contrary, it was
designed for the common people; and the interpretation given by the common people, when aided by
the Holy Spirit, accords best with the truth as it is in Jesus. The great truths necessary for salvation are
made clear as the noonday, and none will mistake and lose their way except those who follow their
own judgment instead of the plainly revealed will of God. {5T 331.2}
38. Christian Forbearance
Dear Brother and Sister H: In regard to your present relations with the church I would advise that you
do all that can be done on your part to come into harmony with your brethren. Cultivate a kind,
conciliatory spirit, and let no feeling of retaliation come into your minds and hearts. We have but a
little time in this world, and let us work for time and for eternity. Be diligent to make your calling and
election sure. See that you make no mistake in regard to your title to a home in Christ's kingdom. If
your name is registered in the Lamb's book of life, then all will be well with you. Be ready and anxious
to confess your faults and forsake them, that your mistakes and sins may go beforehand to judgment
and be blotted out. {5T 331.3}
I believe that you are making improvement; but let the work be deeper, more thorough, more earnest.
Leave nothing undone that you can do. Walk humbly with God, set your
332
heart in order, overcome self, and watch to avoid every device of Satan. When the heart is in harmony
with Jesus, when in words, in spirit, and in deportment, you copy the Pattern, the manners will be
refined and elevated, convincing all that there has been in you a radical change. You will then be
numbered among the virtuous, God-fearing followers of Jesus. {5T 331.4}
My brother, you have a very spotted record. God and your own soul know this. But no one will be
more rejoiced than I to see you setting your feet in the way that Christ has walked, and to meet you in
the kingdom of God. It is difficult for us to understand ourselves, to have a correct knowledge of our
own characters. The word of God is plain, but often there is an error in applying it to one's self. There
is liability to self-deception and to think its warnings and reproofs do not mean me. "The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Self-flattery may be construed
into Christian emotion and zeal. Self-love and confidence may give us assurance that we are right
when we are far from meeting the requirements of God's word. {5T 332.1}
The Bible is full, clear, and explicit; the character of the true disciple of Christ is marked out with
exactness. We must search the Scriptures with humble hearts, trembling at the word of the Lord, if we
would not be in any way deceived in regard to our true character. There must be persevering effort to
overcome selfishness and self-confidence. Self-examination must be thorough, that there be no danger
of self-deception. A little catechizing of self on special occasions is not sufficient. Daily examine the
foundation of your hope, and see whether you are indeed in the love of Christ. Deal truly with your
own hearts, for you cannot afford to run any risk here. Count the cost of being a wholehearted
Christian, and then gird on the armour. Study the Pattern; look to Jesus, and be like Him. Your peace
of mind, your hope of eternal salvation, depend on faithfulness in this work. As Christians we
333
are less thorough in self-examination than in anything else; it is no wonder, then, that we make such
slow advancement in understanding self. {5T 332.2}
I am writing these things to you because I want you to be saved. I do not want to discourage you, but to
urge you to more earnest, vigorous effort. Self-love will prompt you to make a superficial work of selfexamination; but let no vain confidence cheat you out of eternal life. Do not build yourself up on the
mistakes and errors of others, but between God and your own soul settle the important question upon
which hangs your eternal destiny. {5T 333.1}
"Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart,"--the human heart, with its
conflicting emotions of joy and sorrow,--the wandering, wayward heart, which is the abode of so much
impurity and deceit. He knows its motives, its very intents and purposes. Go to Him with your soul all
stained as it is. Like the psalmist, throw its chambers open to the all-seeing Eye, exclaiming: "Search
me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in
me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Submit your heart to be refined and purified; then you will
become a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Then you will "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope
that is in you with meekness and fear." The peace of Christ will be yours. Your name will stand
registered in the book of life; your title to the heavenly inheritance will bear the royal signet, which
none on earth dare question. No one can bar your way to the portals of the city of God, but you will
have free access to the royal presence and to the temple of God on high. {5T 333.2}
A few words more press upon my mind. I want you to be united with the church, not because I regard
all the church members perfect nor because I regard you perfect. God has precious ones in His church;
there are also men and women who are as tares among the wheat. But the Lord does not
334
give you or anyone else the office of saying who are tares and who are wheat. We may see and
condemn the faults of others, while we have greater faults which we have never realized, but which are
distinctly seen by others. God requires you to give to the world and the church a good example, a life
that represents Jesus. There are duties to be performed and responsibilities to be borne. The world has
not enough true Christians; the church has need of them; society cannot spare them. Christ's prayer for
His disciples was: "I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest
keep them from the evil." Jesus knows we are in the world, exposed to its temptations, but He loves us
and will give us grace to triumph over its corrupting influences. He would have us perfect in character,
that our waywardness may not occasion moral deformity in others. {5T 333.3}
You see that your brethren do not come up to the Bible standard, that there are defects in them; and
you dwell upon these defects. You feed upon them instead of feeding upon Christ, and by beholding
you become changed into the same image. But criticize no one; do not contrast your own exact course
with the deficiencies of others. You may be in danger of wanting to correct others and make them feel
their wrongs. Do not do this. This is not the work God has given you to do. He has not made you a
church tinker. There are many things which you view in the light of the Bible. But though you may be
in the right on some points, do not get the impression that your positions are always correct; for on
many points your ideas are distorted and will not bear criticism. {5T 334.1}
Do not seek to exalt self, but learn in the school of Christ meekness and lowliness of heart. You know
what Peter's character was, how strikingly his peculiar traits were developed. Before his great fall he
was always forward and dictatorial, speaking unadvisedly from the impulse of the moment. He was
always ready to correct others and to express his mind before he had a clear comprehension of himself
or of what he had to say. But Peter was converted, and the converted Peter was very different from the
rash, impetuous
335
Peter. While he retained his former fervour, the grace of Christ regulated his zeal. Instead of being
impetuous, self-confident, and self-exalted, he was calm, self-possessed, and teachable. He could then
feed the lambs as well as the sheep of Christ's flock. {5T 334.2}
You, my brother, have a great work to do for yourself day by day. You must make constant effort to
curb bad tempers and evil propensities. These have grown with your growth, and Jesus alone can
strengthen you to fully overcome them. You should regard yourself as a servant of Christ and seek to
be like Him in character. Try to make yourself agreeable to others. Even in your business relations, be
courteous, kind, and forbearing, showing the meekness of Jesus and that His spirit is ruling you. You
are related to humanity, and you must be patient, kind, and pitiful. You need to cherish thoughtfulness
and subdue selfishness. Let your inquiry be: "What can I do to bless others?" If your heart is yearning
to do them good, even at inconvenience to yourself, you will have the blessing of God. Love, lifted out
of the realm of passion and impulse, becomes spiritualised and is revealed in words and acts. A
Christian must have a sanctified tenderness and love, in which there is no impatience or fretfulness; the
rude, harsh manners must be softened by the grace of Christ. {5T 335.1}
O my brother, my sister, educate yourselves in the school of Christ. Let the spirit of controversy cease
at home and in the church. Let your hearts be drawn out in love for the people of God. Hearts that are
filled with the love of Christ can never get very far apart. Religion is love, and a Christian home is one
where love reigns and finds expression in words and acts of thoughtful kindness and gentle courtesy.
Let no harsh words be spoken. Let the family worship be made pleasant and interesting. Be a Christian
gentleman, my brother; for the very same principles that characterize the home life will be carried into
the church. A lack of courtesy, a moment of petulance, a single rough, thoughtless word, will mar your
reputation and may close the door to hearts so that you can never reach them. {5T 335.2}
336
Now I have set before you your dangers, and I tell you there are precious victories that you may gain.
We can never see the kingdom of heaven unless we have the mind and spirit of Christ. Then copy the
pattern at home, at your work, and in the church. Do not try to teach others nor to see how widely you
can differ from your brethren, but try to see how near you can come to them, how fully you can be in
harmony with them. While doing all that you can on your part to perfect Christian character, give your
heart to God for Him to mould according to His pleasure. He will help you; I know He will. May God
bless you and your dear children; and may I meet you all around the great white throne, is my prayer.
{5T 336.1}
39. Worldly Ambition
My Dear Brother I: Since meeting you at the Maine camp meeting I have felt that it is not too late for
you to set your heart and house in order. I know that you have been impressed by the Spirit of God;
and now the question is: Will you, in response to this invitation to repent, gladly surrender your heart
to God? Your case has been presented to me in vision; but while you were so completely under the
control of the enemy of souls, I had no courage to send you the message given me of the Lord. I feared
that you would make light of it and that the Holy Spirit would be grieved away for the last time. But
now I feel urged to send you this testimony, which will prove to you a savour of life unto life or death
unto death. {5T 336.2}
Do not read this if you are decided to choose darkness rather than light, to serve mammon rather than
Christ. But if you really want to do the will of God, and are willing to be saved in His own appointed
way, then read the testimony; but do not read it to cavil, nor to pervert, ridicule, and despise it; for in
that case it will be to you a savour of death unto death, and will witness against you in the judgment.
Before reading this warning message, go alone before God and ask Him to
337
remove from you the spirit of defiance, rebellion, and unbelief, and to melt and subdue your stony
heart. {5T 336.3}
We do not understand the greatness and majesty of God nor remember the immeasurable distance
between the Creator and the creatures formed by His hand. He who sitteth in the heavens, swaying the
sceptre of the universe, does not judge according to our finite standard, nor reckon according to our
computation. We are in error if we think that that which is great to us must be great to God, and that
which is small to us must be small to Him. He would be no more exalted than ourselves if He
possessed only the same faculties. {5T 337.1}
God does not regard all sins as of equal magnitude; there are degrees of guilt in His estimation as well
as in that of finite man. But however trifling this or that wrong in their course may seem in the eyes of
men, no sin is small in the sight of God. The sins which man is disposed to look upon as small may be
the very ones which God accounts as great crimes. The drunkard is despised and is told that his sin will
exclude him from heaven, while pride, selfishness, and covetousness go unrebuked. But these are sins
that are especially offensive to God. He "resisteth the proud," and Paul tells us that covetousness is
idolatry. Those who are familiar with the denunciations against idolatry in the word of God will at
once see how grave an offense this sin is. {5T 337.2}
God speaks through His prophet: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He
will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts, are not your thoughts neither are your ways, My ways, saith
the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My
thoughts than your thoughts." We need clear discernment, that we may measure sin by the Lord's
standard and not by our own. Let us take for our rule, not human opinions, but the divine word. {5T
337.3}
We are on the great battlefield of life, and let it never be
338
forgotten that we are individually responsible for the issue of the struggle; that though Noah, Job, and
Daniel were in the land, yet should they deliver neither son nor daughter by their righteousness. You,
my brother, have not thought of this. But you have justified your own course because you thought that
your brethren did not do right. Sometimes you have acted like a petted, spoiled child and have talked
unbelief and doubt to spite others; but will it pay? Is there anything in your family, in the church, or in
the world to justify your indifference to the claims of God? Will any of your excuses avail when you
stand face to face with the Judge of all the earth? How foolish and sinful will your selfish, avaricious
course then appear. How unaccountable it will seem to you that you could let worldly opinions and
worldly gain eclipse the reward to be given to the faithful,--an eternity of bliss in the Paradise of God.
{5T 337.4}
When you were in great physical suffering and there was no hope for you in human skill, the Lord
pitied you and mercifully removed disease from you. Satan has sought to afflict and ruin you, and even
to take your life; but your Saviour has shielded you again and again, lest you should be cut down when
your heart was filled with a satanic frenzy, your tongue uttering words of bitterness and unbelief
against the Bible and against the truth you once advocated. When Satan has clamoured for you,
claiming you as his own, Christ has repulsed your cruel and malignant foe with the words: "I have not
yet withdrawn My Spirit from him. He has two more steps to take before he will pass the boundary of
My mercy and love. Souls are the purchase of My blood. The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; the Lord
rebuke thee." {5T 338.1}
I was then carried back in your life, and you were shown to me when the truth found a response in your
heart. The Spirit of God convicted you of the course you should pursue, and you had quite a struggle
with self. You had been a sharp, scheming man. You had not done by others as you would wish them
to do by you, but had taken advantage of them whenever you could. You had a close, stern battle to
fight to
339
subdue self and mortify pride; and it was only through the grace of God that this work could be
accomplished. Instead of effecting a thorough reformation, you joined the truth to a patched-up
character, which would not stand the test of temptation. You did not begin by seeking God with a
broken and contrite heart, and making wrongs right. Had you done this, you would not have stumbled
and fallen into the snare of the enemy. There was a mixture of selfishness in your motives, which you
yourself did not clearly see. Arguments drawn from worldly interest, social position, and comparative
respectability influenced you and decided you not to make earnest, thorough work before God and
men. Reaching after the worldly standard marred the sincerity and purity of your Christian character;
and you failed to bring forth fruits meet for repentance. {5T 338.2}
Zacchaeus declared: "If I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him
fourfold." You could at least have made efforts to correct your acts of injustice to your fellow men.
You cannot make every case right, for some whom you have injured have gone into their graves, and
the account stands registered against you. In these cases the best you can do is to bring a trespass
offering to the altar of the Lord, and He will accept and pardon you. But where you can, you should
make reparation to the wronged ones. {5T 339.1}
Had the unbelievers with whom you have associated seen in you the transforming power of the truth,
they would have had an argument in favour of Christianity which they could not controvert. You might
thus have reflected a clear, sharp light to the world; but instead of this you have mingled with the
world and imbibed its spirit. My brother, you must be born again. A mere form of Christianity is not of
the least value. It is destitute of saving power, having in it no reformative energy. A religion which is
confined to Sabbath worship emits no rays of light to others. I entreat you to examine your own heart
closely. You have a combative, contentious spirit, and you are cultivating instead of repressing that
spirit. You should make a decided change, and cultivate meekness, faith,
340
humility, and love. Your soul is in peril; you will surely be subject to the strong delusions of Satan
unless you stop where you are and press against the current of worldliness and ambition. Your
relations with the world must be changed, and a decided separation must take place. The positions
which you occupy, which are continually opening to you doors of temptation, must be given up. Avoid
politics; shun contention. Keep clear of every office which would encourage those traits in your
character that need to be battled down and overcome. {5T 339.2}
My brother, you must make a strong, decided effort, or you will never be able to cast off the works of
darkness. Satan looks upon you as his own. When you listen to the testimonies of God's servants, as at
the late camp meeting, you are deeply convicted. But you do not respond to the impressions of the
Spirit of God; and as you mingle with worldlings you drink in their spirit and are borne down by the
worldly current, having no moral power to resist its influence. You become one with the world-loving,
and your spirit is worse than theirs, for your choice is voluntary. You love the praise of men, and you
love worldly possessions above Jesus. The love of mammon has been woven into every fibre of your
being and has become all-absorbing. To eradicate it will be like plucking out the right eye or cutting
off the right arm. But I speak to you as one who knows: Unless you overcome this intense love of
money, it will cost you your soul's salvation, and then it would have been better for you had you never
been born. {5T 340.1}
"Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Just as far as you love and cherish the spirit of the world you
will have a spirit of defiance and will question and find fault with those who bring you the message of
truth. You will deride the truth, and will become a false witness, an accuser of the brethren. The talents
given you of God to be improved to His glory will be actively employed against His work and cause.
There is no concord between Christ and Belial. You have already
341
chosen the friendship of the world, therefore you are decidedly on the side of Satan. The natural heart
is at enmity against God, and will resist the clearest evidence of truth. The wicked will not endure the
light that condemns their wrong course of action. {5T 340.2}
You have opened your heart to doubt and skepticism, but you will never be able to be an honest
infidel. You may boast that you do not believe the Bible; but you will be perjuring yourself all the
time, for you know better. {5T 341.1}
I entreat you to make earnest work for eternal life. Break the snare of Satan; work against his devices.
Let this be the language of your soul. "There is nothing in the universe that I fear so much as that I
shall not know all my duty, or that, knowing, I shall fail to do it." "Stand up for Jesus" were the words
of a dying saint. Yes, Brother I, stand up for Jesus. It will take all to do this. You may have to change
your position in the world; but a name, distinction, office, are to you a snare, imperiling your soul. A
calculating, worldly wisdom is continually seeking to turn you away from the Saviour. A bold, defiant,
blasphemous infidelity will attempt to crush His gospel, not only out of your own soul, but out of the
world. But stand up for Jesus. In the presence of your relatives and friends, in all your business
relations, in your associations with the world,--anywhere and everywhere, under all circumstances,-stand up for Jesus. {5T 341.2}
40. Love Among Brethren
Dear Brethren and Sisters in -----: My mind has been exceedingly troubled in regard to your condition.
I have not been able to sleep, and I arise at twelve o'clock to write to J, and to you as a church. I do not
know what might have been the condition of J at the present time had you pursued a righteous,
Christian course toward him--such a course as every child of God should pursue in such a case. Some
of you will
342
not be able to comprehend my words, for your own course has placed you where you have not
sanctified discernment. You have allowed strong, hard feelings against him to come into your hearts,
and have justified yourselves in treating him with indifference and even contempt. You have reasoned
that by his unbelief and his wrong course he was certainly injuring the church and endangering souls,
and you must have no fellowship with him. But will you, in the light of God's great standard of
righteousness, critically examine every word and act of your own that you can call to mind and
compare these with the life of Christ? If you have been doing the will of God, then His light and His
approval will second your efforts, and prosperity will attend you. I wish the members of this once
prosperous church would each begin to build over against his own house. When they see their course
in its true light they will know that they have made a very great mistake in allowing their own critical,
pharisaical spirit to control their tongues and develop itself in their treatment of their brethren. This
unchristian harshness has excluded Jesus from the church and has brought in a spirit of dissension. It
has fostered a disposition to judge and condemn, a hatred of those who do not see things as you see
them. Even if your brethren say and do many things that really injure you, will you push them to one
side, and say: "I am holier than thou"? {5T 341.3}
"By their fruits ye shall know them." Christ has not been revealed in your deportment toward some
who were much nearer the kingdom of heaven than yourselves. The Lord has opened before you your
wrong toward His children--your want of mercy and love, your determination to control minds and
make them see things just as you see them. And when light came to you, what course did you take?
Did you merely admit that you were wrong, or did you heartily confess your error and humble your
proud hearts before God? Did you cast aside your ways and accept God's teachings? Did you go to the
very ones you had bruised and wounded, and say:
343
"I have been wrong; I have sinned against you. Forgive me. I have failed; I have worked in my own
spirit. I had a zeal, but not according to knowledge. It was the spirit of Jehu, rather than the meekness
and lowliness of Christ. The word of God directs: 'Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for
another, that ye may be healed.' Will you pray for me that God will forgive me for the distress and
anguish I have caused you?" {5T 342.1}
If you who have engaged in this work of bruising and condemning have not heartily repented, then
light, peace, and joy will not come into your souls. When you are careful, kind, and tender to your
brethren in the same degree that you have been hard, unforgiving, and oppressive, you will confess
your faults and make restitution as far as possible; and when you have done all on your part you may
ask the Lord to do that which it is impossible for you to do--heal the wounds you have made, forgive
you, and blot out your transgression. When there is so great reluctance to confess a wrong which is laid
open and plain before the erring, it shows that they are controlled by their own untamable, unsanctified
natures rather than by the spirit of the gospel of Christ. {5T 343.1}
If God has ever spoken by me, you have most earnest work to do in zealous repentance for showing to
the erring the satanic element in your character, not in coldness and indifference merely, but in neglect
and contempt. If they are indeed in darkness and doing things that imperil their souls, you should
manifest the greater interest in them. Show them that while you will be true to principle and will not
swerve from the right, you love their souls. Let them know by your words and actions that you have
not a spirit of revenge and retaliation, but that for their sakes you will sacrifice feeling and subdue self.
Represent Jesus, our pattern; manifest His spirit at all times and under all circumstances, and let that
mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. Your ways have not been God's ways; your will has not
been God's will. The precious plant of love has not been cultivated, and watered by
344
the dews of grace. Self-love, self-righteousness, self-complacency, have exerted a controlling power.
{5T 343.2}
What has Jesus done for you, and what is He continually doing for us individually? What have you that
you have not received? Said Christ: "I am the Vine, ye are the branches." "Every branch in Me that
beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit." The branches do not sustain the vine, but the vine supports and nourishes the
branches. The church does not support Christ, but Christ, by His vital power, supports the church. It is
not enough to be a branch; we are to be fruitful branches. "He that abideth in Me," said Jesus, "and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." But if the fruit produced be that of the thornbush, it is evident
that we are not branches of the living Vine. {5T 344.1}
Life is disciplinary. While in the world, the Christian will meet with adverse influences. There will be
provocations to test the temper; and it is by meeting these in a right spirit that the Christian graces are
developed. If injuries and insults are meekly borne, if insulting words are responded to by gentle
answers, and oppressive acts by kindness, this is evidence that the Spirit of Christ dwells in the heart,
that sap from the living Vine is flowing to the branches. We are in the school of Christ in this life,
where we are to learn to be meek and lowly of heart; and in the day of final accounts we shall see that
all the obstacles we meet, all the hardships and annoyances that we are called to bear, are practical
lessons in the application of principles of Christian life. If well endured, they develop the Christlike in
the character and distinguish the Christian from the worldling. {5T 344.2}
There is a high standard to which we are to attain if we would be children of God, noble, pure, holy,
and undefiled; and a pruning process is necessary if we would reach this standard. How would this
pruning be accomplished if there were no difficulties to meet, no obstacles to surmount, nothing to call
out patience and endurance? These trials are not the
345
smallest blessings in our experience. They are designed to nerve us to determination to succeed. We
are to use them as God's means to gain decided victories over self instead of allowing them to hinder,
oppress, and destroy us. {5T 344.3}
Character will be tested. Christ will be revealed in us if we are indeed branches of the living Vine. We
shall be patient, kind, and forbearing, cheerful amid frets and irritations. Day by day and year by year
we shall conquer self and grow into a noble heroism. This is our allotted task; but it cannot be
accomplished without continual help from Jesus, resolute decision, unwavering purpose, continual
watchfulness, and unceasing prayer. Each one has a personal battle to fight. Each must win his own
way through struggles and discouragements. Those who decline the struggle lose the strength and joy
of victory. No one, not even God, can carry us to heaven unless we make the necessary effort on our
part. We must put features of beauty into our lives. We must expel the unlovely natural traits that make
us unlike Jesus. While God works in us to will and to do of His own good pleasure, we must work in
harmony with Him. The religion of Christ transforms the heart. It makes the worldly-minded man
heavenly-minded. Under its influence the selfish man becomes unselfish because this is the character
of Christ. The dishonest, scheming man becomes upright, so that it is second nature to him to do unto
others as he would have others do unto him. The profligate is changed from impurity to purity. He
forms correct habits, for the gospel of Christ has become to him a savour of life unto life. {5T 345.1}
Now, while probation lingers, it does not become one to pronounce sentence upon others and look to
himself as a model man. Christ is our model; imitate Him, plant your feet in His steps. You may
professedly believe every point of present truth, but unless you practice these truths it will avail you
nothing. We are not to condemn others; this is not our work; but we should love one another and pray
for one another. When we see one err from the truth, then we may
346
weep over him as Christ wept over Jerusalem. Let us see what our heavenly Father in His word says
about the erring: "If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the
spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." "If any of you do err from the truth,
and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall
save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." What a great missionary work is this! how
much more Christlike than for poor, fallible mortals to be ever accusing and condemning those who do
not exactly meet their minds. Let us remember that Jesus knows us individually and is touched with the
feeling of our infirmities. He knows the wants of each of His creatures and reads the hidden, unspoken
grief of every heart. If one of the little ones for whom He died is injured, He sees it and calls the
offender to account. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He cares for His feeble, sickly, wandering sheep. He
knows them all by name. The distress of every sheep and every lamb of His flock touches His heart of
sympathizing love, and the cry for aid reaches His ear. One of the greatest sins of the shepherds of
Israel is thus pointed out by the prophet: "The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye
healed that which was sick, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye
sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were
scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they
were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, My flock
was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them." {5T 345.2}
Jesus cares for each one as though there were not another individual on the face of the earth. As Deity
He exerts mighty power in our behalf, while as our Elder Brother He feels for all our woes. The
Majesty of heaven held not Himself aloof from degraded, sinful humanity. We have not a
347
high priest who is so high, so lifted up, that He cannot notice us or sympathize with us, but one who
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. {5T 346.1}
How different from this spirit is the feeling of indifference and contempt that has been manifested by
some in ----- toward J and those who have been affected by his influence. If ever the transforming
grace of God was needed, it is needed in this church. In judging and condemning a brother, they have
undertaken to do a work that God never put into their hands. A hardness of heart, a censorious,
condemnatory spirit that would destroy individuality and independence, has been woven into their
Christian experience, and they have lost the love of Jesus out of their hearts. Make haste, brethren, to
get these things off your soul before it shall be said in heaven: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still:
and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still and he
that is holy, let him be holy still." {5T 347.1}
You will have many perplexities to meet in your Christian life in connection with the church, but do
not try too hard to mould your brethren. If you see that they do not meet the requirements of God's
word, do not condemn; if they provoke, do not retaliate. When things are said that would exasperate,
quietly keep your soul from fretting. You see many things which appear wrong in others, and you want
to correct these wrongs. You commence in your own strength to work for a reform, but you do not go
about it in the right way. You must labour for the erring with a heart subdued, softened by the Spirit of
God, and let the Lord work through you, the agent. Roll your burden on Jesus. You feel that the Lord
must take up the case where Satan is striving for the mastery over some soul; but you are to do what
you can in humility and meekness, and put the tangled work, the complicated matters, into the hands of
God. Follow the directions in His word, and leave the outcome of the matter to His wisdom. Having
done all you can to save your brother, cease worrying, and go
348
calmly about other pressing duties. It is no longer your matter, but God's. {5T 347.2}
Do not, through impatience, cut the knot of difficulty, making matters hopeless. Let God untangle the
snarled-up threads for you. He is wise enough to manage the complications of our lives. He has skill
and tact. We cannot always see His plans; we must wait patiently their unfolding and not mar and
destroy them. He will reveal them to us in His own good time. Seek for unity; cultivate love and
conformity to Christ in all things. He is the source of unity and strength; but you have not sought for
Christian unity that you might knit hearts together in love. {5T 348.1}
There is work for you to do in the church and out of the church. "Herein is My Father glorified, that ye
bear much fruit." The fruit we bear is the only test of the character of the tree before the world. This is
the proof of our discipleship. If our works are of such a character that as branches of the living Vine
we bear rich clusters of precious fruit, then we wear before the world God's own badge as His sons and
daughters. We are living epistles, known and read of all men. {5T 348.2}
Now, I fear that you will fail in doing the work you must do to redeem the past and become living,
fruit-bearing branches. If you do as God would have you, His blessing will come into the church. You
have not yet been humble enough to make thorough work and meet the mind of the Spirit of God.
There has been self-justification, self-pleasing, self-vindication, when there should have been
humiliation, contrition, and repentance. You should remove every stumbling block and make "straight
paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way." It is not too late for wrongs to be
righted; but you must not feel that you are whole and have no need of a physician, for you need help.
When you come to Jesus with a broken heart, He will help and bless you, and you will go forth in the
Master's work with courage and energy. The best evidence that you are in Christ is the fruit you bear.
If you are not truly united to Him, your light and privileges will condemn and ruin you. {5T 348.3}
41. Redeeming the Time
Dear Brother J: I have arisen at twelve o'clock to write to you because my mind is burdened. I am
troubled on your account; for I know that we are near the close of earth's history, and your life record
is not such a one as you will be pleased to meet in the great day when every man will receive as his
works have been. {5T 349.1}
You may feel that others have done wrong, and I know as well as you do that a Christlike spirit has not
been manifested in the church. But will this avail you in the judgment? Will two wrongs make one
right? Though one, two, or three in the church have done wrong, this will not blot out or excuse your
sin. Whatever course others may take, your work is to set your own heart in order. God has claims
upon you which no circumstances should lead you to forget or neglect, for every soul is precious in His
sight. {5T 349.2}
My heart is drawn out after those who have stumbled on the dark mountains of unbelief, and I want to
help them. There is good material in the church in -----; but the members have not been transformed by
the Spirit of God, and brought into a position where they can let their light shine to the world. Some,
with the best of motives, and possessing capabilities for great usefulness, utterly fail in times of trial in
the church, for want of the love and mercy that dwelt so richly in the heart of Christ. They see one in
error; and instead of helping him they hold themselves aloof. They are inclined to make unpleasant
allusions, and to touch sensitive spots when they might avoid them. Self comes up and bears sway, and
they give pain and stir up wrong feelings. However pure their intentions, their efforts to do good nearly
always result in failure, if not in actual harm, because the tenderness and compassion of Christ are
wanting. They would make very good surgeons, but they are poor nurses. They have not the tact that is
born of love. If they had this they would know how to speak the right word and do the right
350
thing at the right time and in the right place. Others may have no more sincere desires to do right, no
deeper interest in the cause of God; they may be no more true and loyal, their sympathies no deeper,
their love no warmer; yet because of their gentleness and tact they are far more successful in winning
back the erring. {5T 349.3}
The Lord would be pleased to have His people more considerate than they now are, more merciful and
more helpful to one another. When the love of Christ is in the heart, each will be tenderly regardful of
the interests of others. Brother will not take advantage of brother in business transactions. One will not
charge exorbitant interest because he sees his brother in a close place where he must have help. Those
who will take advantage of the necessities of another prove conclusively that they are not governed by
the principles of the gospel of Christ. Their course is recorded in the books of heaven as fraud and
dishonesty; and wherever these principles rule, the blessing of the Lord will not come into the heart.
Such persons are receiving the impress of the great adversary rather than that of the Spirit of God. But
those who shall finally inherit the heavenly kingdom must be transformed by divine grace. They must
be pure in heart and life and possess symmetrical characters. {5T 350.1}
I regard you, my brother, as in great peril. Your treasure is laid up on the earth, and your heart is upon
your treasure. But all the means you may accumulate, even though it should be millions, will not be
sufficient to pay a ransom for your soul. Then do not remain in impenitence and unbelief, and in your
case defeat the gracious purposes of God; do not force from His reluctant hand destruction of your
property or affliction of your person. {5T 350.2}
How many there are who are now taking a course which must erelong lead to just such visitations of
judgment. They live on day by day, week by week, year by year, for their own selfish interest. Their
influence and means, accumulated through God-given skill and tact, are used upon themselves and
their families without thought of their gracious Benefactor.
351
Nothing is allowed to flow back to the Giver. Indeed, they come to regard life and its entrusted talents
as their own; and if they render back to God that portion which He justly claims, they think that they
have placed their Creator under obligation to them. At last His patience with these unfaithful stewards
is exhausted; and He brings all their selfish, worldly schemes to an abrupt termination, showing them
that as they have gathered for their own glory, He can scatter; and they are helpless to resist His power.
{5T 350.3}
Brother J, I address you today as a prisoner of hope. But will you consider that your sun passed its
meridian some time ago and is now rapidly declining? The evening has come. Do you not discern the
lengthening shadows? You have but a little time left in which to work for yourself, for humanity, and
for your Master. There is a special work to be done for your own soul if you are ever to be numbered
with the overcomers. How stands your life record? Is Jesus pleading in your behalf in vain? Shall He
be disappointed in you? Some of your companions, who stood side by side with you, have already
been summoned away. Eternity will reveal whether they were bankrupt in faith and failed to secure
eternal life, or whether they were rich toward God and heirs of the "far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory." Will you not consider that the long forbearance of God toward you calls for
repentance and humiliation of soul before Him? {5T 351.1}
There are other weighty considerations aside from your own personal salvation which demand your
attention. Late as it now is, with your sun about to sink behind the western hills, you have still a great
work to do for your children, who have allowed the love of the world to separate them from God. You
have also unsaved relatives, neighbours, and friends. Had your example been consistent with the light
given you; had you been as diligent to save these precious souls as you have been to gather earthly
treasure; had you used your means and influence, your wisdom and tact, in an effort to gather these
straying ones into the fold of Christ--had this
352
been your lifework, you would have secured a harvest of souls and would have ensured a rich reward
in the day of God. You would thus have been building upon the true foundation valuable and
imperishable material; but instead of this you have been building wood, hay, and stubble, to be
consumed when every man's work shall be tried, of what sort it is. {5T 351.2}
Your life has been a failure. You have been a stumbling block to sinners. They have said of you: "If the
religion which this man professes is indeed genuine, why is he so eager after this world? Why does he
not in his own conduct show the spirit of Christ?" Hasten, my brother, before it is forever too late, to
remove this stumbling block from the way of sinners. Can you look with pleasure upon your life or
upon the influence you have exerted? Will you now consider your ways? Will you now make efforts to
come into right relations with God? I do not believe your heart is unimpressible, and I know that the
loving-kindness and tender mercy of God are marvellous. You have a little time of probation; will you
improve it now while Jesus is pleading His blood before the Father? He has graciously spared your
life; but it has been like the barren fig tree upon which year after year there appeared no fruit, nothing
but leaves. How long will you continue to disappoint the Master? Will you compel Him to say: "Let no
fruit grow on thee henceforward forever;" or, "Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground"? Oh, wait
not for the Lord to put His hand against you and scatter the property which you have accumulated.
Remember that all your wealth will not give you one moment of sweet assurance and peace upon your
dying bed. {5T 352.1}
I earnestly urge upon you the necessity of returning to the Lord at once. I entreat you to disappoint the
enemy. Break from off you his cruel power. Seek, during the remainder of your life, to make an
entirely different record in heaven, one of which you will not be ashamed when the books shall be
opened and the Judge shall pronounce sentence upon those who have neglected this great salvation.
{5T 352.2}
353
Paul exhorts his Ephesian brethren to redeem the time because the days are evil. This exhortation is
very applicable to you. In one sense it is impossible to redeem the time; for once gone, it is gone
forever. But you are called upon to reform, to be zealous of good works in the same degree that you
have been negligent of duty. Turn square about. Double your diligence to make your calling and
election sure. Keep God's commandments, and live, and His law as the apple of your eye. Tax every
moment to the utmost in labouring for your own eternal interest and for the salvation of souls around
you. By so doing you may save both yourself and those who are more or less controlled by your
example. These are motives which should be duly considered. {5T 353.1}
Wake up! wake up! You have work to do, and your sun is fast hastening to its setting. Your powers are
becoming enfeebled; but all there is of you, every particle of your ability, belongs to God, and should
be used earnestly and disinterestedly in His service. Work while the sun still lingers in the heavens; for
the "night cometh, when no man can work." {5T 353.2}
Come, my brother, come just as you are, sinful and polluted. Lay your burden of guilt on Jesus, and by
faith claim His merits. Come now, while mercy lingers; come with confession, come with contrition of
soul, and God will abundantly pardon. Do not dare to slight another opportunity. Listen to the voice of
mercy that now pleads with you to arise from the dead that Christ may give you light. Every moment
now seems to connect itself directly with the destinies of the unseen world. Then let not your pride and
unbelief lead you to still further reject offered mercy. If you do you will be left to lament at the last:
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." {5T 353.3}
Wait in deep humiliation before God. From this hour resolve to be the Lord's, doing your whole duty,
trusting implicitly in the great atonement. Do this and you will have nothing to fear. The remainder of
your life journey will be tranquil and happy, and you will secure to yourself
354
that life which shall continue as long as God shall live. {5T 353.4}
I have written this because I felt urged to do so by the Spirit of God, and because I have a deep interest
for you. Do not for one moment let your feelings rise against me; for I have been influenced by love
for your soul. We have enjoyed many precious seasons in worshipping God, when our hearts were
made joyful by His sweet blessing. Are these seasons forever past? We may never meet again in this
life, but shall we not meet when the ransomed are gathered around the great white throne? {5T 354.1}
42. The Manufacture of Wine and Cider
Dear Brethren and Sisters of the Church at -----: I have been shown that as a church you are not
growing in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. There is not that consecration to God, that devotion
to His service, and that disinterested labour for the upbuilding of His cause which would make you a
prosperous and healthy church. You are not subject one to another. There are too many among you
who have their own ideas to maintain and their own selfish plans to carry out, and some who occupy
prominent places in the church are of this number. {5T 354.2}
Brother K has not an eye single to the glory of God; he does not view things from a right standpoint.
He is giving heed to suggestions of Satan and taking counsel of his own unsanctified judgment, and he
grasps at every word that can be framed into a justification of his wrong course. He is self-deceived; he
does not see that he is shutting himself away from the Spirit of God. When he entered upon this path
he did not know its dangers nor realize where it would lead him. All who are walking in the same way
would do well to turn their feet at once into the path of safety. {5T 354.3}
We are living in an age of intemperance, and catering to the appetite of the cider bibber is an offense
against God. With
355
others you have engaged in this work because you have not followed the light. Had you stood in the
light, you would not, you could not, have done this. Every one of you who has acted a part in this work
will come under the condemnation of God unless you make an entire change in your business. You
need to be in earnest. You need to commence the work at once to clear your souls from condemnation.
{5T 354.4}
Some of you in ----- developed wonderful zeal in denouncing the red-ribbon clubs. So far as you were
actuated by a desire to condemn the evil in these societies, you were right; but when you acted as
though it were a crime to speak at all in their favour, or to show them the least good will, you carried
matters to extremes. You should be consistent in all things. You have cherished a hatred for the very
name "red-ribbon club" that savours not of the Spirit of Christ, and your feelings of bitterness have not
helped you or anyone else. {5T 355.1}
You have taken the testimonies given in reference to our people's mingling with the temperance
societies to the detriment of their spiritual interest, and by perverting them have used them to oppress
and burden souls. By this treatment of the light given you have brought my work into disrepute. There
was not the least necessity for this, and some of you have a work to do to make this matter right. You
would make an iron bedstead for others; if too short, they must be stretched; if too long, they must be
cut off. "Judge not, that ye be not judged." {5T 355.2}
After you had taken a decided stand in opposition to active participation in the work of the temperance
societies, you might still have retained an influence over others for good, had you acted
conscientiously in accordance with the holy faith which you profess; but by engaging in the
manufacture of cider you have hurt your influence very much; and what is worse, you have brought
reproach upon the truth, and your own souls have been injured. You have been building up a barrier
between yourselves and the temperance cause. Your course led unbelievers to question your principles.
You are not making
356
straight paths for your feet, and the lame are halting and stumbling over you to perdition. {5T 355.3}
I cannot see how, in the light of the law of God, Christians can conscientiously engage in the raising of
hops or in the manufacture of wine or cider for the market. All these articles may be put to a good use
and prove a blessing, or they may be put to a wrong use and prove a temptation and a curse. Cider and
wine may be canned when fresh and kept sweet a long time, and if used in an unfermented state they
will not dethrone reason. But those who manufacture apples into cider for the market are not careful as
to the condition of the fruit used, and in many cases the juice of decayed apples is expressed. Those
who would not think of using the poisonous rotten apples in any other way will drink the cider made
from them and call it a luxury; but the microscope would reveal the fact that this pleasant beverage is
often unfit for the human stomach, even when fresh from the press. If it is boiled, and care is taken to
remove the impurities, it is less objectionable. {5T 356.1}
I have often heard people say: "Oh! this is only sweet cider; it is perfectly harmless, and even
healthful." Several quarts, perhaps gallons, are carried home. For a few days it is sweet; then
fermentation begins. The sharp flavour makes it all the more acceptable to many palates, and the lover
of sweet wine or cider is loath to admit that his favourite beverage ever becomes hard or sour. Persons
may become just as really intoxicated on wine and cider as on stronger drinks, and the worst kind of
inebriation is produced by these so-called milder drinks. The passions are more perverse; the
transformation of character is greater, more determined and obstinate. A few quarts of cider or wine
may awaken a taste for stronger drinks, and in many cases those who have become confirmed
drunkards have thus laid the foundation of the drinking habit. For some persons it is by no means safe
to have wine or cider in the house. They have inherited an appetite for stimulants, which Satan is
continually soliciting them to indulge. If they yield to his temptations they do not stop; appetite
clamours for indulgence and is
357
gratified to their ruin. The brain is benumbed and clouded; reason no longer holds the reins, but they
are laid on the neck of lust. Licentiousness, adultery, and vices of almost every type are committed as
the result of indulging the appetite for wine and cider. A professor of religion who loves these
stimulants, and accustoms himself to their use, never grows in grace. He becomes gross and sensual;
the animal passions control the higher powers of the mind, and virtue is not cherished. {5T 356.2}
Moderate drinking is the school in which men are receiving an education for the drunkard's career. So
gradually does Satan lead away from the strongholds of temperance, so insidiously do the harmless
wine and cider exert their influence upon the taste, that the highway to drunkenness is entered upon all
unsuspectingly. The taste for stimulants is cultivated; the nervous system is disordered; Satan keeps the
mind in a fever of unrest; and the poor victim, imagining himself perfectly secure, goes on and on,
until every barrier is broken down, every principle sacrificed. The strongest resolutions are
undermined; and eternal interests are not strong enough to keep the debased appetite under the control
of reason. {5T 357.1}
Some are never really drunk, but are always under the influence of cider or fermented wine. They are
feverish, unbalanced in mind, not really delirious, but in fully as bad a condition; for all the noble
powers of the mind are perverted. A tendency to disease of various kinds, as dropsy, liver complaint,
trembling nerves, and a determination of blood to the head, results from the habitual use of sour cider.
By its use many bring upon themselves permanent disease. Some die of consumption or fall under the
power of apoplexy from this cause alone. Some suffer from dyspepsia. Every vital function is
deadened and the physicians tell them that they have liver complaint, when if they would break open
the cider barrel and never replace it, their abused life forces would recover their vigour. {5T 357.2}
Cider drinking leads to the use of stronger drinks. The
358
stomach loses its natural vigour, and something stronger is needed to arouse it to action. On one
occasion, when my husband and myself were TRAVELLING, we were obliged to spend several hours
waiting for the train. While we were in the depot, a red-faced, bloated farmer came into the restaurant
connected with it, and in a loud, rough voice asked: "Have you first-class brandy?" He was answered
in the affirmative, and ordered half a tumbler. "Have you pepper sauce?" "Yes," was the answer.
"Well, put in two large spoonfuls." He next ordered two spoonfuls of alcohol added, and concluded by
calling for "a good dose of black pepper." The man who was preparing it asked: "What will you do
with such a mixture?" He replied: "I guess that will take hold," and, placing the full glass to his lips,
drank the whole of this fiery compound. That man had used stimulants until he had deadened the
tender coats of the stomach. {5T 357.3}
Many, as they read this, will laugh at the warning of danger. They will say: "Surely the little wine or
cider that I use cannot hurt me." Satan has marked such as his prey; he leads them on step by step, and
they perceive it not until the chains of habit and appetite are too strong to be broken. We see the power
that appetite for strong drink has over men; we see how many of all professions and of heavy
responsibilities, men of exalted station, of eminent talents, of great attainments, of fine feeling, of
strong nerves, and of good reasoning powers, sacrifice everything for the indulgence of appetite, until
they are reduced to the level of the brutes; and in very many cases their downward course commenced
with the use of wine or cider. {5T 358.1}
When intelligent men and women who are professedly Christians plead that there is no harm in making
wine or cider for the market because when unfermented it will not intoxicate, I feel sad at heart. I know
there is another side to this subject that they refuse to look upon; for selfishness has closed their eyes to
the terrible evils that may result from the use of these stimulants. I do not see how our brethren can
abstain from all appearance of evil and engage largely in the business
359
of hop raising, knowing to what use the hops are put. Those who help to produce these beverages that
encourage and educate the appetite for stronger stimulants will be rewarded as their works have been.
They are transgressors of the law of God, and they will be punished for the sins which they commit
and for those which they have influenced others to commit through the temptations which they have
placed in their way. {5T 358.2}
Let all who profess to believe the truth for this time, and to be reformers, act in accordance with their
faith. If one whose name is on the church book manufactures wine or cider for the market, he should
be faithfully laboured with, and, if he continues the practice, he should be placed under censure of the
church. Those who will not be dissuaded from doing this work are unworthy of a place and a name
among the people of God. We are to be followers of Christ, to set our hearts and our influence against
every evil practice. How should we feel in the day when God's judgments are poured out, to meet men
who have become drunkards through our influence? We are living in the antitypical day of atonement,
and our cases must soon come in review before God. How shall we stand in the courts of heaven if our
course of action has encouraged the use of stimulants that pervert reason and are destructive of virtue,
purity, and the love of God? {5T 359.1}
The lawyer asked Christ: "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is
written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour
as thyself. And He said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live." Eternal life is
the prize at stake, and Christ tells us how we may gain it. He directs us to the written word: "How
readest thou?" The way is there pointed out; we are to love God supremely and our neighbour as
ourselves. But if we love our neighbour as ourselves we shall not throw upon the market anything that
will be a snare to him. {5T 359.2}
To love God and man is the Christian's whole duty. The
360
law of love is written upon the tablets of the soul, the Spirit of God dwells in him, and his character
appears in good works. Jesus became poor that through His poverty we might be made rich. What
sacrifices are we willing to make for His sake? Have we His love enshrined in our hearts? Do we love
our neighbour as Christ loved us? If we have this love for souls, it will lead us to consider carefully
whether by our words, our acts, our influence in any way, we are placing temptation before those who
have little moral power. We shall not censure the weak and suffering, as the Pharisees were continually
doing, but we shall endeavour to remove every stone of stumbling from our brother's path lest the lame
be turned out of the way. {5T 359.3}
As a people we profess to be reformers, to be light bearers in the world, to be faithful sentinels for
God, guarding every avenue whereby Satan could come in with his temptations to pervert the appetite.
Our example and influence must be a power on the side of reform. We must abstain from any practice
which will blunt the conscience or encourage temptation. We must open no door that will give Satan
access to the mind of one human being formed in the image of God. If all would be vigilant and
faithful in guarding the little openings made by the moderate use of the so-called harmless wine and
cider, the highway to drunkenness would be closed up. What is needed in every community is firm
purpose, and a will to touch not, taste not, handle not; then the temperance reformation will be strong,
permanent, and thorough. {5T 360.1}
The love of money will lead men to violate conscience. Perhaps that very money may be brought to the
Lord's treasury, but He will not accept any such offering; it is an offense to Him. It was obtained by
transgressing His law, which requires that a man love his neighbour as himself. It is no excuse for the
transgressor to say that if he had not made wine or cider, somebody else would, and his neighbour
might have become a drunkard just the same. Because some will place the bottle to their neighbour's
lips, will Christians venture to stain their garments with the blood of souls,--to incur the curse
pronounced
361
upon these who place this temptation in the way of erring men? Jesus calls upon His followers to stand
under His banner and aid in destroying the works of the devil. {5T 360.2}
The world's Redeemer, who knows well the state of society in the last days, represents eating and
drinking as the sins that condemn this age. He tells us that as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be
when the Son of man is revealed. "They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the Flood came, and took them all
away." Just such a state of things will exist in the last days, and those who believe these warnings will
use the utmost caution not to take a course that will bring them under condemnation. {5T 361.1}
Brethren, let us look at this matter in the light of the Scriptures and exert a decided influence on the
side of temperance in all things. Apples and grapes are God's gifts; they may be put to excellent use as
healthful articles of food, or they may be abused by being put to a wrong use. Already God is blighting
the grapevine and the apple crop because of men's sinful practices. We stand before the world as
reformers; let us give no occasion for infidels or unbelievers to reproach our faith. Said Christ: "Ye are
the salt of the earth," "the light of the world." Let us show that our hearts and consciences are under the
transforming influence of divine grace, and that our lives are governed by the pure principles of the
law of God, even though these principles may require the sacrifice of temporal interests. {5T 361.2}
43. Marriage With Unbelievers
Dear Sister L: I have learned of your contemplated marriage with one who is not united with you in
religious faith, and I fear that you have not carefully weighed this important matter. Before taking a
step which is to exert an influence
362
upon all your future life, I urge you to give the subject careful and prayerful deliberation. Will this new
relationship prove a source of true happiness? Will it be a help to you in the Christian life? Will it be
pleasing to God? Will your example be a safe one for others to follow? {5T 361.3}
Before giving her hand in marriage, every woman should inquire whether he with whom she is about
to unite her destiny is worthy. What has been his past record? Is his life pure? Is the love which he
expresses of a noble, elevated character, or is it a mere emotional fondness? Has he the traits of
character that will make her happy? Can she find true peace and joy in his affection? Will she be
allowed to preserve her individuality, or must her judgment and conscience be surrendered to the
control of her husband? As a disciple of Christ, she is not her own; she has been bought with a price.
Can she honour the Saviour's claims as supreme? Will body and soul, thoughts and purposes, be
preserved pure and holy? These questions have a vital bearing upon the well-being of every woman
who enters the marriage relation. {5T 362.1}
Religion is needed in the home. Only this can prevent the grievous wrongs which so often embitter
married life. Only where Christ reigns can there be deep, true, unselfish love. Then soul will be knit
with soul, and the two lives will blend in harmony. Angels of God will be guests in the home, and their
holy vigils will hallow the marriage chamber. Debasing sensuality will be banished. Upward to God
will the thoughts be directed; to Him will the heart's devotion ascend. {5T 362.2}
The heart yearns for human love, but this love is not strong enough, or pure enough, or precious
enough, to supply the place of the love of Jesus. Only in her Saviour can the wife find wisdom,
strength, and grace to meet the cares, responsibilities, and sorrows of life. She should make Him her
strength and her guide. Let woman give herself to Christ before giving herself to any earthly friend,
and enter into no relation which shall conflict with this. Those who would find true happiness
363
must have the blessing of heaven upon all that they possess and all that they do. It is disobedience to
God that fills so many hearts and homes with misery. My sister, unless you would have a home where
the shadows are never lifted, do not unite yourself with one who is an enemy of God. {5T 362.3}
As one who expects to meet these words in the judgment, I entreat you to ponder the step you
contemplate taking. Ask yourself: "Will not an unbelieving husband lead my thoughts away from
Jesus? He is a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God; will he not lead me to enjoy the things that
he enjoys?" The path to eternal life is steep and rugged. Take no additional weights to retard your
progress. You have too little spiritual strength, and you need help instead of hindrance. {5T 363.1}
The Lord commanded ancient Israel not to intermarry with the idolatrous nations around them:
"Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his
daughter shalt thou take unto thy son." The reason is given. Infinite Wisdom, foreseeing the result of
such unions, declares: "For they will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other
gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly." "For thou art an
holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto
Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." "Know therefore that the Lord thy God,
He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His
commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy
them: He will not be slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face." {5T 363.2}
In the New Testament are similar prohibitions concerning the marriage of Christians with the ungodly.
The apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, declares: "The wife is bound by the law as long
as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom
364
she will; only in the Lord." Again, in his second epistle, he writes: "Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion
hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the
living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My
sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." {5T 363.3}
My sister, dare you disregard these plain and positive directions? As a child of God, a subject of
Christ's kingdom, the purchase of His blood, how can you connect yourself with one who does not
acknowledge His claims, who is not controlled by His Spirit? The commands I have quoted are not the
word of man, but of God. Though the companion of your choice were in all other respects worthy
(which he is not), yet he has not accepted the truth for this time; he is an unbeliever, and you are
forbidden of heaven to unite yourself with him. You cannot, without peril to your soul, disregard this
divine injunction. {5T 364.1}
I would warn you of your danger before it shall be too late. You listen to smooth, pleasant words and
are led to believe that all will be well; but you do not read the motives that prompt these fair speeches.
You cannot see the depths of wickedness hidden in the heart. You cannot look behind the scenes and
discern the snares that Satan is laying for your soul. He would lead you to pursue such a course that he
can obtain easy access to aim his shafts of temptation against you. Do not give him the least advantage.
While God moves upon the minds of His servants, Satan works through the children of disobedience.
There is no concord between Christ and Belial. The two cannot harmonize. To connect with an
unbeliever is to place
365
yourself on Satan's ground. You grieve the Spirit of God and forfeit His protection. Can you afford to
have such terrible odds against you in fighting the battle for everlasting life? {5T 364.2}
You may say: "But I have given my promise, and shall I now retract it?" I answer: If you have made a
promise contrary to the Scriptures, by all means retract it without delay, and in humility before God
repent of the infatuation that led you to make so rash a pledge. Far better take back such a promise, in
the fear of God, than keep it and thereby dishonour your Maker. {5T 365.1}
Remember, you have a heaven to gain, an open path to perdition to shun. God means what He says.
When He prohibited our first parents from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, their disobedience
opened the floodgates of woe to the whole world. If we walk contrary to God, He will walk contrary to
us. Our only safe course is to render obedience to all His requirements, at whatever cost. All are
founded in infinite love and wisdom. {5T 365.2}
The spirit of intense worldliness that now exists, the disposition to acknowledge no higher claim than
that of self-gratification, constitutes one of the signs of the last days. "As it was in the days of Noah,"
said Christ, "so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married
wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the Flood came,
and destroyed them all." The people of this generation are marrying and giving in marriage with the
same reckless disregard of God's requirements as was manifested in the days of Noah. There is in the
Christian world an astonishing, alarming indifference to the teaching of God's word in regard to the
marriage of Christians with unbelievers. Many who profess to love and fear God choose to follow the
bent of their own minds rather than take counsel of Infinite Wisdom. In a matter which vitally concerns
the happiness and well-being of both parties for this world and the next, reason, judgment, and the fear
of God are set aside, and blind impulse, stubborn determination, is
366
allowed to control. Men and women who are otherwise sensible and conscientious close their ears to
counsel; they are deaf to the appeals and entreaties of friends and kindred and of the servants of God.
The expression of a caution or warning is regarded as impertinent meddling, and the friend who is
faithful enough to utter a remonstrance is treated as an enemy. All this is as Satan would have it. He
weaves his spell about the soul, and it becomes bewitched, infatuated. Reason lets fall the reins of selfcontrol upon the neck of lust, unsanctified passion bears sway, until, too late, the victim awakens to a
life of misery and bondage. This is not a picture drawn by the imagination, but a recital of facts. God's
sanction is not given to unions which He has expressly forbidden. For years I have been receiving
letters from different persons who have formed unhappy marriages, and the revolting histories opened
before me are enough to make the heart ache. It is no easy thing to decide what advice can be given to
these unfortunate ones, or how their hard lot can be lightened; but their sad experience should be a
warning to others. {5T 365.3}
In this age of the world, as the scenes of earth's history are soon to close and we are about to enter
upon the time of trouble such as never was, the fewer the marriages contracted, the better for all, both
men and women. Above all, when Satan is working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them
that perish, let Christians beware of connecting themselves with unbelievers. God has spoken. All who
fear Him will submit to His wise injunctions. Our feelings, impulses, and affections must flow
heavenward, not earthward, not in the low, base channel of sensual thought and indulgence. It is time
now that every soul should stand as in the sight of the heart-searching God. {5T 366.1}
My dear sister, as a disciple of Jesus you should inquire what will be the influence of the step you are
about to take, not only upon yourself, but upon others. The followers of Christ are to be co-workers
with their Master; they must be "blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in
367
the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom," says Paul, "ye shine as lights in the world."
We are to receive the bright beams from the Sun of Righteousness, and by our good works let them
shine forth to others in clear, steady rays, never fitful, never growing dim. We cannot be sure that we
are doing no harm to those about us unless we are exerting a positive influence to lead them
heavenward. {5T 366.2}
"Ye are My witnesses," said Jesus, and in each act of our lives we should inquire: How will our course
affect the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom? If you are indeed Christ's disciple, you will choose to
walk in His footsteps, however painful this may be to your natural feelings. Said Paul: "God forbid that
I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and
I unto the world." You, Sister L, need to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him, as did Mary of old.
God requires of you an entire surrender of your will, your plans and purposes. Jesus is your leader; to
Him you must look, in Him you must trust, and you must permit nothing to deter you from the life of
consecration which you owe to God. Your conversation must be in heaven, from whence you look for
your Saviour. Your piety must be of a character to make itself felt by all within the sphere of your
influence. God requires you in every act of life to shun the very appearance of evil. Are you doing
this? You are under the most sacred obligation not to belittle or compromise your holy faith by uniting
with the Lord's enemies. If you are tempted to disregard the injunctions of His word because others
have done so, remember that your example also will exert an influence. Others will do as you do, and
thus the evil will be extended. While you profess to be a child of God, a departure on your part from
His requirements will result in infinite harm to those who look to you for guidance. {5T 367.1}
The salvation of souls will be the constant aim of those who are abiding in Christ. But what have you
done to show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness? "Awake, thou that sleepest,
and arise from the dead, and
368
Christ shall give thee light." Shake off this fatal infatuation that benumbs your senses and palsies the
energies of the soul. {5T 367.2}
The very strongest incentives to faithfulness are set before us, the highest motives, the most glorious
rewards. Christians are to be Christ's representatives, sons and daughters of God. They are His jewels,
His peculiar treasures. Of all who will maintain their steadfastness He declares: "They shall walk with
Me in white: for they are worthy." Those who reach the portals of eternal bliss will not count that any
sacrifice which they have made was too great. {5T 368.1}
May God help you to stand the test and preserve your integrity. Cling by faith to Jesus. Disappoint not
your Redeemer.
St. Helena, California, Feb. 13, 1885. {5T 368.2}
44. The Support of City Missions
Dear Brother M: A few days ago I received a letter written by you to Elder N, in which you raise very
serious objections to leaving the ----- mission to be supported by your conference, and say that other
conferences all over the field should have an equal interest in this mission. But if these conferences do
not now have important missions to sustain in cities in their own borders, are there not places where
such missions should be established? If your conference is asked to take the ----- mission under its care
and carry it on under the supervision of the General Conference, the responsible men should feel that
this is an evidence that their brethren have confidence in them, and they should say: "Yes; we accept
the sacred trust. We will do all in our power to make the mission a success and to show that the
confidence of our brethren is not misplaced. We will ask wisdom of God and will practice self-denial
and rigid economy if necessary." God will sustain you in the cheerful performance of this duty and will
369
make it a blessing to you rather than a burden, a hindrance to the cause in your state. {5T 368.3}
That great city is in darkness and error, and we have left it so thus long. Will God pardon this
negligence on our part? What account shall we give for the men and women who have died without
hearing the sound of present truth, who would have received it had the light been brought to them? My
spirit is stirred that the work in ----- has been delayed so long. The work that is now being done there
might have been done years ago and could then have been accomplished with far less expenditure of
money, time, and labour. Nevertheless it must not be left undone now. A small beginning has been
made on a very economical plan, and much more has been accomplished than could have been
expected considering the facilities that have been provided. But better facilities must be furnished.
There must be a place where people can hear the truth. There must be means to support the workers in
this mission field, not in ease and luxury, but in a plain, comfortable manner. They are God's
instruments, and nothing should be said or done to discourage them. On the contrary, let their hands be
strengthened and their hearts encouraged. {5T 369.1}
There is enough wealth in your conference to carry forward this work successfully; and shall the prince
of darkness be left in undisputed possession of our great cities because it costs something to sustain
missions? Let those who would follow Christ fully come up to the work, even if it be over the heads of
ministers and president. Those who in such a work as this will say, "I pray thee have me excused,"
should beware lest they receive their discharge for time and for eternity. Let Christians who love duty
lift every ounce they can and then look to God for further strength. He will work through the efforts of
thoroughgoing men and women and will do what they cannot do. New light and power will be given
them as they use what they have. New fervour and zeal will stir the church as they see something
accomplished. {5T 369.2}
370
We rejoice in spirit as we contemplate what may be done; but we blush before our Maker at the
thought of the little that has been accomplished. Shepherds have neglected their God-given
responsibilities; they have become narrow and faithless, and have encouraged unpardonable
cowardice, slothfulness, and covetousness. They have not realized the magnitude and importance of
the work. Men are wanted whose eyes are anointed to see and understand heaven's designs. Then the
standard of piety will be raised, and there will be real missionaries who will be ready to sacrifice for
the truth's sake. There is no room in the church of God for the selfish and ease-loving; but men and
women are called for who will make exertions to plant the standard of truth in our large cities, in the
great thoroughfares of travel. {5T 370.1}
A world is to be warned, and in humility we should work as God has given us ability. Let every state
come up to the work. What right have those with narrow and unconsecrated ideas to say what their
conference will do and what it will not do? The ----- mission will not be left wholly to your state; but if
your conference had a heart to work, it could sustain two such missions and not feel the burden. Come,
brethren, arouse to action. Time lost through your unbelief and want of courage is lost forever. Let the
ministers act as though something were to be done, and the largehearted men who love God and keep
His commandments will come up to the help of the Lord. In this way the church will be disciplined for
future efforts; for their beneficence is never to cease. {5T 370.2}
Elder M, as president of the ----- Conference, you have shown by your general management that you
are unworthy of the trust reposed in you. You have shown that you are conservative, and that your
ideas are narrow. You have not done one half what you might have done had you had the true spirit of
the work. You might have been far more capable and experienced than you now are; you might have
been far better prepared to manage successfully this sacred and important mission--a work which
would have given you the strongest claim to the general confidence of our people. But, like the
371
other ministering brethren in your state, you have failed to advance with the opening providence of
God; you have not shown that the Holy Spirit was deeply impressing your heart, so that God could
speak through you to His people. If in this crisis you do anything to strengthen doubt and distrust in the
churches of your state, anything that will prevent the people from engaging heartily in this work, God
will hold you responsible. Has God given you unmistakable evidence that the brethren of your state are
excused from the responsibility of putting their arms about the city of ----- as Christ has put His arms
about them? If you were standing in the light, you would encourage this mission by your faith. {5T
370.3}
You need to drink deep of the streams of grace and salvation before you can lead others to the
Fountain of living waters. Holding the office of president of a conference, with the experience and
influence that this office gives, instead of discouraging the people you should have urged them to new
exertion, to bear weightier responsibilities. There are special duties devolving upon men in responsible
positions; there are labourious efforts to be made which it would be convenient to neglect. But when
the shepherds are negligent of duty, may the Lord pity the poor sheep. {5T 371.1}
Your work, my brother, does not show that you have realized that your obligations are sacred and
weighty. I have been shown that you are capable of doing much better work than you have done, and
that God requires more and better work at your hands. He requires integrity and faithfulness. The work
of saving souls is the highest and noblest ever entrusted to mortal man; and you should allow nothing
to come in between you and this sacred work to absorb your mind and confuse your judgment. One
standing in the responsible position that you occupy should make eternal interests first, and temporal
matters of secondary importance. You are an ambassador for Christ; and you should encourage those
under your charge to seek for higher spiritual attainments, to live holier and purer lives. In your efforts
to save souls from perdition and to build up the church in truth and righteousness,
372
you should use tact, wisdom, and the power that it is your privilege to have through constant
communion with God. God requires this of you and of every other minister engaged in His work. You
should show your loyalty to your crucified Redeemer by acting as though you realized that you have a
solemn charge to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, wanting in nothing. {5T 371.2}
In your case very much more might have been accomplished by holy living, by fervent prayer, and by
a careful, painstaking discharge of every duty. You might have done much by faithful warnings and
reproofs and by affectionate appeals. It is not brain power alone that is needed, but heart power. The
truth presented as it is in Jesus will have an effect. You lack ardent, active home religion. Selfish
interests have clouded your mind and perverted your judgment, and the claims of God have not been
realized. You need to unburden your soul of worldly cares and business, and to have an eye single to
the glory of God. {5T 372.1}
The eternal destiny of all is soon to be decided. From Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and other conferences
scores of ministers should go forth with burning zeal to proclaim the last message of warning. And at
such a time as this will the presidents of our conferences lie back in the harness and refuse to draw the
heavy load? Will they by voice or pen exert an influence to discourage those who have a mind to
work? Any course on their part that would encourage indolence and unbelief is criminal in the highest
degree. They should encourage the people to diligence in the cause of God, to make every exertion for
the salvation of souls; but they should never leave even the slightest impression on their minds that
they are sacrificing too much for the cause of God, or that more is required of them than is reasonable.
In the heavenly warfare something must be ventured. Now is our time to work, to encounter difficulties
and dangers. The providence of God says, "Go forward," not back into Egypt; and instead of framing a
testimony to please the people, ministers should seek to arouse those who are asleep. {5T 372.2}
373
I discern in your letter, Elder M, a vein of unbelief, a lack of judgment and discernment. Your position
confirms the testimony I have had that you are giving the conference a narrow mould and have stood in
the way of its advancement because you have not elevated the standard of truth. I will here quote a few
paragraphs from this testimony, which was written during the General Conference at Battle Creek, in
November, 1883: {5T 373.1}
"Our conversation in regard to the ----- mission has left a disagreeable impression on my mind. Do not
think me severe in my remarks in regard to this mission. You spoke with great satisfaction of the way
this work had been carried forward. You said that Brother O and those associated with him were
willing to do any way to get along; that they had a small room in a loft, where they prepared their food;
and that they were doing a good work in the most economical way. Your ideas on this subject are not
correct. The light which God has given us, precious above the price of silver and gold, is to go forth in
a way to give character to the work. The brethren connected with this mission are not free from the
infirmities of humanity; and unless attention is given to their health, their work must be greatly
embarrassed. Those who stand at the head of the work in the conference should not permit such a state
of things to exist. They should educate the people to give of their means, that no pinched want may be
experienced by the workers. As the stewards of God the responsibility rests upon them to see that one
or two do not have all the sacrificing to do while others are taking their ease, eating, drinking, and
dressing, without a thought of our sacred missions or of their duty with reference to them. {5T 373.2}
"I have been shown, Elder M, that you do not take a correct view of the work, that you do not realize
its importance. You have failed to educate the people in the true spirit of self-sacrifice and devotion.
You have feared to urge duty upon wealthy men; and when you have made a feeble effort in the right
direction, and they have begun to make excuses and to
374
find a little fault with someone in regard to the management of the work, you have thought perhaps
they were right. This subterfuge, which has developed in them doubt and unbelief, has taken effect in
your own heart, and they have turned this to account and have learned just how to treat your efforts.
When they have encouraged doubt in regard to the Testimonies, you have not done what you should to
uproot this feeling. You should have shown them that Satan is always picking flaws, questioning,
accusing, and laying reproach upon the brethren, and that it is unsafe to be in any such position." {5T
373.3}
"My brother, you have not taken a course to encourage men to give themselves to the ministry. Instead
of bringing the expense of the work down to a low figure, it is your duty to bring the minds of the
people to understand that 'the labourer is worthy of his hire.'" "The churches need to be impressed with
the fact that it is their duty to deal honestly with the cause of God, not allowing the guilt of the worst
kind of robbery to rest upon them, that of robbing God in tithes and offerings. When settlements are
made with the labourers in His cause, they should not be forced to accept small remuneration because
there is a lack of money in the treasury. Many have been defrauded of their just dues in this way, and it
is just as criminal in the sight of God as for one to keep back the wages of those who are employed in
any other regular business. {5T 374.1}
"There are men of ability who would like to go out and labour in our several conferences; but they
have no courage, for they must have means to support their families. It is the worst kind of generalship
to allow a conference to stand still or to fail to settle its honest debts. There is a great deal of this done;
and whenever it is done, God is displeased. {5T 374.2}
"If the presidents and other labourers in our conferences impress upon the minds of the people the
character of the crime of robbing God, and if they have a true spirit of devotion and a burden of the
work, God will make their labours a blessing to the people, and fruit will be seen as the result of
375
their efforts. Ministers have failed greatly in their duty to so labour with the churches. There is
important work to be done aside from that of preaching. Had this been done, as God designed it should
be, there would have been many more labourers in the field than there now are. And had the ministers
done their duty in educating every member, whether rich or poor, to give as God has prospered him,
there would be a full treasury from which to pay the honest debts to the workers; and this would
greatly advance missionary work in all their borders. God has shown me that many souls are in danger
of eternal ruin through selfishness and worldliness; and the watchmen are guilty, for they have
neglected their duty. This is a state of things that Satan exults to see. {5T 374.3}
"All branches of the work belong to the ministers. It is not God's order that someone should follow
after them and bind off their unfinished work. It is not the duty of the conference to be at the expense
of employing other labourers to follow after and pick up the stitches dropped by negligent workers. It
is the duty of the president of the conference to have an oversight of the labourers and their work, and
to teach them to be faithful in these things; for no church can prosper that is robbing God. The spiritual
dearth in our churches is frequently the result of an alarming prevalence of selfishness. Selfish, worldly
pursuits and schemes interpose between the soul and God. Men cling to the world, seeming to fear that
should they let go their hold upon it, God would not care for them. And so they attempt to take care of
themselves; they are anxious, troubled, distressed, holding on to their large farms and adding to their
possessions. {5T 375.1}
"The word of God speaks of 'the hire of the labourers, . . . which is of you kept back by fraud.' This is
generally understood to apply to wealthy men who employ servants and do not pay them for their
labour, but it has a broader meaning than this. It applies with great force to those who have been
enlightened by the Spirit of God and yet in any degree work upon the same principle that these men do
in hiring servants, grinding them down to the lowest price." {5T 375.2}
376
I solemnly warn you not to stand in an attitude similar to that of the unfaithful spies, who went up to
view the land of promise. When these spies returned from their search, the congregation of Israel were
cherishing high hopes and were waiting in eager expectancy. The news of their return is carried from
tribe to tribe and is hailed with rejoicing. The people rush out to meet the messengers, who have
endured the fatigue of travel in the dusty highways and under a burning sun. These messengers bring
specimens of the fruit, showing the fertility of the soil. The congregation rejoice that they are to come
into possession of so goodly a land; and they listen intently as the report is brought to Moses, that not a
word shall escape them. "We came unto the land whither thou sentest us," the spies begin, "and surely
it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it." The people are enthusiastic; they would
eagerly obey the voice of the Lord and go up at once to possess the land. {5T 376.1}
But the spies continue: "Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are
walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there." Now the scene changes.
Hope and courage give place to cowardly despair as the spies utter the sentiments of their unbelieving
hearts, which are filled with discouragement prompted by Satan. Their unbelief casts a gloomy shadow
over the congregation, and the mighty power of God, so often manifested in behalf of the chosen
nation, is forgotten. {5T 376.2}
The people are desperate in their disappointment and despair. A wail of agony arises and mingles with
the confused murmur of voices. Caleb comprehends the situation and, bold to stand in defence of the
word of God, does all in his power to counteract the evil influence of his unfaithful associates. For an
instant the people are stilled to listen to his words of hope and courage respecting the goodly land. He
does not contradict what has already been said; the walls are high and the Canaanites strong. "Let us go
up at once, and possess it," he urges; "for we are well able to overcome it." But the ten
377
interrupt him and picture the obstacles in darker colours than at first. "We be not able to go up against
the people," they declare, "for they are stronger than we." "All the people that we saw in it are men of a
great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in
our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." {5T 376.3}
"And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night." The men
who have so long borne with the perversity of Israel know too well what the next scene will be. Revolt
and open mutiny quickly follow; for Satan has had full sway, and the people seem bereft of reason.
They curse Moses and Aaron, forgetting that God hears their wicked speeches, and that, enshrouded in
the cloudy pillar, the Angel of His presence is witnessing their terrible outburst of wrath. In bitterness
they cry out: "Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this
wilderness! And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives
and our children should be a prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to
another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt." {5T 377.1}
In humiliation and distress, Moses and Aaron fall on "their faces before all the assembly of the
congregation of the children of Israel," not knowing what to do to turn them from their rash and
passionate purpose. Caleb and Joshua attempt to quiet the tumult. With their garments rent in token of
grief and indignation, they rush in among the people, and their ringing voices are heard above the
tempest of lamentation and rebellious grief: "The land, which we passed through to search it, is an
exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us; a
land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people
of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear
them not." {5T 377.2}
378
The false report of the unfaithful spies was fully accepted, and through it the whole congregation were
deluded, just as Satan meant that they should be; and the voice of God through His faithful servants
was disregarded. The traitors had done their work. All the assembly, as with one voice, cried out in
favour of stoning Caleb and Joshua. {5T 378.1}
And now the mighty God reveals Himself, to the confusion of His disobedient, murmuring people.
"And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of
Israel." What a burden was brought upon Moses and Aaron, and how earnest were their entreaties that
God would not destroy His people! Moses pleads before the Lord the wonderful manifestations of
divine power that have made the name of Israel's God a terror to their enemies, and entreats that the
enemies of God and of His people may have no occasion to triumph, saying: "Because the Lord was
not able to bring this people into the land which He sware unto them, therefore He hath slain them in
the wilderness." The Lord hearkened unto the prayer of Moses; but he declared that those who had
rebelled against Him, after having witnessed His power and glory, should fall in the wilderness; they
should never see the land which was their promised inheritance. But of Caleb He said: "My servant
Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the
land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it." {5T 378.2}
It was Caleb's faith in God that gave him courage; that kept him from the fear of man, even the mighty
giants, the sons of Anak, and enabled him to stand boldly and unflinchingly in defence of the right.
From the same exalted source, the mighty General of the armies of heaven, every true soldier of the
cross of Christ must receive strength and courage to overcome obstacles that often seem
insurmountable. The law of God is made void; and those who would do their duty must be ever ready
to speak the words that God gives them, and not the words of doubt, discouragement, and despair. {5T
378.3}
379
Elder M, although you may be sustained by many, as were the unfaithful spies, yet the sentiments of
your letter are not prompted by the Spirit of the Lord. Beware lest your words and your spirit be like
theirs, and your work of the same baleful character. At such a time as this we must not harbor a
thought nor breathe a word of unbelief, nor encourage an act of self-serving. This has been done in the
Upper Columbia and North Pacific Conferences; and while there we felt in some measure the sorrow,
mortification, and discouragement that Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, experienced. We tried to
set the current flowing in an opposite direction; but it was at the cost of much severe labour and great
anxiety and distress of mind. And the work of reform in these conferences has but just commenced. It
is the work of time to overcome the unbelief, distrust, and suspicion of years. Satan has been to a great
extent successful in carrying out his purposes in these conferences because he has found persons whom
he could use as his agents. {5T 379.1}
For Christ's sake and the truth's sake, Brother M, do not leave the work in your conference in such a
shape that it will be impossible for the one that succeeds you to set things in order. The people have
received narrow and limited views of the work; selfishness has been encouraged, and worldliness has
been unrebuked. I call upon you to do all in your power to efface the wrong mould you have given to
this conference, to remedy the sad effects of your neglect of duty, and thus to prepare the field for
another labourer. Unless you do this, may God pity the workman who shall follow you. {5T 379.2}
Presidents of conferences should be men who can be fully trusted with God's work. They should be
men of integrity, unselfish, devoted, working Christians. If they are deficient in these respects, the
churches under their care will not prosper. They, even more than other ministers of Christ, should set
an example of holy living and of unselfish devotion to the interests of God's cause, that those looking
to them for an example may not be misled. But in some instances they are trying to serve both God and
mammon. They are not self-denying;
380
they do not carry a burden for souls. Their consciences are not sensitive; when the cause of God is
wounded, they are not bruised in spirit. In their hearts they question and doubt the Testimonies of the
Spirit of God. They do not themselves bear the cross of Christ; they know not the fervent love of Jesus.
And they are not faithful shepherds of the flock over which they have been made overseers; their
record is not one that they will rejoice to meet in the day of God. {5T 379.3}
How much is required of the minister in his work of watching for souls as they that must give an
account! What devotion, what singleness of purpose, what elevated piety, should be seen in his life and
character! How much is lost through a want of tact and skill in presenting the truth to others, how
much through a carelessness of deportment, a roughness of speech, and a worldliness that in no way
represents Jesus or savours of heaven. Our work is about to close up. Soon it will be said in heaven:
"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is
righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." At this solemn time the
church is called upon to be vigilant because of the intense activity of Satan. His agency is seen on
every hand, and yet ministers and people act as though they were ignorant of his devices and paralysed
by his power. Let each member of the church awake. Let each labourer remember that the vineyard he
tills is not his own, but belongs to his Lord, who has gone on a long journey and in His absence has
commissioned His servants to look after His interests; and let him remember that if he is unfaithful to
his trust he must give an account to his Lord when He shall return. {5T 380.1}
While the doubting ones talk of impossibilities, while they tremble at the thought of high walls and
strong giants, let the faithful Calebs, who have "another spirit," come to the front. The truth of God,
which bringeth salvation, will go forth to the people if ministers and professed believers will not hedge
up its way, as did the unfaithful spies. Our work is aggressive. Something must be done to warn the
world; and let no voice
381
be heard that will encourage selfish interests to the neglect of missionary fields. We must engage in the
work with heart and soul and voice; both mental and physical powers must be aroused. All heaven is
interested in our work, and angels of God are ashamed of our weak efforts. {5T 380.2}
I am alarmed at the indifference of our churches. Like Meroz, they have failed to come up to the help
of the Lord. The laymen have been at ease. They have folded their hands, feeling that the responsibility
rested upon the ministers. But to every man God has appointed his work; not work in his fields of corn
and wheat, but earnest, persevering work for the salvation of souls. God forbid, Elder M, that you or
any other minister should quench one particle of the spirit of labour that now exists. Will you not
rather stimulate it by your words of burning zeal? The Lord has made us the depositaries of His law;
He has committed to us sacred and eternal truth, which is to be given to others in faithful warnings,
reproofs, and encouragement. By means of railroads and steamboat lines we are connected with every
part of the world and given access to every nation with our message of truth. Let us sow the seed of
gospel truth beside all waters; for we know not which shall prosper, this or that, or whether both shall
be alike fruitful. Paul may plant, and Apollos water; but it is God who giveth the increase. {5T 381.1}
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which
is in heaven." Do not put your light under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that it may give light to all
that are in the house. "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price," even the precious blood of
the Son of God. We have no right to live to ourselves. Every minister should be a consecrated
missionary; every layman a worker, using his talents of influence and means in his Lord's service; for
active benevolence is a vital principle of Christianity. It is the exercise of this principle that is to bring
sheaves to the Lord of the harvest, while a want of it hinders the work of God and bars the way for the
salvation of souls. {5T 381.2}
382
Ministers have neglected to enforce gospel beneficence. The subject of tithes and offerings has not
been dwelt upon as it should have been. Men are not naturally inclined to be benevolent, but to be
sordid and avaricious, and to live for self. And Satan is ever ready to present the advantages to be
gained by using all their means for selfish, worldly purposes; he is glad when he can influence them to
shirk duty and rob God in tithes and offerings. But not one is excused in this matter. "Let every one of
you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him." The poor and the rich, the young men and the
young women who earn wages--all are to lay by a portion; for God claims it. The spiritual prosperity
of every member of the church depends on personal effort and strict fidelity to God. Says the apostle
Paul: "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain
riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be
rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a
good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." All are required to
show a deep interest in the cause of God in its various branches, and close and unexpected tests will be
brought to bear upon them to see who are worthy to receive the seal of the living God. {5T 382.1}
All should feel that they are not proprietors, but stewards, and that the time is coming when they must
give an account for the use they have made of their Lord's money. Means will be needed in the cause
of God. With David they should say: "All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given
Thee." Schools are to be established in various places, publications are to be multiplied, churches are
to be built in the large cities, and labourers are to be sent forth, not only into the cities, but into the
highways and hedges. And now, my brethren who believe the truth, is your opportunity. We are
standing, as it were, on the borders of the eternal world. We are looking for the glorious appearing of
our Lord; the night is far spent; the day is at hand. When we realize the greatness
383
of the plan of redemption we shall be far more courageous, self-sacrificing, and devotional than we
now are. {5T 382.2}
There is a great work for us to do before success will crown our efforts. There must be decided reforms
in our homes and in our churches. Parents must labour for the salvation of their children. God will
work with our efforts when we do on our part all that He has enjoined upon us and qualified us to do;
but because of our unbelief, worldliness, and indolence, blood-bought souls in the very shadow of our
homes are dying in their sins, and dying unwarned. Is Satan always thus to triumph? Oh, no! The light
reflected from the cross of Calvary indicates that a greater work is to be done than our eyes have yet
witnessed. {5T 383.1}
The third angel, flying in the midst of heaven and heralding the commandments of God and the
testimony of Jesus, represents our work. The message loses none of its force in the angel's onward
flight, for John sees it increasing in strength and power until the whole earth is lightened with its glory.
The course of God's commandment-keeping people is onward, ever onward. The message of truth that
we bear must go to nations, tongues, and peoples. Soon it will go with a loud voice, and the earth will
be lightened with its glory. Are we preparing for this great outpouring of the Spirit of God? {5T 383.2}
Human agencies are to be employed in this work. Zeal and energy must be intensified; talents that are
rusting from inaction must be pressed into service. The voice that would say, "Wait; do not allow
yourself to have burdens imposed upon you," is the voice of the cowardly spies. We want Calebs now
who will press to the front--chieftains in Israel who with courageous words will make a strong report
in favour of immediate action. When the selfish, ease-loving, panic-stricken people, fearing tall giants
and inaccessible walls, clamour for retreat, let the voice of the Calebs be heard, even though the
cowardly ones stand with stones in their hands, ready to beat them down for their faithful testimony.
{5T 383.3}
Can we not discern the signs of the times? Can we not
384
see how earnestly Satan is at work binding the tares in bundles, uniting the elements of his kingdom,
that he may gain control of the world? This work of binding up the tares is going forward far more
rapidly than we imagine. Satan is opposing every obstacle to the advancement of the truth. He is
seeking to create diversity of opinion and to encourage worldliness and avarice. He works with the
subtlety of the serpent and, when he sees it will do, with the ferocity of the lion. The ruin of souls is his
only delight, their destruction his only employment; and shall we act as though we were paralysed?
Will those who profess to believe the truth listen to the temptations of the wily foe and allow
themselves to become selfish and narrow, and their worldly interests to interfere with efforts for the
salvation of souls? {5T 383.4}
All who ever enter heaven's gates will enter as conquerors. When the redeemed throng surround the
throne of God, with palm branches in their hands and crowns on their heads, it will be known what
victories have been won. It will be seen how Satan's power has been exercised over minds, how he has
linked with himself souls who flattered themselves that they were doing God's will. It will then be seen
that his power and subtlety could not have been successfully resisted had not divine power been
combined with human effort. Man must also be victor over himself; his temper, inclinations, and spirit
must be brought into subjection to the will of God. But the righteousness and strength of Christ avail
for all who will claim His merits. {5T 384.1}
Then let earnest and determined effort be made to beat back the terrible foe. We want on the whole
armour of righteousness. Time is passing, and we are fast approaching the close of our probation. Will
our names stand registered in the Lamb's book of life, or shall we be found with the unfaithful? Are we
of the number who shall gather around the great white throne, singing the song of the redeemed? There
are no cold, formal ones in that throng. Every soul is in earnest, every heart full of thanksgiving for the
marvellous love of God and the overcoming grace that has enabled His people to
385
conquer in the warfare against sin. And with a loud voice they swell the song: "Salvation to our God
which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." {5T 384.2}
45. The True Missionary Spirit
The true missionary spirit is the spirit of Christ. The world's Redeemer was the great model
missionary. Many of His followers have laboured earnestly and unselfishly in the cause of human
salvation; but no man's labour can bear comparison with the self-denial, the sacrifice, the benevolence,
of our Exemplar. {5T 385.1}
The love which Christ has evinced for us is without a parallel. How earnestly He laboured! How often
was He alone in fervent prayer, on the mountainside or in the retirement of the garden, pouring out His
supplications with strong crying and tears. How perseveringly He urged His petitions in behalf of
sinners! Even on the cross He forgot His own sufferings in His deep love for those whom He came to
save. How cold our love, how feeble our interest, when compared with the love and interest manifested
by our Saviour! Jesus gave Himself to redeem our race; and yet how ready are we to excuse ourselves
from giving all that we have for Jesus. Our Saviour submitted to wearing labour, ignominy, and
suffering. He was repulsed, mocked, derided, while engaged in the great work which He came to earth
to do. {5T 385.2}
Do you, my brethren and sisters, inquire: What model shall we copy? I do not point you to great and
good men, but to the world's Redeemer. If we would have the true missionary spirit we must be
imbued with the love of Christ; we must look to the Author and Finisher of our faith, study His
character, cultivate His spirit of meekness and humility, and walk in His footsteps. {5T 385.3}
Many suppose that the missionary spirit, the qualification for missionary work, is a special gift or
endowment bestowed upon the ministers and a few members of the church and
386
that all others are to be mere spectators. Never was there a greater mistake. Every true Christian will
possess a missionary spirit, for to be a Christian is to be Christlike. No man liveth to himself, and "if
any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Everyone who has tasted of the powers of the
world to come, whether he be young or old, learned or unlearned, will be stirred with the spirit which
actuated Christ. The very first impulse of the renewed heart is to bring others also to the Saviour.
Those who do not possess this desire give evidence that they have lost their first love; they should
closely examine their own hearts in the light of God's word, and earnestly seek a fresh baptism of the
Spirit of Christ; they should pray for a deeper comprehension of that wondrous love which Jesus
manifested for us in leaving the realms of glory and coming to a fallen world to save the perishing. {5T
385.4}
There is work for every one of us in the vineyard of the Lord. We are not to seek that position which
will yield us the most enjoyment or the greatest gain. True religion is free from selfishness. The
missionary spirit is a spirit of personal sacrifice. We are to work anywhere and everywhere, to the
utmost of our ability, for the cause of our Master. {5T 386.1}
Just as soon as a person is really converted to the truth there springs up in his heart an earnest desire to
go and tell some friend or neighbour of the precious light shining forth from the sacred pages. In his
unselfish labour to save others he is a living epistle, known and read of all men. His life shows that he
has been converted to Christ and has become a colabourer with Him. {5T 386.2}
As a class, Seventh-day Adventists are a generous and warmhearted people. In the proclamation of the
truth for this time we can rely upon their strong and ready sympathy. When a proper object for their
liberality is presented, appealing to their judgment and conscience, it calls forth a hearty response.
Their gifts in support of the cause testify that they believe it to be the cause of truth. There are, indeed,
exceptions among us. Not all who profess to accept the faith are earnest and
387
true-hearted believers. But the same was true in the days of Christ. Even among the apostles there was
a Judas; but that did not prove all to be of the same character. We have no reason for discouragement
while we know that there are so many who are devoted to the cause of truth, and are ready to make
noble sacrifices for its advancement. But there is still a great lack, a great need among us. There is too
little of the true missionary spirit. All missionary workers should possess that deep interest for the
souls of their fellow men that will unite heart to heart in sympathy and in the love of Jesus. They
should plead earnestly for divine aid and should work wisely to win souls to Christ. A cold, spiritless
effort will accomplish nothing. There is need that the spirit of Christ fall upon the sons of the prophets.
Then will they manifest such love for the souls of men as Jesus exemplified in His life. {5T 386.3}
The reason why there is no deeper religious fervour and no more earnest love for one another in the
church is that the missionary spirit has been dying out. Little is now said concerning Christ's coming,
which was once the theme of thought and of conversation. There is an unaccountable reluctance, a
growing disrelish for religious conversation; and in its stead, idle, frivolous chitchat is indulged in,
even by the professed followers of Christ. {5T 387.1}
My brethren and sisters, do you desire to break the spell that holds you? Would you arouse from this
sluggishness that resembles the torpor of death? Go to work, whether you feel like it or not. Engage in
personal effort to bring souls to Jesus and the knowledge of the truth. In such labour you will find both
a stimulus and a tonic; it will both arouse and strengthen. By exercise your spiritual powers will
become more vigorous, so that you can with better success work out your own salvation. The stupor of
death is upon many who profess Christ. Make every effort to arouse them. Warn, entreat, expostulate.
Pray that the melting love of God may warm and soften their icebound natures. Though they may
refuse to hear, your labour will not be lost. In the effort to bless others your own souls will be blessed.
{5T 387.2}
388
We have the theory of the truth, and now we need to seek most earnestly for its sanctifying power. I
dare not hold my peace in this time of peril. It is a time of temptation, of despondency. Everyone is
beset by the wiles of Satan, and we should press together to resist his power. We should be of one
mind, speaking the same things, and with one mouth glorifying God. Then may we successfully
enlarge our plans and by vigilant missionary effort take advantage of every talent we can use in the
various departments of the work. {5T 388.1}
The light of truth is shedding its bright beams upon the world through missionary effort. The press is
an instrumentality by which many are reached whom it would be impossible to reach by ministerial
effort. A great work can be done by presenting to the people the Bible just as it reads. Carry the word
of God to every man's door, urge its plain statements upon every man's conscience, repeat to all the
Saviour's command: "Search the Scriptures." Admonish them to take the Bible as it is, to implore
divine enlightenment, and then, when the light shines, to gladly accept each precious ray and fearlessly
abide the consequences. {5T 388.2}
The downtrodden law of God is to be exalted before the people; as soon as they turn with earnestness
and reverence to the Holy Scriptures, light from heaven will reveal to them wondrous things out of
God's law. Great truths that have long been obscured by superstition and false doctrine will blaze forth
from the illuminated pages of the Sacred Word. The living oracles pour forth their treasures new and
old, bringing light and joy to all who will receive them. Many are roused from their slumber. They rise
as it were from the dead and receive the light and life which Christ alone can give. Truths which have
proved an overmatch for giant intellects are understood by babes in Christ. To these is plainly revealed
that which has clouded the spiritual perception of the most learned expositors of the word, because,
like the Sadducees of old, they were ignorant of the Scriptures and of the power of God. {5T 388.3}
389
Those who study the Bible with a sincere desire to know and do the will of God will become wise unto
salvation. The Sabbath school is an important branch of the missionary work, not only because it gives
to young and old a knowledge of God's word, but because it awakens in them a love for its sacred
truths and a desire to study it for themselves; above all, it teaches them to regulate their lives by its
holy teachings. {5T 389.1}
All who take the word of God as their rule of life are brought into close relationship with one another.
The Bible is their bond of union. But their companionship will not be sought or desired by those who
do not bow to the Sacred Word as the one unerring guide. They will be at variance, both in faith and
practice. There can be no harmony between them; they are unreconcilable. As Seventh-day Adventists
we appeal from custom and tradition to the plain "Thus saith the Lord;" and for this reason we are not,
and cannot be, in harmony with the multitudes who teach and follow the doctrines and commandments
of men. {5T 389.2}
All who are born of God will become co-workers with Christ. Such are the salt of the earth. "But if the
salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?" If the religion we profess fails to renew our
hearts and sanctify our lives, how shall it exert a saving power upon unbelievers? "It is thenceforth
good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men." That religion which will not
exert a regenerating power upon the world is of no value. We cannot trust it for our own salvation. The
sooner we cast it away the better, for it is powerless and spurious. {5T 389.3}
We are to serve under our great Leader, to press against every opposing influence, to be labourers
together with God. The work appointed us is to sow the gospel seed beside all waters. In this work
everyone must act a part. The manifold grace of Christ imparted to us constitutes us stewards of talents
which we must increase by putting them out to the exchangers, that when the Master calls for them, He
may receive His own with usury. {5T 389.4}
46. Young Men as Missionaries
Young men who desire to enter the field as ministers, colporteurs, or canvassers should first receive a
suitable degree of mental training, as well as a special preparation for their calling. Those who are
uneducated, untrained, and unrefined are not prepared to enter a field in which the powerful influences
of talent and education combat the truths of God's word. Neither can they successfully meet the strange
forms of error, religious and philosophical combined, to expose which requires a knowledge of
scientific as well as Scriptural truth. {5T 390.1}
Those especially who have the ministry in view should feel the importance of the Scriptural method of
ministerial training. They should enter heartily into the work, and while they study in the schools they
should learn of the Great Teacher the meekness and humility of Christ. A covenant-keeping God has
promised that in answer to prayer His Spirit shall be poured out upon these learners in the school of
Christ, that they may become ministers of righteousness. {5T 390.2}
There is hard work to be done in dislodging error and false doctrine from the head, that Bible truth and
Bible religion may find a place in the heart. It was as a means ordained of God to educate young men
and women for the various departments of missionary labour that colleges were established among us.
It is God's will that they send forth not merely a few, but many labourers. But Satan, determined to
overthrow this purpose, has often secured the very ones whom God would qualify for places of
usefulness in His work. There are many who would work if urged into service, and who would save
their souls by thus working. The church should feel her great responsibility in shutting up the light of
truth and restraining the grace of God within her own narrow limits when money and influence should
be freely employed in bringing competent persons into the missionary field. {5T 390.3}
391
Hundreds of young men should have been preparing to act a part in the work of scattering the seeds of
truth beside all waters. We want men who will push the triumphs of the cross; men who will persevere
under discouragements and privations; who will have the zeal and resolution and faith that are
indispensable in the missionary field. {5T 391.1}
Our churches are called upon to take hold of this work with far greater earnestness than has yet been
manifested. Every church should make special provision for the training of its missionaries, thus aiding
the fulfilment of the great command: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature." My brethren, we have erred and sinned in attempting too little. There should be more
labourers in the foreign missionary field. There are among us those who, without the toil and delay of
learning a foreign language, might qualify themselves to proclaim the truth to other nations. In the
primitive church, missionaries were miraculously endowed with a knowledge of the languages in
which they were called to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. And if God was willing thus to
help His servants then, can we doubt that His blessing will rest upon our efforts to qualify those who
naturally possess a knowledge of foreign tongues, and who with proper encouragement would bear to
their own countrymen the message of truth? We might have had more labourers in foreign missionary
fields had those who entered these fields availed themselves of every talent within their reach. But
some have had a disposition to refuse help if it did not come just according to their ideas and plans.
And what is the result? If our missionaries were to be removed by sickness or death from their fields of
labour, where are the men whom they have educated to fill their places? {5T 391.2}
Not one of our missionaries has secured the co-operation of every available talent. Much time has thus
been lost. We rejoice in the good work which has been done in foreign lands; but had different plans of
labour been adopted, tenfold, yes, twentyfold, more might have been accomplished; an
392
acceptable offering would have been presented to Jesus in many souls rescued from the bondage of
error. {5T 391.3}
Everyone who receives the light of truth should be taught to bear the light to others. Our missionaries
in foreign lands should gratefully accept every help, every facility, offered them. They must be willing
to run some risk, to venture something. It is not pleasing to God that we defer present opportunities for
doing good, in hope of accomplishing a greater work in the future. Each should follow the leadings of
Providence, not consulting self-interest, and not trusting wholly to his own judgment. Some may be so
constituted as to see failure where God intends success; they may see only giants and walled cities,
where others, with clearer vision, see also God and angels ready to give victory to His truth. {5T
392.1}
It may in some cases be necessary that young men learn foreign languages. This they can do with most
success by associating with the people, at the same time devoting a portion of each day to studying the
language. This should be done, however, only as a necessary step preparatory to educating such as are
found in the missionary field themselves, and who with proper training can become workers. It is
essential that those be urged into the service who can speak in their mother tongue to the people of
different nations. It is a great undertaking for a man of middle age to learn a foreign language, and with
all his efforts it will be next to impossible for him to speak it so readily and correctly as to render him
an efficient labourer. {5T 392.2}
We cannot afford to deprive our home missions of the influence of middle-aged and aged ministers to
send them into distant fields, to engage in a work for which they are not qualified, and to which no
amount of training will enable them to adapt themselves. The men thus sent out leave vacancies which
inexperienced labourers cannot supply. {5T 392.3}
But the church may inquire whether young men can be trusted with the grave responsibilities involved
in establishing and superintending a foreign mission. I answer: God
393
designed that they should be so trained in our colleges and by association in labour with men of
experience that they would be prepared for departments of usefulness in this cause. We must manifest
confidence in our young men. They should be pioneers in every enterprise involving toil and sacrifice,
while the overtaxed servants of Christ should be cherished as counsellors, to encourage and bless those
who strike the heaviest blows for God. Providence thrust these experienced fathers into trying,
responsible positions at an early age, when neither physical nor intellectual powers were fully
developed. The magnitude of the trust committed to them aroused their energies, and their active
labour in the work aided both mental and physical development. {5T 392.4}
Young men are wanted. God calls them to missionary fields. Being comparatively free from care and
responsibilities, they are more favourably situated to engage in the work than are those who must
provide for the training and support of a large family. Furthermore, young men can more readily adapt
themselves to new climates and new society, and can better endure inconveniences and hardships. By
tact and perseverance they can reach the people where they are. {5T 393.1}
Strength comes by exercise. All who put to use the ability which God has given them will have
increased ability to devote to His service. Those who do nothing in the cause of God will fail to grow
in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. A man who would lie down and refuse to exercise his limbs
would soon lose all power to use them. Thus the Christian who will not exercise his God-given powers
not only fails to grow up into Christ, but he loses the strength which he already has; he becomes a
spiritual paralytic. It is those who, with love for God and their fellow men, are striving to help others
that become established, strengthened, settled, in the truth. The true Christian works for God, not from
impulse, but from principle; not for a day or a month, but during the entire period of life. {5T 393.2}
How is our light to shine forth to the world unless it be
394
by our consistent Christian life? How is the world to know that we belong to Christ, if we do nothing
for Him? Said our Saviour: "Ye shall know them by their fruits." And again: "He that is not with Me is
against Me." There is no neutral ground between those who work to the utmost of their ability for
Christ and those who work for the adversary of souls. Everyone who stands as an idler in the vineyard
of the Lord is not merely doing nothing himself, but he is a hindrance to those who are trying to work.
Satan finds employment for all who are not earnestly striving to secure their own salvation and the
salvation of others. {5T 393.3}
The church of Christ may be fitly compared to an army. The life of every soldier is one of toil,
hardship, and danger. On every hand are vigilant foes, led on by the prince of the powers of darkness,
who never slumbers and never deserts his post. Whenever a Christian is off his guard, this powerful
adversary makes a sudden and violent attack. Unless the members of the church are active and vigilant,
they will be overcome by his devices. {5T 394.1}
What if half the soldiers in an army were idling or asleep when ordered to be on duty; the result would
be defeat, captivity, or death. Should any escape from the hands of the enemy, would they be thought
worthy of a reward? No; they would speedily receive the sentence of death. And is the church of Christ
careless or unfaithful, far more important consequences are involved. A sleeping army of Christian
soldiers--what could be more terrible! What advance could be made against the world, who are under
the control of the prince of darkness? Those who stand back indifferently in the day of battle, as
though they had no interest and felt no responsibility as to the issue of the contest, might better change
their course or leave the ranks at once. {5T 394.2}
The Master calls for gospel workers. Who will respond? All who enter the army are not to be generals,
captains, sergeants, or even corporals. All have not the care and responsibility of leaders. There is hard
work of other kinds to be done. Some must dig trenches and build fortifications; some
395
are to stand as sentinels, some to carry messages. While there are but few officers, it requires many
soldiers to form the rank and file of the army; yet its success depends upon the fidelity of every soldier.
One man's cowardice or treachery may bring disaster upon the entire army. {5T 394.3}
There is earnest work to be done by us individually if we would fight the good fight of faith. Eternal
interests are at stake. We must put on the whole armour of righteousness, we must resist the devil, and
we have the sure promise that he will be put to flight. The church is to conduct an aggressive warfare,
to make conquests for Christ, to rescue souls from the power of the enemy. God and holy angels are
engaged in this warfare. Let us please Him who has called us to be soldiers. {5T 395.1}
All can do something in the work. None will be pronounced guiltless before God unless they have
worked earnestly and unselfishly for the salvation of souls. The church should teach the youth, both by
precept and example, to be workers for Christ. There are many who complain of their doubts, who
lament that they have no assurance of their connection with God. This is often attributable to the fact
that they are doing nothing in God's cause. Let them seek earnestly to help and bless others, and their
doubts and despondency will disappear. {5T 395.2}
Many who profess to be followers of Christ speak and act as though their names were a great honour to
the cause of God, while they bear no burdens and win no souls to the truth. Such persons live as though
God had no claims upon them. If they continue in this course they will find at last that they have no
claims upon God. {5T 395.3}
He who has appointed "to every man his work," according to his ability, will never let the faithful
performance of duty go unrewarded. Every act of loyalty and faith will be crowned with special tokens
of God's favour and approbation. To every worker is given the promise: "He that goeth forth and
weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with
him." {5T 395.4}
47. Importance of the Canvassing Work
Very much more efficient work can be done in the canvassing field than has yet been done. The
canvasser should not rest satisfied unless he is constantly improving. He should make thorough
preparation, but should not be content with a set form of words; he should give the Lord a chance to
work with his efforts and impress his mind. The love of Jesus abiding in his heart will enable him to
devise means to gain access to individuals and families. {5T 396.1}
Canvassers need self-culture and polished manners, not the affected and artificial manners of the
world, but the agreeable manners that are the natural result of kindness of heart and a desire to copy the
example of Christ. They should cultivate thoughtful, care-taking habits,--habits of industry and
discretion,--and should seek to honour God by making of themselves all that it is possible for them to
become. Jesus made an infinite sacrifice to place them in right relations to God and to their fellow
men, and divine aid combined with human effort will enable them to reach a high standard of
excellence. The canvasser should be chaste like Joseph, meek like Moses, and temperate like Daniel;
then a power will attend him wherever he goes. {5T 396.2}
If the canvasser pursues a wrong course, if he utters falsehood or practices deception, he loses his own
self-respect. He may not be conscious that God sees him and is acquainted with every business
transaction, that holy angels are weighing his motives and listening to his words, and that his reward
will be according to his works; but if it were possible to conceal his wrongdoing from human and
divine inspection, the fact that he himself knows it, is degrading to his mind and character. One act
does not determine the character, but it breaks down the barrier, and the next temptation is more
readily entertained, until finally a habit of prevarication and dishonesty in business is formed, and the
man cannot be trusted. {5T 396.3}
There are too many in families and in the church who make little
397
account of glaring inconsistencies. There are young men who appear what they are not. They seem
honest and true; but they are like whited sepulchres, fair without, but corrupt to the core. The heart is
spotted, stained with sin; and thus the record stands in the heavenly courts. A process has been going
on in the mind that has made them callous, past feeling. But if their characters, weighed in the balances
of the sanctuary, are pronounced wanting in the great day of God, it will be a calamity that they do not
now comprehend. Truth, precious, untarnished truth, is to be a part of the character. {5T 396.4}
Whatever way is chosen, the path of life is beset with perils. If the workers in any branch of the cause
become careless and inattentive to their eternal interests, they are meeting with great loss. The tempter
will find access to them. He will spread nets for their feet, and will lead them in uncertain paths. Those
only are safe whose hearts are garrisoned with pure principles. Like David they will pray: "Hold up my
goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps slip not." A constant battle must be kept up with the selfishness
and corruption of the human heart. Often the wicked seem to be prospered in their way; but those who
forget God, even for an hour or a moment, are in a dangerous path. They may not realize its perils; but
ere they are aware, habit, like an iron band, holds them in subjection to the evil with which they have
tampered. God despises their course, and His blessing will not attend them. {5T 397.1}
I have seen that young men undertake this work without connecting themselves with heaven. They
place themselves in the way of temptation to show their bravery. They laugh at the folly of others.
They know the right way; they know how to conduct themselves. How easily they can resist
temptation! how vain to think of their falling! But they make not God their defence. Satan has an
insidious snare prepared for them, and they themselves become the sport of fools. {5T 397.2}
Our great adversary has agents that are constantly hunting
398
for an opportunity to destroy souls, as a lion hunts his prey. Shun them, young man; for, while they
appear to be your friends, they will slyly introduce evil ways and practices. They flatter you with their
lips, and offer to help and guide you; but their steps take hold on hell. If you listen to their counsel, it
may be the turning point in your life. One safeguard removed from conscience, the indulgence of one
evil habit, a single neglect of the high claims of duty, may be the beginning of a course of deception
that will pass you into the ranks of those who are serving Satan, while you are all the time professing
to love God and His cause. A moment of thoughtlessness, a single misstep, may turn the whole current
of your lives in the wrong direction. And you may never know what caused your ruin until the
sentence is pronounced: "Depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." {5T 397.3}
Some young men know that what I have said fairly describes their course. Their ways are not hidden
from the Lord, although they may be hidden from their best friends, even their fathers and mothers. I
have little hope that some of these will ever change their course of hypocrisy and deception. Others
who have erred are seeking to redeem themselves. May the dear Jesus help them to set their faces as a
flint against all falsehoods and the flatteries of those who would weaken their purpose to do right or
who would insinuate doubts or infidel sentiments to shake their faith in the truth. Young friends, do not
spend an hour in the company of those who would unfit you for the pure and sacred work of God. Do
nothing before strangers that you would not do before your father and mother, or that you would be
ashamed of before Christ and the holy angels. {5T 398.1}
Some may think these cautions are not needed by Sabbathkeepers, but those to whom they apply know
what I mean. I tell you, young men, to beware; for you can do nothing that is not open to the eyes of
angels and of God. You cannot do an evil work and others not be affected by it. While your course of
action reveals what kind of material is used in your own
399
character building, it also has a powerful influence over others. Never lose sight of the fact that you
belong to God, that He has bought you with a price, and you must render an account to Him for all His
entrusted talents. No one should have any part in the work of the canvasser or colporteur whose hand is
defiled with sin or whose heart is not right with God, for such persons will surely dishonour the cause
of truth. Those who are workers in the missionary field need God to guide them. They should be
careful to start right and then keep quietly and firmly on in the path of rectitude. They should be
decided, for Satan is determined and persevering in his efforts to overthrow them. {5T 398.2}
A mistake has been made in soliciting subscriptions for our periodicals for only a few weeks, when by
a proper effort much longer subscriptions might have been obtained. One yearly subscription is of
more value than many for a short time. When the paper is taken for only a few months, the interest
often ends with the short subscription. Few renew their subscriptions for a longer period, and thus there
is a large outlay of time that brings small returns, when, with a little more tact and perseverance, yearly
subscriptions might have been obtained. You strike too low, brethren; you are too narrow in your
plans. You do not put into your work all the tact and perseverance that it deserves. There are more
difficulties in this work than in some other branches of business; but the lessons that will be learned,
the tact and discipline that will be acquired, will fit you for other fields of usefulness, where you may
minister to souls. Those who poorly learn their lesson, and are careless and abrupt in approaching
persons, would show the same defects of manner, the same want of tact and skill in dealing with
minds, should they enter the ministry. {5T 399.1}
While short subscriptions are accepted, some will not make the effort necessary to obtain them for a
longer time. Canvassers should not go over the ground in a careless, unconcerned manner. They should
feel that they are God's workmen, and
400
the love of souls should lead them to make every effort to enlighten men and women in regard to the
truth. Providence and grace, means and ends, are closely connected. When His labourers do the very
best they can, God does for them that which they cannot do themselves; but no one need expect to
succeed independently and by his own exertions. There must be activity united with firm trust in God.
{5T 399.2}
Economy is needed in every department of the Lord's work. The natural turn of youth in this age is to
neglect and despise economy, and to confound it with stinginess and narrowness. But economy is
consistent with the most broad and liberal views and feelings; there can be no true generosity where it
is not practised. No one should think it beneath him to study economy and the best means of taking
care of the fragments. Said Christ, after He had performed a notable miracle: "Gather up the fragments
that remain, that nothing be lost." {5T 400.1}
Quite a sum may be expended in hotel bills that are not at all necessary. The cause of God lay so near
the heart of the pioneers in this message that they seldom took a meal at a hotel, even though the cost
was but twenty-five cents each. But young men and women generally are not educated to economize,
and waste follows waste everywhere. In some families there is a wicked waste of enough to support
another family if reasonable economy were used. If, while TRAVELLING, our youth will keep an
exact account of the money they expend, item by item, their eyes will be opened to see the leaks.
While they may not be called upon to deprive themselves of warm meals, as the early workers did in
their itinerant life, they may learn to supply their real wants with less expense than they now think
necessary. There are persons who practice self-denial in order to give means to the cause of God; then
let the workers in the cause also practice self-denial by limiting their expenses as far as possible. It
would be well for all our workers to study the history of the Waldensian missionaries and to imitate
their example of sacrifice and self-denial. {5T 400.2}
401
We have a grand work to do for the Master, to open the word of God to those who are in the darkness
of error. Young friends, act as though you had a sacred charge. You should be Bible students, ever
ready to give to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you. By your true Christian
dignity give evidence that you know you have a truth that it is for the interest of the people to hear. If
this truth is inwrought in the soul, it will manifest itself in the countenance and demeanor, in a calm,
noble self-possession and peace which the Christian alone can possess. {5T 401.1}
Those who have genuine humility, and whose minds have been expanded by the truths unfolded in the
gospel, will have an influence that will be felt. They will make an impression upon minds and hearts,
and they will be respected by the larger number, even of those who have no sympathy with their faith.
With the truths of the Bible and our valuable papers they will have success, for the Lord will open the
way before them. But to urge our papers upon the people by means of gifts and premiums does not
have a permanent influence for good. If our workers would go forth relying upon the truths of the
Bible, with the love of Christ and of souls in their hearts, they would accomplish more in obtaining
permanent subscribers than by depending upon premiums or low prices. The prominence given to
these inducements to take the paper gives the impression that it cannot possess real merit in itself. The
results would be better if the paper were made prominent and the money spent for premiums were
reserved to distribute a few copies free. When premiums are offered, some may be induced to take the
paper who otherwise would not, but others will refuse to subscribe because they think it a speculation.
If the canvasser would present the merits of the paper itself, with his heart uplifted to God for success,
and would depend less upon premiums, more would be accomplished. {5T 401.2}
In this age the trivial is praised and magnified. There is a call for anything that will create a sensation
and make sales.
402
The country is flooded with utterly worthless publications, which were written for the sake of making
money, while really valuable books are unsold and unread. Those who handle this sensational literature
because by so doing they can make higher wages are missing a precious opportunity to do good. There
are battles to be fought to arrest the attention of men and women, and interest them in really valuable
books that have the Bible for their foundation; and it will be a still greater task to find conscientious,
God-fearing workers who will enter the field to canvass for these books for the purpose of diffusing
light. {5T 401.3}
The worker who has the cause of God at heart will not insist on receiving the highest wages. He will
not plead, as some of our youth have done, that unless he can make a stylish and elegant appearance,
and board at the best hotels, he will not be patronized. What the canvasser needs is not the faultless
apparel, or the address of the dandy or the clown, but that honesty and integrity of character which is
reflected in the countenance. Kindness and gentleness leave their impress upon the face, and the
practised eye sees no deception, detects no pomposity of manner. {5T 402.1}
A large number have entered the field as canvassers with whom premiums are the only means of
success. They have no real merit as workers. They have no experience in practical religion; they have
the same faults, the same tastes and self-indulgences, that characterized them before they claimed to be
Christians. Of them it may be said that God is not in their thoughts; He has no abiding place in their
hearts. There is a littleness, an earthliness, a debasement in their character and deportment, that
testifies against them that they are walking in the way of their own hearts and in the sight of their own
eyes. They will not practice self-denial, but are determined to enjoy life. The heavenly treasure has no
attractions for them; all their tastes are downward, not upward. Friends and relatives cannot elevate
such persons, for they have not a mind to despise the evil and choose the good. {5T 402.2}
403
The less we trust these persons, who are not few but many, the better will the work of present truth
stand in the eyes of the world. Our brethren should show discretion in selecting canvassers and
colporteurs, unless they have made up their minds to have the truth misapprehended and
misrepresented. They should give all real workers good wages; but the sum should not be increased to
buy canvassers, for this course hurts them. It makes them selfish and spendthrifts. Seek to impress
them with the spirit of true missionary work and with the qualifications necessary to ensure success.
The love of Jesus in the soul will lead the canvasser to feel it a privilege to labour to diffuse light. He
will study, plan, and pray over the matter. {5T 403.1}
Young men are wanted who are men in understanding, who appreciate the intellectual faculties that
God has given them, and who cultivate them with the utmost care. Exercise enlarges these faculties,
and if heart culture is not neglected, the character will be well balanced. The means of improvement
are within the reach of all. Then let none disappoint the Master, when He comes seeking for fruit, by
presenting nothing but leaves. A resolute purpose, sanctified by the grace of Christ, will do wonders.
Jesus and holy angels will give success to the efforts of intelligent, God-fearing men who do all in their
power to save souls. Quietly, modestly, with a heart overflowing with love, let them seek to win minds
to investigate the truth, engaging in Bible readings when they can. By so doing they will be sowing the
seed of truth beside all waters, showing forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of darkness
into His marvellous light. Those who are doing this work from right motives are doing an important
work of ministering. They will manifest no feeble, undecided character. Their minds are enlarging,
their manners are becoming more refined. They should place no bounds to their improvement, but
every day be better fitted to do good work. {5T 403.2}
Many of the workers in the canvassing field are making no sacrifices. As a class they have less of the
missionary spirit than the workers in any other denomination. When the way
404
is all prepared for them, when they can command the highest wages, then they are willing to enter the
field. Many inducements are presented to canvassers to handle popular books; large wages are offered
them; and many refuse to work for less wages to circulate books treating on present truth. Therefore
the inducements have been increased to correspond with those offered by other publishers, and as a
consequence the expense of getting our publications before the people is large; many of the canvassers
obtain their money easily and spend it freely. {5T 403.3}
Among the people professing present truth there is not a missionary spirit corresponding with our faith.
The ring of the true gold in character is wanting. Christian life is more than they take it to be. It does
not consist in mere gentleness, patience, meekness, and kindliness. These graces are essential; but there
is need of courage, force, energy, and perseverance also. Many who engage in the work of canvassing
are weak, nerveless, spiritless, easily discouraged. They lack push. They have not those positive traits
of character that give men power to do something,--the spirit and energy that kindle enthusiasm. The
canvasser is engaged in an honourable business, and he should not act as though he were ashamed of it.
If he would have success attend his efforts he must be courageous and hopeful. {5T 404.1}
The active virtues must be cultivated as well as the passive. The Christian, while he is ever ready to
give the soft answer that turneth away wrath, must possess the courage of a hero to resist evil. With the
charity that endureth all things, he must have the force of character which will make his influence a
positive power for good. Faith must be wrought into his character. His principles must be firm; he must
be noble-spirited, above all suspicion of meanness. The canvasser must not be self-inflated. As he
associates with men he must not make him self conspicuous, talking of himself in a boastful way; for
by this course he would disgust intelligent, sensible people. He must not be selfish in his habits nor
overbearing and domineering
405
in his manners. Very many have settled it in their minds that they cannot find time to read one in ten
thousand of the books that are published and put upon the market. And in many cases when the
canvasser makes known his business, the door of the heart closes firmly; hence the great need of doing
his work with tact and in a humble, prayerful spirit. He should be familiar with the word of God and
have words at his command to unfold the precious truth and to show the great value of the pure reading
matter he carries. {5T 404.2}
Well may everyone feel an individual responsibility in this work. Well may he consider how he may
best arrest the attention, for his manner of presenting the truth may decide the destiny of a soul. If he
makes a favourable impression, his influence may be to that soul a savour of life unto life; and that one
person, enlightened in regard to the truth, may enlighten many others. Therefore it is dangerous to do
careless work in dealing with minds. {5T 405.1}
The canvassing work is God's means of reaching many that would not otherwise be impressed with the
truth. The work is a good one, the object high and elevating; and there should be a corresponding
dignity of deportment. The canvasser will meet men of varied minds. He will meet those who are
ignorant and debased and can appreciate nothing that does not bring them money. These will be
abusive, but he should not heed them. His good nature should never fail; he should take a cheerful,
hopeful view of every perplexity. He will meet those who are bereaved, disheartened, and sore and
wounded in spirit. He will have many opportunities of speaking to these kind words and words of
courage, hope, and faith. He may be a wellspring to refresh others if he will; but, in order to do this, he
must himself draw from the Fountain of living truth. {5T 405.2}
The canvassing work is more important than many have regarded it, and as much care and wisdom
must be used in selecting the workers as in selecting men for the ministry. Young men can be trained
to do much better work than has been done and on much less pay than many have received.
406
Lift up the standard, and let the self-denying and the self-sacrificing, the lovers of God and of
humanity, join the army of workers. Let them come, not expecting ease, but to be brave and of good
courage under rebuffs and hardships. Let those come who can give a good report of our publications
because they themselves appreciate their value. {5T 405.3}
May the Lord help everyone to improve to the utmost the talents committed to his trust. Those who
work in this cause do not study their Bibles as they should. If they did, its practical teachings would
have a positive bearing upon their lives. Whatever your work may be, dear brethren and sisters, do it as
for the Master, and do your best. Do not overlook present golden opportunities and let your life prove a
failure while you sit idly dreaming of ease and success in a work for which God has never fitted you.
Do the work that is nearest you. Do it, even though it may be amid perils and hardships in the
missionary field; but do not, I beg of you, complain of hardships and self-sacrifices. Look at the
Waldenses. See what plans they devised that the light of the gospel might shine into benighted minds.
We should not labour with the expectation of receiving our reward in this life, but with our eyes fixed
steadfastly upon the prize at the end of the race. Men and women are wanted now who are as true to
duty as the needle to the pole, men and women who will work without having their way smoothed and
every obstacle removed. {5T 406.1}
I have described what canvassers ought to be; and may the Lord open their minds to comprehend this
subject in its length and breadth, and may they realize their duty to represent the character of Christ by
their patience, courage, and steadfast integrity. Let them remember that they can deny Him by a loose,
lax, undecided character. Young men, if you take these principles with you into the canvassing field
you will be respected; and many will believe the truth you advocate, because you live your faith,
because your daily life is as a bright light set upon a candlestick, which giveth light to all that are in the
407
house. Even your enemies, as much as they war against your doctrines, will respect you; and when you
have gained this much, your simple words will have a power and will carry conviction to hearts. {5T
406.2}
48. The Publishing Work
There are and ever will be many perplexities connected with the publishing office at Battle Creek. The
institutions established there are God's instrumentalities for accomplishing His work in the earth. For
this reason Satan is on the ground, exercising his ingenuity to embarrass and hinder. He comes with his
temptations to men and women connected with these institutions, whether in responsible positions or
doing the humblest work, and if possible he so ensnares them with his devices that they lose their
connection with God, become confused in judgment, and are unable to discern between right and
wrong. He knows that the time will surely come when the spirit that has controlled the life will be
made manifest, and he is glad to have the lives of these persons testify against them that they are not
co-workers with Christ. {5T 407.1}
Many who have grown to the years and stature of manhood are deficient in the elements that constitute
a noble, manly character. God does not regard them as men. They are not reliable. Some of these are
connected with our institutions. They have influence; but it is of a pernicious character, for it is seldom
on the side of right. While they profess godliness, their example constantly tends to encourage
unrighteousness. Skepticism is interwoven with their thoughts and expressed in their words, and their
powers are used for the perversion of righteousness, truth, and justice. Their minds are controlled by
Satan, and he works through them to demoralize and bring in confusion. The more pleasing and
attractive their manners, the more richly they are endowed with brilliant talents,
408
the more effectual agents are they in the hands of the enemy of all righteousness to demoralize all who
come under their influence. It will be found a hard and thankless task to keep these from becoming a
ruling power and carrying out their own purposes in encouraging disorder and loose, lax principles.
{5T 407.2}
The youth exposed to their influence are never safe unless those under whose care they are placed
exercise the greatest vigilance and they themselves have right principles firmly established. But it is a
sad fact that in this age many of the young yield readily to the influence of Satan, but resist the Spirit
of God; and in many cases wrong habits have become so firmly fixed that the greatest effort on the part
of the managers would not result in moulding their characters in the right direction. {5T 408.1}
Those who stand in positions of trust in the publishing house have weighty responsibilities to bear, and
they are not fitted for these places unless they are day by day gaining a deeper and more reliable
Christian experience. Eternal interests should be made the first consideration, and every influence
which would help in the divine life should be welcomed. Men to whom the Lord has given the charge
of business matters connected with His cause should be spiritually minded. They should not neglect to
attend religious meetings nor consider it a task to speak often one to another of their religious life and
experience. God will listen to their testimonies; they will be recorded in His book of remembrance; and
He will favour His faithful ones and "will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."
{5T 408.2}
Those standing at the head of the publishing work should remember that they are an example to many;
and they should be faithful in the public worship of God, just as they would have every workman in
every department of the office faithful. If they are seen in the house of worship only occasionally,
others will excuse themselves on account of their neglect. These businessmen can at any time talk
fluently and intelligently on business matters, showing that they have not
409
exercised their powers in this direction in vain. They have put tact and skill and knowledge into their
work, but how important it is that their hearts, their minds, and all their powers be also trained for
faithful service in the cause and worship of God; that they be able to point out the way of salvation
through Christ in language eloquent in its simplicity. They should be men of earnest prayer and firm
reliance upon God; men who, like Abraham, will order their households after them and will manifest a
special interest in the spiritual welfare of all connected with the office. {5T 408.3}
Those who make Christ first in everything can be trusted. They will not be self-confident, nor will they
sink their religious interest in their business. Has God entrusted men with sacred responsibilities? then
He would have them feel their own weakness and their dependence upon Him. It is unsafe for men to
lean to their own understanding; therefore they should daily seek strength and wisdom from above.
God should be in all their thoughts; then all the wiles and subtleties of the old serpent cannot betray
them into sinful neglect of duty. They will meet the adversary with the simple weapon that Christ used,
"It is written," or will repulse him with, "Get thee behind Me, Satan." {5T 409.1}
In the warning to "watch and pray," Jesus has indicated the only safe course. There is need of
watchfulness. Our own hearts are deceitful; we are compassed with the weaknesses and frailties of
humanity, and Satan is intent to destroy. We may be off our guard, but our adversary is never idle.
Knowing his tireless vigilance, let us not sleep, as do others, but "watch and be sober." The spirit and
influence of the world must be met, but they must not be allowed to take possession of the mind and
heart. {5T 409.2}
The active man of business, as he is brought in contact with the world, will have trials, perplexity, and
anxious care. He will find that there is a tendency to let worldly thoughts and plans take the lead, and
that it will require effort, and discipline of mind and soul, to maintain a devotional spirit.
410
But divine grace waits his demand, and his great need is the mighty argument that will prevail with
God. For these men Jesus has made special provision. He invites them: "Come unto Me, all ye that
labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I
am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My
burden is light." Those who have fellowship with Christ have constant rest and peace. Then why do we
walk alone, disdaining His companionship? Why do we not take Him into all our counsels? Why do
we not come to Him in all our perplexities and prove the strength of His promises? {5T 409.3}
The Holy Spirit illumines our darkness, informs our ignorance, and understands and helps us in our
manifold necessities. But the mind must be constantly going out after God. If coldness and worldliness
are allowed to come in, we shall have no heart to pray, no courage to look up to Him who is the source
of strength and wisdom. Then pray always, dear brethren and sisters, "lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting." Urge your requests to the throne of grace, and rely upon God hour by hour and
moment by moment. The service of Christ will regulate all your relations with your fellow men and
make your life fruitful in good works. {5T 410.1}
Let none imagine that selfishness, self-esteem, and self-indulgence are compatible with the Spirit of
Christ. Upon every truly converted man or woman there rests a responsibility that we cannot rightly
estimate. The maxims and ways of the world are not to be adopted by the sons and daughters of the
heavenly King. "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; for we shall see Him as He is. And every
man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." But the world know us not,
because they knew not Christ, our Master. {5T 410.2}
Business managers are needed in the Review office who will correctly represent Jesus and the plan of
salvation. God is displeased
411
when they use all their powers in worldly enterprises, or even in business relating to the publishing
work, and do nothing for the strengthening of His church, the upbuilding of His kingdom. To labour
for God and for the salvation of souls is the highest and noblest calling that men ever had or ever can
have. The losses and gains in this business are of great importance; for the results do not end with this
life, but reach over into eternity. {5T 410.3}
Brethren, whatever business you engage in, whatever department of the work is allotted to you, carry
your religion with you. God and heaven should not be left out of the experience and the lifework. The
workers in this cause should guard against becoming one-sided men and letting only the worldly
element in their characters appear. In the past there have been decided failures on the part of men
connected with the office. They have not been spiritually minded; and their influence has not tended to
lead toward the heavenly Canaan, but backward toward Egypt. {5T 411.1}
Brother P has been blessed with abilities which, if consecrated to God, would enable him to do great
good. He has a quick mind. He understands the theory of the truth and the claims of God's law; but he
has not learned in the school of Christ the meekness and lowliness that would make him a safe man to
stand in a position of trust. He has been weighed in the balances of the sanctuary and found wanting.
He has had great light in warnings and reproofs; but he has not given heed to them; he has not even
seen the necessity of changing his course of action. His example before those labouring in the office
has not been consistent with his profession. He has not manifested a steadfast purpose; he has been a
boyish man, and his influence has had a tendency to lead away from Christ toward conformity to the
world. {5T 411.2}
The cross of Christ has been presented to Brother P; but he has turned away from it, for it involves
shame and reproach rather than the honour and praise of the world. Again and again Jesus has called:
Take up the cross and follow Me, so
412
shall ye be My disciple. But other voices have been calling in the direction of worldly pride and
ambition; and he has listened to these voices because their spirit is more pleasing to the natural heart.
He has turned from Jesus, divorced himself from God, and embraced the world. He was called to
represent Christ, and to be a bright light in the world; but he has betrayed his sacred trust. The world
interposes between his soul and Jesus, and he has had a worldly experience when he should have been
gaining one of an entirely opposite character. He has been decidedly worldly in his tastes and opinions,
and consequently has been unable to comprehend spiritual things. {5T 411.3}
Brother P's success in the ministry, and also in his position of trust in the office, depended upon the
character he should maintain. Painstaking, persevering effort was needed that in going out and coming
in before his fellow labourers no wrong example should be set. The plan he should have adopted, the
course of action he should have pursued, is plainly marked out in the word of God. Had he taken heed
to that word, it would have been a light to his path, guiding his inexperienced feet into a safe way.
Testimonies of the Spirit of God have been sent to him again and again, showing him where he was
diverging from the highway cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in and warning and
entreating him to change his course of action. But his own ways have seemed right in his eyes; and he
has followed inclination, not heeding the light given him. He was not a safe Counsellor. He was not a
safe man in the office; neither was he a safe shepherd, for he would lead the sheep astray. He has
preached excellent discourses; but out of the desk he has not carried out the principles he has preached.
This kind of work is an offense to God. {5T 412.1}
Brother P's union with the world has proved a snare to him self and to others. Oh, how many stumble
over such lives as his. They get the impression that when they take the first steps in conversion,-repentance, faith, and baptism,--this is all that is required of them. But this is a fatal error. The arduous
struggle for conquest over self, for holiness and heaven,
413
is a lifelong struggle. There is no release in this war; the effort must be continuous and persevering.
Christian integrity must be sought with resistless energy and maintained with a resolute fixedness of
purpose. {5T 412.2}
A genuine religious experience unfolds and intensifies. Continual advancement, increasing knowledge
and power in the word of God, is the natural result of a vital connection with God. The light of holy
love will grow brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. It was Brother P's privilege to have such an
experience as this; but he has not had the oil of grace in his vessel with his lamp, and his light has been
growing dim. If he does not make a decided change soon, he will be where no warnings or entreaties
will ever reach him. His light will go out in darkness, and he will be left in despair. {5T 413.1}
Importance of Economy
Brother R has good business ability for some branches of the work, which would enable him to serve
the office acceptably; but he has not educated and disciplined himself to be a thorough, efficient
manager. Under his charge there have been grave neglects; a disorderly, disorganized state of things
has existed, which should be promptly corrected. There are many little matters connected with his
work that have not received attention, and as a consequence there are leaks. Losses and wastes are
allowed that might be avoided. {5T 413.2}
I have passed through the office and have been shown how the angels of God look upon the work done
in the various rooms. In some the condition of things is better than in others; but in all there are wrongs
that might be remedied. Loss, loss, is seen in many departments. The reckless way that many work
results in loss to the office and is an offense to God. It is sad that it should be thus. Jesus has given us
lessons in economy. "Gather up the fragments," He says, "that nothing be lost." It would have been
better not to undertake so many large enterprises if by this means so many small matters must be left
without attention, for the little things are like small
414
screws that keep the machinery from falling to pieces. The word of God explains duty; it gives the rule
of faithful service: "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is
unjust in the least is unjust also in much." {5T 413.3}
I have been shown that, in addition to the help now in the office, competent men should be employed
to assist in the management of the different departments of the work. Men should be employed who
have experience in business and who are wise managers. It would have been better years ago to have
employed men who were thorough managers,--men who would have taught thoroughness, promptness,
and economy,--even if double the wages that has been paid to foremen had been necessary. Brother R
is deficient here; he has not a happy way of correcting evils. He undertakes to do this, but very many
things are entirely neglected that ought to be reformed at once. The office has lacked a care-taking
economist, a thorough businessman. There is three times as much lost as would be required to pay for
the very best talent and experience in this work. {5T 414.1}
Very much is lost for want of a competent person, one who is efficient, apt, and practical, to oversee
the different departments of the work. One is needed who is a practical printer and is acquainted with
every part of the work. There are some who understand printing, but utterly fail in generalship. Others
do the best they can, but they are yet inexperienced and do not understand the publishing work. Their
ideas are often narrow. They do not know how to meet the demands of the cause; and, as a
consequence, they are unable to estimate the advantages and disadvantages of enlarging their work.
They are also liable to misjudge, to make wrong calculations, and to estimate incorrectly. There have
been losses in consequence of a failure to make proper estimates and to improve opportunities of
pushing the publishing work. In such an institution as this, thousands of dollars may be lost through the
calculations of incompetent persons. Brother P had ability in some respects to understand and properly
estimate the interests
415
of the publishing work, but his influence was an injury to the office. {5T 414.2}
There should be someone to see that the youth, as they enter the office to learn trades, have prompt and
proper attention. A man should be employed for this work who is apt to teach, patient, kind, and
discerning. If one man is not sufficient for this work, let others be employed. If it is done faithfully it
will save to the office the wages of three men. These youth are forming habits that will affect their
entire experience. They are, as it were, in a school; and if they are left to pick up their knowledge as
best they can, marked defects will be seen all through their future work. The basis of thoroughness,
honesty, and integrity must be laid in youth. The formation of correct habits in youth is of the utmost
importance. If instead of being trained to obedience to rules and regulations, and to habits of
punctuality, thoroughness, neatness, order, and economy, they are allowed to form loose, lax habits,
they will be liable to retain these bad habits all though life. They may have talent to make a success in
their business, and they should be taught the importance of making a right use of their powers. They
should also be taught to be economical, to gather up the fragments that nothing be lost. {5T 415.1}
Men in responsible positions should undertake no more than they can do thoroughly, promptly, and
well; for if they would have those under their care form right habits they must set a right example. A
great responsibility rests upon these leading men as to the mould of character that by their principles
and their manner of working they are giving to the youth. They should consider that, by the instruction
they are giving, both in regard to their work and in the way of religious education, they are helping
these youth to form character. Progress is the watchword. The youth should be taught to aim at
perfection in whatever branch of labour they undertake. If there are persons at the head of any of the
rooms who are not thorough, who are not economists, who are not diligent in the use of their time and
careful of their influence, they mould others in
416
the same way. If these do not change after being admonished, they should be removed and more
competent persons secured, even if it is necessary to try again and again. The workers ought to be far
more efficient and faithful than they are at the present time. {5T 415.2}
The first impressions, the first discipline, of these youthful workers should be of the very highest order,
for their characters are being moulded for time and for eternity. Let those who have charge of them
remember that they have a great and solemn responsibility. Let them mould the plastic clay before it
becomes hardened and insensible to impressions; let them train the sapling ere it becomes a gnarled
and tangled oak; let them direct the course of the rivulet ere it becomes a swollen river. If they are left
to choose their own boardinghouse and their own companions, some will choose those that are good,
and others will choose improper associations. If the religious element is not mingled with their
education, they will become easy subjects of temptation, and their characters will be liable to become
warped and one-sided. The youth who show respect for sacred and holy things learn these lessons
under the home roof, before the world has placed upon the soul its mark,--the image of sin, deceit, and
dishonesty. Love to God is learned at the family altar, of the father and mother in very babyhood. {5T
416.1}
The want of a religious influence is sadly felt in the office; there should be greater devotion, more
spirituality, more practical religion. Missionary work done here by God-fearing men and women
would be attended with the very best results. Brother R's course is not well-pleasing to God. A man in
his position should be a man of devotion; he should be among the first in religious matters. His only
safety is in maintaining a living connection with God and feeling his dependence upon Him. Without
this, he will not do justice to his position, neither will be exert a right influence in the office and over
those with whom his business brings him in contact. {5T 416.2}
I have also seen that there should be a close investigation of the manner of dealing in the office, both
with brethren and with unbelievers. Benevolence, purity, truth, and peace are
417
the fruits that should be seen there. Motives and actions should be closely examined and compared
with the law of God; for this law is the only infallible rule by which to regulate the conduct, the only
reliable code of honour between man and man. {5T 416.3}
Unity of the Work
The Lord would have union among those who manage His work in different parts of the field. Those
who manage His work on the Pacific Coast, and those who are engaged in His work on the east side of
the Rocky Mountains, should be of the same mind and judgment,--one in heart, in plans, and in action.
He would not have those at either office think it a virtue to differ with their brethren at the other
publishing house. There should be a comparing of notes, an interchange of plans and ideas; and if any
improvements are suggested in either office, let the managers consider the proposition, and adopt
improved plans and methods. In both publishing houses there are very great improvements to be made,
and the managers have much to learn. And the lesson which will bear its mark most decidedly and
happily in the advancement of the work is to lean less to their own understanding, and to learn more of
the meekness and lowliness of Christ. Let not those at either office be so egotistical, so unlike Christ,
as to maintain their own plans for the gratification of having their own way, irrespective of
consequences. {5T 417.1}
Those connected with our office of publication at Battle Creek are not what they should be nor what
they might be. They think their tastes, habits, and opinions are correct. They are in constant danger of
becoming narrow in their ideas and jealous of the Pacific Press, and of standing in an attitude to
criticize and have feelings of superiority. This feeling is suffered to grow and to mar and hinder their
own interests and also the interests of the work on the Pacific Coast, all because selfish feelings control
and prevent clear discernment as to what is for their own good and for the advancement and
418
upbuilding of the cause of God. This sectional feeling is contrary to the spirit of Christ. God is
displeased with it; He would have every particle of it overcome. The cause is one; the vineyard is one
great field, with God's servants employed in various parts of the work. There should be no aim but to
work disinterestedly to warn the careless and to save the lost. {5T 417.2}
The men connected with the work of God in the office, the sanitarium, and the college can be
accounted safe men only so far as they assimilate to the character of Christ. But many have inherited
traits of character that in no way represent the divine Model. There are many who have some defect of
character received as a birthright, which they have not overcome, but have cherished as though it were
fine gold, and brought with them into their religious experience. In many cases these traits are retained
through the entire life. For a time no particular harm may be seen to result from them; but the leaven is
at work, and when a favourable opportunity arrives, the evil manifests itself. {5T 418.1}
Some of these men who have marked deformities of character have strong, decided opinions and are
unyielding when it would be Christlike to yield to others whose love for the cause of truth is just as
deep as their own. Such persons need to cultivate opposite traits of character and to learn to esteem
others better than themselves. When they become connected with an important enterprise, where great
designs are to be worked out, they should be careful lest their own peculiar ideas and special traits of
character have an unfavourable influence on its development. The Lord saw the danger that would
result from one man's mind and judgment controlling decisions and working out plans, and in His
Inspired Word we are commanded to be subject one to another and to esteem others better than
ourselves. When plans are to be laid that will affect the cause of God, they should be brought before a
council composed of chosen men of experience; for harmony of effort is essential in all these
enterprises. {5T 418.2}
Men of various temperaments and defective characters can
419
see the faults of others, but do not seem to have a knowledge of their own errors; and if left to carry out
their own plans without consultation with others, they would make sad mistakes. Their ideas must
become broader. With ordinary humanity there is a selfishness, an ambition, that mars the work of
God. Self-interest must be lost sight of. There should be no aiming to be first, no standing aloof from
God's workmen, speaking and writing in a bigoted manner of things that have not been critically and
prayerfully investigated and humbly brought before the council. {5T 418.3}
The future world is close at hand, with its unalterable and solemn issues--so near, so very near, and
such a great work to be done, so many important decisions to be made; yet in your councils the
preconceived opinions, the selfish ideas and plans, the wrong traits of character received by birth, are
lugged in and allowed to have an influence. You should ever feel that it is a sin to move from impulse.
You should not abuse your power, using it to carry out your own ends regardless of the consequences
to others, because you are in a position that makes this possible; but you should use the power that is
given you as a sacred, solemn trust, remembering that you are servants of the most high God and must
meet in the judgment every decision that you make. If your acts are unselfish and for the glory of God,
they will bear the trying test. Ambition is death to spiritual advancement, genius is erring, slothful
indolence is criminal; but a life where every just principle is respected must be a successful one. {5T
419.1}
Many of your councils do not bear the stamp of heaven. You do not come to them as men who have
been communing with God and who have His mind and His merciful compassion, but as men having a
firm purpose to carry out your own plans and to settle questions according to your own minds, In every
department of the work it is essential to have the mind and spirit of Christ. You are God's workmen;
and you must possess courtesy and grace, else you cannot represent Jesus. {5T 419.2}
All who are employed in our institutions should realize
420
that they will be a blessing or a curse. If they would be a blessing they must renew their spiritual
strength daily; they must be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust. {5T 419.3}
Amid the cares of active life it is sometimes difficult to discern our own motives, but progress is made
daily either for good or evil. Likes or dislikes, an uprising of personal feelings, will come in to control
our actions; the things of sense will blind our vision. I have been shown that Jesus loves us; but He is
grieved to see such a want of wise discrimination, of adaptability to the work, and of wisdom to reach
human hearts and enter into the feelings of others. While we are to guard against the constant danger of
forming an alliance with the enemies of Christ and being corrupted by them, we must guard against
holding ourselves aloof from those whom our Lord claims as His. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least of these My brethren," He says, "ye have done it unto Me." If with an earnest, loving
purpose we improve every opportunity to help to their feet those who have stumbled and fallen, we
shall not have lived in vain. Our manners will not be harsh, overbearing, and dictatorial, but our lives
will be fragrant with the hidden grace of Christ. {5T 420.1}
Our heavenly Father requires of His servants according to that which He has entrusted to them, and His
requirements are reasonable and just. He will not accept less of us than He claims; all His righteous
demands must be fully met, or they will testify against us that we are weighed in the balances and
found wanting. But Jesus watches our efforts with the deepest interest. He knows that men with all the
infirmities of humanity are doing His work, and He notes their failures and discouragements with the
tenderest pity. But the failures and defects might be far less than they are. If we will move in harmony
with heaven, ministering angels will work with us and crown our efforts with success. {5T 420.2}
This is the great day of preparation, and the solemn work going on in the sanctuary above should be
kept constantly
421
before the minds of those employed in our various institutions. Business cares should not be allowed to
absorb the mind to such a degree that the work in heaven, which concerns every individual, will be
lightly regarded. The solemn scenes of the judgment, the great day of atonement, should be kept before
the people, and urged upon their consciences with earnestness and power. The subject of the sanctuary
will give us correct views of the importance of the work for this time. A proper appreciation of it will
lead the workers in the publishing houses to manifest greater energy and zeal to make the work a
success. None should become careless, blinded to the wants of the cause and the perils that attend
every soul; but each should seek to be a channel of light. {5T 420.3}
In all our institutions there is too much of self, and too little of Christ. All eyes should turn to our
Redeemer, all characters should become like His. He is the model to copy, if we would have wellbalanced minds and symmetrical characters. His life was as the garden of the Lord, in which grew
every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. While embracing in His soul every lovely trait
of character, His sensibility, courtesy, and love brought Him into close sympathy with humanity. He
was the creator of all things, sustaining worlds by His infinite power. Angels were ready to do Him
homage and to obey His will. Yet He could listen to the prattle of the infant and accept its lisping
praise. He took little children in His arms and pressed them to His great heart of love. They felt
perfectly at home in His presence and reluctant to leave His arms. He did not look upon the
disappointments and woes of the race as a mere trifle, but His heart was ever touched by the sufferings
of those He came to save. {5T 421.1}
The world had lost the original pattern of goodness and had sunk into universal apostasy and moral
corruption; and the life of Jesus was one of labourious, self-denying effort to bring man back to his
first estate by imbuing him with the spirit of divine benevolence and unselfish love. While in the
422
world, He was not of the world. It was a continual pain to Him to be brought in contact with the
enmity, depravity, and impurity which Satan had brought in; but He had a work to do to bring man into
harmony with the divine plan, and earth in connection with heaven, and He counted no sacrifice too
great for the accomplishment of the object. He "was in all points tempted like as we are." Satan stood
ready to assail Him at every step, hurling at Him his fiercest temptations; yet He "did no sin, neither
was guile found in His mouth." He . . . suffered being tempted," suffered in proportion to the perfection
of His holiness. But the prince of darkness found nothing in Him; not a single thought or feeling
responded to temptation. {5T 421.2}
His doctrine dropped as the rain; His speech distilled as the dew. In the character of Christ was blended
such majesty as God had never before displayed to fallen man and such meekness as man had never
developed. Never before had there walked among men one so noble, so pure, so benevolent, so
conscious of His godlike nature; yet so simple, so full of plans and purposes to do good to humanity.
While abhorring sin, He wept with compassion over the sinner. He pleased not Himself. The Majesty
of heaven clothed Himself with the humility of a child. This is the character of Christ. Are we walking
in His footsteps? O my Saviour, how poorly art Thou represented by Thy professed followers! {5T
422.1}
49. Business and Religion
Those employed in our various institutions--our publishing houses, our schools, and our health
institutions--should have a living connection with God. Especially is it very important that those who
have the management of these great branches of the work be men who make the kingdom of God and
His righteousness the first consideration. They are not fit for their positions of trust unless they take
counsel of God and bear fruit to His glory. They should pursue a course of life
423
that will honour their Creator, ennoble themselves, and bless their fellow men. All have natural traits
which must be cultivated or repressed, as they shall help or hinder in obtaining a growth in grace, a
depth of religious experience. {5T 422.2}
Those engaged in the work of God cannot serve His cause acceptably unless they make the best use
possible of the religious privileges they enjoy. We are as trees planted in the garden of the Lord; and
He comes to us seeking the fruit He has a right to expect. His eye is upon each of us; He reads our
hearts and understands our lives. This is a solemn search, for it has reference to duty and to destiny;
and with what interest is it prosecuted. Let each of those to whom are committed sacred trusts inquire:
"How do I meet the inspecting eye of God? Is my heart cleansed from its defilement? or have its
temple courts become so desecrated, so occupied with buyers and sellers, that Christ finds no room?"
The bustle of business, if continuous, will dry up spirituality and leave the soul Christless. Although
they may profess the truth, yet if men pass along day by day with no living connection with God, they
will be led to do strange things; decisions will be made not in accordance with the will of God. There
is no safety for our leading brethren while they shall go forward according to their own impulses. They
will not be yoked up with Christ, and so will not move in harmony with Him. They will be unable to
see and realize the wants of the cause, and Satan will move upon them to take positions that will
embarrass and hinder. {5T 423.1}
My brethren, are you cultivating devotion? Is love of religious things prominent? Are you living by
faith and overcoming the world? Do you attend the public worship of God? and are your voices heard
in the prayer and social meeting? Is the family altar established? Do you gather your children together
morning and evening, and present their cases to God? Do you instruct them how to become followers
of the Lamb? Your families, if irreligious, testify to your neglect and unfaithfulness. If, while you are
connected with the sacred cause of God, your children are careless, irreverent,
424
and have no love for religious meetings or sacred truth, it is a sad thing. Such a family exerts an
influence against Christ and against the truth; and "he that is not with Me is against Me," says Christ.
The neglect of home religion, the neglect to train your children, is most displeasing to God. If one of
your children were in the river, battling with the waves and in imminent danger of drowning, what a
stir there would be! What efforts would be made, what prayers offered, what enthusiasm manifested, to
save the human life! But here are your children out of Christ, their souls unsaved. Perhaps they are
even rude and uncourteous, a reproach to the Adventist name. They are perishing without hope and
without God in the world, and you are careless and unconcerned. {5T 423.2}
What example do you give your children? What order do you have at home? Your children should be
educated to be kind, thoughtful of others, gentle, easy to be entreated, and, above everything else, to
respect religious things and feel the importance of the claims of God. They should be taught to respect
the hour of prayer; they should be required to rise in the morning so as to be present at family worship.
{5T 424.1}
Fathers and mothers who make God first in their households, who teach their children that the fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, glorify God before angels and before men by presenting to the
world a well-ordered, well-disciplined family, a family that love and obey God instead of rebelling
against Him. Christ is not a stranger in their homes; His name is a household name, revered and
glorified. Angels delight in a home where God reigns supreme, and the children are taught to reverence
religion, the Bible, and their Creator. Such families can claim the promise: "Them that honour Me I
will honour." As from such a home the father goes forth to his daily duties, it is with a spirit softened
and subdued by converse with God. He is a Christian, not only in his profession, but in trade, in all his
business relations. He does his work with fidelity, knowing that the eye of God is upon him. {5T
424.2}
425
In the church his voice is not silent. He has words of gratitude and encouragement to utter; for he is a
growing Christian, with a fresh experience every day. He is a helpful, active worker in the church,
labouring for the glory of God and the salvation of his fellow men. He would feel condemned and
guilty before God were he to neglect to attend public worship, thus failing to improve the privileges
that would enable him to do better and more effective service in the cause of truth. {5T 425.1}
God is not glorified when influential men make themselves mere businessmen, ignoring their eternal
interests, that are so much more enduring, so much more noble and elevated, than the temporal. Where
should the greatest tact and skill be exercised, if not upon those things that are imperishable, as
enduring as eternity? Brethren, develop your talent in the direction of serving the Lord; manifest as
much tact and ability in working for the upbuilding of the cause of Christ as you do in worldly
enterprises. {5T 425.2}
There is, I am sorry to say, a great want of earnestness and interest in spiritual things on the part of the
heads of many families. There are some who are seldom found in the house of worship. They make
one excuse, then another, and still another, for their absence; but the real reason is that their hearts are
not religiously inclined. A spirit of devotion is not cultivated in the family. The children are not
brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. These men are not what God would have them.
They have no living connection with Him; they are purely businessmen. They have not a conciliatory
spirit; there is such a lack of meekness, kindness, and courtesy in their deportment that their motives
are misconstrued, and the good they really do possess is evil spoken of. If they could realize how
offensive their course is in the sight of God, they would make a change. {5T 425.3}
The work of God should be carried forward by men who have a daily, living experience in the religion
of Christ. "Without Me," says Christ, "ye can do nothing." None of us are beyond the power of
temptation. All who are connected
426
with our institutions, our conferences, and our missionary enterprises may ever have the assurance that
they have a powerful foe, whose constant aim is to separate them from Christ, their strength. The more
responsible the position they occupy, the more fierce will be Satan's attacks; for he knows that if he
can move them to take an objectionable course, others will follow their example. But those who are
continually learning in the school of Christ will be able to pursue the even tenor of their way, and
Satan's efforts to throw them off their balance will be signally defeated. Temptation is not sin. Jesus
was holy and pure; yet He was tempted in all points as we are, but with a strength and power that man
will never be called upon to endure. In His successful resistance He has left us a bright example, that
we should follow His steps. If we are self-confident or self-righteous we shall be left to fall under the
power of temptation; but if we look to Jesus and trust in Him we call to our aid a power that has
conquered the foe on the field of battle, and with every temptation He will make a way of escape.
When Satan comes in like a flood, we must meet his temptations with the sword of the Spirit, and
Jesus will be our helper and will lift up for us a standard against him. The father of lies quakes and
trembles when the truth of God, in burning power, is thrown in his face. {5T 425.4}
Satan makes every effort to lead people away from God; and he is successful in his purpose when the
religious life is drowned in business cares, when he can so absorb their minds in business that they will
not take time to read their Bibles, to pray in secret, and to keep the offering of praise and thanksgiving
burning on the altar of sacrifice morning and evening. How few realize the wiles of the archdeceiver!
how many are ignorant of his devices! When our brethren voluntarily absent themselves from religious
meetings, when God is not thought of and reverenced, when He is not chosen as their Counsellor and
their strong tower of defence, how soon secular thoughts and wicked unbelief come in, and vain
confidence and philosophy take the place of humble, trusting
427
faith. Often temptations are cherished as the voice of the True Shepherd because men have separated
themselves from Jesus. They cannot be safe a moment unless right principles are cherished in the heart
and carried into every business transaction. {5T 426.1}
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;
and it shall be given him." Such a promise is of more value than gold or silver. If with a humble heart
you seek divine guidance in every trouble and perplexity, His word is pledged that a gracious answer
will be given you. And His word can never fail. Heaven and earth may pass away, but His word will
never pass away. Trust in the Lord, and you will never be confounded or ashamed. "It is better to trust
in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in
princes." {5T 427.1}
Whatever position in life we may occupy, whatever our business, we must be humble enough to feel
our need of help; we must lean implicitly on the teachings of God's word, acknowledge His providence
in all things, and be faithful in pouring out our souls in prayer. Lean to your own understanding, dear
brethren, as you make your way through the world, and you will reap sorrow and disappointment.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and He will guide your steps in wisdom, and your interests will
be safe for this world and for the next. You need light and knowledge. You will take counsel either of
God or your own heart; you will walk in the sparks of your own kindling, or will gather to yourself
divine light from the Sun of Righteousness. {5T 427.2}
Do not act from motives of policy. The great danger of our businessmen and those in responsible
positions is that they will be turned from Christ to secure some help aside from Him. Peter would not
have been left to show such weakness and folly had he not sought by the use of policy to avoid
reproach and scorn, persecution and abuse. His highest hopes centred in Christ; but when he saw Him
in humiliation, unbelief came in and was entertained. He fell under the power
428
of temptation, and, instead of showing his fidelity in a crisis, he wickedly denied his Lord. {5T 427.3}
For the sake of making money, many divorce themselves from God and ignore their eternal interests.
They pursue the same course as the scheming, worldly man, but God is not in this; it is an offense to
Him. He would have them prompt to devise and execute plans; but all business matters should be
transacted in harmony with the great moral law of God. The principles of love to God and our
neighbour must be carried out in all the acts of the daily life, the least as well as the greatest. There
must be a spirit to do more than pay tithes on mint, anise, and cummin; the weightier matters of the
law, judgment, mercy, and the love of God, must not be neglected; for the personal character of each
one connected with the work leaves its impress upon it. {5T 428.1}
There are men and women who have left all for Christ's sake. Their own temporal interests, their own
enjoyment of society and of family and friends, are made of less importance than the interests of the
kingdom of God. They have not made houses and lands, and relatives and friends however dear, first in
their affections, and God's cause second. And those who do this, who devote their lives to the
advancement of the truth, to bringing many sons and daughters to God, have the promise that they
shall have a hundredfold in this life and in the world to come life everlasting. Those who work from a
noble standpoint and with unselfish motives will be consecrated to God, body, soul, and spirit. They
will not exalt self; they will not feel competent to take responsibilities; but they will not refuse to bear
burdens, for they will have a desire to do all that they are capable of doing. These will not study their
own convenience; the question with them will be: What is duty? {5T 428.2}
The more responsible the position, the more essential that the influence be right. Every man whom
God has chosen to do a special work becomes a target for Satan. Temptations press thick and fast upon
him; for our vigilant foe knows that his course of action has a moulding influence upon others.
429
We are amid the perils of the last days, and Satan has come down in great wrath, knowing that he has
but a short time. He works with all deceivableness of unrighteousness; but heaven is open to everyone
who makes God his trust. The only safety for any of us is in clinging to Jesus and letting nothing
separate the soul from the mighty Helper. {5T 428.3}
Those who have merely a form of godliness, and yet are connected with the cause in business relations,
are to be feared. They will surely betray their trust. They will be overcome by the devices of the
tempter and will imperil the cause of God. There will be temptations to allow self to control; an
overbearing, critical spirit will arise, and in many cases compassion and consideration for those who
need to be dealt with in thoughtful tenderness will be wanting. {5T 429.1}
"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." What seed are we scattering? What will be our
harvest for time and for eternity? To every man the Master has assigned his work in accordance with
his ability. Are we sowing the seed of truth and righteousness, or that of unbelief, disaffection, evil
surmising, and love of the world? The one who scatters evil seed may discern the nature of his work,
and repent and be forgiven. But the pardon of the Master does not change the character of the seed
sown, and make of briers and thistles precious wheat. He himself may be saved so as by fire; but when
the time of harvest comes, there will be only poisonous weeds where there should be fields of waving
grain. That which was sown in wicked heedlessness will do its work of death. This thought pains my
heart and fills me with sadness. If all who profess to believe the truth would sow the precious seeds of
kindness, love, faith, and courage, they would make melody to God in their hearts as they travel the
upward way, rejoicing in the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness, and in the great gathering day
they would receive an eternal reward. {5T 429.2}
50. Worldly-Mindedness a Snare
Dear Brother and Sister P: My soul is exceedingly sorrowful as I review your cases. Last night my
mind was heavily burdened. In dreams I was conversing with you, Brother P. Your separation from
God was so evident, and you were so blind in regard to your true condition, that it seemed like saying
to a blind man, "See," to try to make you discern your true standing. {5T 430.1}
I have not been able to sleep since three o'clock, and have been pleading with God for a larger measure
of His Spirit. I inquire over and over again: Who is sufficient for these things? I dare not hold my
peace when light has been given me of God. I must speak; and yet it is with trembling, fearing that the
message will be rejected, and the souls to whom it is addressed will be enshrouded in darkness more
dense than before the light came to them. I must come close to Jesus. I have laid my hand in His, with
the earnest prayer: "Lead me, guide me; I have not wisdom to go alone." Jesus seems very near; and I
am deeply impressed that He is about to do a special work for His people, particularly for those that
labour in word and doctrine. He is willing to help you both if you will receive help in His own
appointed way, but I cannot speak one word of encouragement to you while you remain in your present
position. The words of Christ to the Pharisees, "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life," are
applicable to you. {5T 430.2}
I wish we could do something to help you; but while you remain in the worldly channel in which you
have placed yourselves, what can be done for you? You love the world, and the world loves you,
because, so far as practical godliness is concerned, there is no separation between yourselves and
worldlings. In their eyes you are agreeable, smart, and good; they find in you both that which pleases
them. They have praised you and spoken to you smooth things, and thus have had an influence to
soothe and comfort you; and you, in your turn, have soothed and comforted them in their careless
431
indifference to the claims of God. You have encouraged them in their pride and love of pleasure; for
your actions have said to the sinner: "It shall be well with thee." By mingling with worldlings, your
judgment has become perverted; and sins which God abhors are tame and harmless in your sight. {5T
430.3}
I greatly fear that by your self-righteousness you are building around your souls barriers that nothing
can break down. You have been no nearer to God, no more working His works, no more imbued with
His Spirit, than the professors in the nominal churches. You have had no real sense of the sacredness of
the Sabbath, and God has not accepted your observance of His holy day. You have had no true
consecration, no sincere devotion. God has not been HONOURED by either of you; you have not
known Him experimentally. You have walked apart from Him so long that He is nearly a stranger to
you. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned; but you have so long cultivated worldly tastes and habits
that it will not be easy for you to bend your mind in an opposite direction. {5T 431.1}
You will feel: "This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" But the world cannot understand the people of
God. There is no harmony between the children of light and the children of darkness. Paul asks: "And
what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said,
I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty." John testifies: "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; for we shall
see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure."
"Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?"
432
asks James. "Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." {5T 431.2}
Jesus said to His disciples: "If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and
He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever [not a profession of the truth,
not a form of godliness, but]: even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth
Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." "He
that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be
loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. Judas saith unto Him, not
Iscariot, Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus
answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him,
and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My
sayings." {5T 432.1}
The words of Christ find no response in your hearts, for you have blinded your eyes and hardened your
hearts. In the books of heaven you are both accounted as of the world. Your hearts are sometimes
troubled, but not enough to lead you to repent and change your course of action. The world holds your
affections, and its customs are more agreeable to you than obedience to the heavenly Teacher. {5T
432.2}
Your example before your children is not at all in accordance with the truth you profess to love. The
truth does not sanctify you or them. You love selfish enjoyment; and the lessons taught your children,
both by precept and example, have not been of a character to foster in them humility, meekness, and a
Christlike disposition. You are moulding them after the world's standard. When Jesus shall open before
you the book of records, where day by day your words and actions have been faithfully registered, you
will see that with both of you life has been a terrible failure. {5T 432.3}
What your recent affliction may have done for you, I am unable to say; but if it has had power to open
your eyes and convict your souls, you will certainly take a course to make
433
this evident. Without a thorough conversion, you can never receive the crown of everlasting life; and
your children will never have part with the blood-washed throng unless they first unlearn the lessons
you have taught them, which have become a part of their life and character. Your example has led
them to think that religion is like a garment that may be worn or laid off as occasion requires or
convenience dictates; and unless there is an entire change in the influences brought to bear upon them,
these lax ideas of the claims of God will cling to them. They do not know what constitutes the
Christian life; they have not learned what it is to live the truth and bear the cross. {5T 432.4}
"If the world hate you," said Christ, "ye know that it hated Me before it hated you." You have
entertained the opinion that the reason why the world is so much opposed to us as a people is that we
are too unsocial, too plain in our dress, and too strict in regard to amusements, withdrawing ourselves
from them too much in practice as well as in precept. You have thought that if we would be less
exclusive and would mingle more with the world, their opinions and impressions of us would be
greatly modified. But no greater mistake could affect the human mind. Said Christ: "If ye were of the
world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of
the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not
greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My
saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for My name's sake,
because they know not Him that sent Me." {5T 433.1}
These are the words of One of whom even His enemies were forced to admit: "Never man spake like
this Man." The words of men express their own human thoughts; but those of Christ are spirit and life.
"If ye continue in My word," He says, "then are ye My disciples indeed." "He that is of God heareth
God's words," but these divine utterances find no place in the heart of one who is of the world and
loves its pleasures. {5T 433.2}
434
God has given us specific directions so that no one need err. "Man shall not live by bread alone," He
says, "but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." The truth given by inspiration "is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Not by one word,
not by many words, but by every word that God has spoken, shall man live. You cannot disregard one
word, a single injunction that He has given, however trifling it may seem to you, and be safe.
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall
be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven." Whosoever will willfully break one command cannot in spirit
and in truth keep any of them. He may claim that, with the exception of what he may regard as slight
deviations, he keeps them all; yet if he willingly offends in one point he is guilty of all. {5T 434.1}
Brother and Sister P, while you have been making a profession of Christianity you have been keeping
back part of the price. You have robbed God of thought and devotion; you have robbed Him of your
talents and influence. Your inclinations have been a snare to you. You have not followed the light that
God has graciously given you in testimonies; and you have done things that without repentance and
reformation on your part will exclude you from heaven. Had you heeded the reproofs sent to you by
the Holy Spirit you would now be strong in God and far advanced in Christian experience, and you
would have had an entirely different record in the books of heaven. {5T 434.2}
"He that rejecteth Me," says Christ, "and receiveth not My words, hath One that judgeth him: the word
that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." In that day what shame and confusion of
face will cover those who have had such light and privileges, who have had salvation brought within
their reach by the infinite sacrifice of the Son of God, and yet have not availed themselves of these
precious
435
gifts. Through His word God is constantly pointing out to us the right path, even the high and glorious
path of the just. The travellers in this path do not walk in darkness, for it is illuminated by the Sun of
Righteousness; but you have rejected it because it was too far separated from the world. Self-love and
selfish ambition cannot pass the strait gate and walk the narrow, upward way. {5T 434.3}
It will be found in the day of final settlement that God was acquainted with everyone by name. There is
an unseen witness to every action of the life. "I know thy works," says He that "walketh in the midst of
the seven golden candlesticks." It is known what opportunities have been slighted, how untiring have
been the efforts of the Good Shepherd to search out those who were wandering in crooked ways, and
to bring them back to the path of safety and peace. Again and again God has called after the pleasure
lovers; again and again He has flashed the light of His word across their path, that they might see their
peril, and escape. But on and on they go, jesting and joking as they travel the broad road, until at length
their probation is ended. God's ways are just and equal; and when sentence is pronounced against those
who are found wanting, every mouth will be stopped. {5T 435.1}
How different it would now be with you both had you regarded in their true light the praise and honour
that come from men. You both thirst more for the praise of the world than for the waters of life. The
idea of being thought of importance among men of the world has intoxicated you; their words of
esteem have deceived you. When you place a right estimate on eternal things, the friendship and
esteem of the rich and the learned will have no influence over you. Pride, in whatever form it may
manifest itself, will no longer live in your heart. But you have so long drunk of the turbid stream of
worldliness that you see no better way to live. {5T 435.2}
Again and again God has stretched out His hand to save you by showing you your duties and
obligations. These duties change in character with the increase of light. When the light
436
shines, making manifest and reproving the errors that were undiscovered, there must be a
corresponding change in the life and character. The mistakes that are the natural result of blindness of
mind are, when pointed out, no longer sins of ignorance or errors of judgment; but unless there are
decided reforms in accordance with the light given, they then become presumptuous sins. The moral
darkness that surrounds you will become more dense; your heart will become harder and harder, and
you will be more offensive in the sight of God. You do not realize the great peril you are in, the danger
there is that in your case the light will become entirely obscured, veiled in complete darkness. When
the light is received and acted upon, you will be crucified to sin, being dead indeed unto the world, but
alive to God. Your idols will be abandoned, and your example will be on the side of self-denial rather
than that of self-indulgence. {5T 435.3}
Brother and Sister P, had you heeded the Testimonies of the Spirit of God, you would now be walking
in the light, in harmony with the people of God; but your unbelief has shut you away from great good.
Sister P has not risen up against the Testimonies, neither has she shown confidence in them as from the
Lord by obeying them. She loves to have her husband praised and HONOURED by the world; it
gratifies her pride, which is by no means small. You may each appropriately inquire: "Why am I so
slow to come out from the world and take Christ for my portion? Why should I love and honour those
whom I know do not love God nor respect His claims? Why should I wish to retain the friendship of
my Lord's enemies? Why should I follow their customs or be influenced by their opinions?" You
cannot, my dear friends, serve both God and mammon. You must make an unreserved surrender, or in
the near future the light that shines upon your pathway will go out in the darkness of despair. You are
on the enemy's ground. You have voluntarily placed yourselves there, and the Lord will not protect you
against his assaults. {5T 436.1}
In your present state you are doing far more harm than good; for you have a form of godliness and
profess to believe
437
the truth, while your words and actions say: "Wide is the gate, and broad is the way" that leads to life,
"and many there be which go in thereat." If your life is a confession of Christ, then we may truly say
that the world has gone after Him. Your profession may be right; but have you humility and love,
meekness and devotion? "Whosoever shall confess Me before men," by a holy life and godly
conversation, "him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God." No one can confess
Christ unless he has the mind and spirit of Christ; he cannot communicate that which he does not
possess. The daily life must be an expression of the sanctifying power of the truth, and evidence that
Christ is abiding in the soul by faith. Whatever is opposed to the fruits of the Spirit, or to the work of
God in separating His people from the world, is a denial of Christ; and His words are: "He that denieth
Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God." {5T 436.2}
We may deny Christ by our worldly conversation and by our pride of apparel. You have a circle of
friends who are a snare to you and to your children. You love their companionship. Through
association with them, you are led to dress yourselves and your children after the fashions followed by
those who have no fear of God before their eyes. You thus show that you have friendship with the
world. "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin." Does your intercourse with these friends
incline you to visit the closet and ask divine love and grace, or does it estrange your mind from God?
And your dear children--what is your neglect of their eternal interests doing for them? Your example
has encouraged them to hurry on the life journey with heedless presumption or with blind selfconfidence, having no fixed religious principles to guide them. They have no conscientious regard for
the Sabbath, or for the claims of God in any respect; they do not love Christian duties, and are straying
further and further from the Source of light, peace, and joy. {5T 437.1}
Without faith it is impossible to please God; "for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." The faith that is
required is not a
438
mere assent to doctrines; it is the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Humility, meekness,
and obedience are not faith; but they are the effects, or fruit, of faith. These graces you have yet to
attain by learning in the school of Christ. You do not know the sentiments and principles of heaven; its
language is almost a strange language to you both. The Spirit of God still pleads in your behalf; but I
have serious, painful doubts whether you will heed that voice that has been appealing to you for years.
I hope you will, and that you will turn and live. {5T 437.2}
Do you feel that it is too great a sacrifice to give your poor unworthy selves to Jesus? Will you choose
the hopeless bondage of sin and death rather than to have your life severed from the world and united
to Christ by bonds of love? Jesus still lives to intercede for us. This should daily call out the gratitude
of our hearts. He that realizes his guilt and helplessness may come just as he is and receive the blessing
of God. The promise belongs to him if he will grasp it by faith. But he that in his own eyes is rich, and
honourable, and righteous, who sees as the world sees, and calls evil good and good evil, cannot ask
and receive, because he feels no need. He feels that he is full; therefore he must go away empty. {5T
438.1}
Should you become alarmed for your own souls, should you seek God diligently, He will be found of
you; but He will accept no halfhearted repentance. If you will forsake your sins, He is ever ready to
forgive. Will you just now surrender to Him? Will you look to Calvary and inquire: "Did Jesus make
this sacrifice for me? Did He endure humiliation, shame, and reproach, and suffer the cruel death of the
cross because He desired to save me from the sufferings of guilt and the horror of despair, and make
me unspeakably happy in His kingdom?" Look upon Him whom your sins have pierced, and resolve:
"The Lord shall have the service of my life. I will no longer unite with His enemies; I will no longer
lend my influence to the rebels against His government. All I have and am is too little to devote to Him
who so loved me that He gave His life for me--His whole divine self for one
439
so sinful and erring." Separate from the world, be wholly on the Lord's side, press the battle to the
gates, and you will win glorious victories. {5T 438.2}
Blessed is he who heeds the words of eternal life. Guided by "the Spirit of truth," he will be led into all
truth. He will not be loved, HONOURED, and praised by the world; but he will be precious in the sight
of heaven. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not." {5T 439.1}
51. Responsibilities of the Physician
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Professional men, whatever their calling, need
divine wisdom. But the physician is in special need of this wisdom in dealing with all classes of minds
and diseases. He occupies a position even more responsible than that of the minister of the gospel. He
is called to be a colabourer with Christ, and he needs stanch religious principles and a firm connection
with the God of wisdom. If he takes counsel of God he will have the Great Healer to work with his
efforts, and he will move with the greatest caution lest by his mismanagement he injure one of God's
creatures. He will be firm as a rock to principle, yet kind and courteous to all. He will feel the
responsibility of his position, and his practice will show that he is actuated by pure, unselfish motives
and a desire to adorn the doctrine of Christ in all things. Such a physician will possess a heaven-born
dignity and will be a powerful agent for good in the world. Although he may not be appreciated by
those who have no connection with God, yet he will be HONOURED of heaven. In God's sight he will
be more precious than gold, even the gold of Ophir. {5T 439.2}
The physician should be a strictly temperate man. The physical ailments of humanity are numberless,
and he has to
440
deal with disease in all its varied forms. He knows that much of the suffering he seeks to relieve is the
result of intemperance and other forms of selfish indulgence. He is called to attend young men, and
men in the prime of life and in mature age, who have brought disease upon themselves by the use of
the narcotic tobacco. If he is an intelligent physician he will be able to trace disease to its cause, but
unless he is free from the use of tobacco himself he will hesitate to put his finger upon the plague spot
and faithfully unfold to his patients the cause of their sickness. He will fail to urge upon the young the
necessity of overcoming the habit before it becomes fixed. If he uses the weed himself, how can he
present to the inexperienced youth its injurious effects, not only upon themselves, but upon those
around them? {5T 439.3}
In this age of the world the use of tobacco is almost universal. Women and children suffer from having
to breathe the atmosphere that has been polluted by the pipe, the cigar, or the foul breath of the tobacco
user. Those who live in this atmosphere will always be ailing, and the smoking physician is always
prescribing some drug to cure ailments which could be best remedied by throwing away tobacco. {5T
440.1}
Physicians cannot perform their duties with fidelity to God or to their fellow men while they are
worshipping an idol in the form of tobacco. How offensive to the sick is the breath of the tobacco user!
How they shrink from him! How inconsistent for men who have graduated from medical colleges and
claim to be capable of ministering to suffering humanity, to constantly carry a poisonous narcotic with
them into the sickrooms of their patients. And yet many chew and smoke until the blood is corrupted
and the nervous system undermined. It is especially offensive in the sight of God for physicians who
are capable of doing great good, and who profess to believe the truth of God for this time, to indulge in
this disgusting habit. The words of the apostle Paul are applicable to them: "Having therefore these
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
441
perfecting holiness in the fear of God." "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
{5T 440.2}
Tobacco users cannot be acceptable workers in the temperance cause, for there is no consistency in
their profession to be temperance men. How can they talk to the man who is destroying reason and life
by liquor drinking, when their pockets are filled with tobacco, and they long to be free to chew and
smoke and spit all they please? How can they with any degree of consistency plead for moral reforms
before boards of health and from temperance platforms while they themselves are under the stimulus
of tobacco? If they would have power to influence the people to overcome their love for stimulants,
their words must come forth with pure breath and from clean lips. {5T 441.1}
Of all men in the world, the physician and the minister should have strictly temperate habits. The
welfare of society demands total abstinence of them, for their influence is constantly telling for or
against moral reform and the improvement of society. It is willful sin in them to be ignorant of the laws
of health or indifferent to them, for they are looked up to as wise above other men. This is especially
true of the physician, who is entrusted with human life. He is expected to indulge in no habit that will
weaken the life forces. {5T 441.2}
How can a tobacco-using minister or doctor bring up his children in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord? How can he discountenance in his child that which he allows in himself? If he does the work
enjoined upon him by the Ruler of the universe he will protest against iniquity in every form and in
every degree; he will exert his authority and influence on the side of self-denial, and strict, undeviating
obedience to the just requirements of God. It will be his object to place his children in the most
favourable conditions to secure happiness in this life and a home in the city of God. How can he do
this while yielding to the indulgence of appetite? How
442
can he place the feet of others on the ladder of progress while he himself is treading the downward
way? {5T 441.3}
Our Saviour set an example of self-denial. In His prayer for His disciples He said: "For their sakes I
sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." If a man who assumes so grave a
responsibility as that of a physician sins against himself in not conforming to nature's laws, he will reap
the consequences of his own doings and abide her righteous decision, from which there can be no
appeal. The cause produces the effect; and in many cases the physician, who should have a clear, sharp
mind and steady nerves, that he may be able to discern quickly and execute with precision, has
disordered nerves and a brain clouded by narcotics. His capabilities for doing good are lessened. He
will lead others in the path his own feet are TRAVELLING. Hundreds will follow the example of one
intemperate physician, feeling that they are safe in doing what the doctor does. And in the day of God
he will meet the record of his course and be called to give an account for all the good he might have
done, but did not do because by his own voluntary act he weakened his physical and mental powers by
selfish indulgence. {5T 442.1}
The question is not, What is the world doing? but, What are professional men doing in regard to the
widespread and prevailing curse of tobacco using? Will men to whom God has given intelligence, and
who are in positions of sacred trust, be true to follow intelligent reason? Will these responsible men,
having under their care persons whom their influence will lead in a right or a wrong direction, be
pattern men? Will they, by precept and example, teach obedience to the laws which govern the
physical system? If they do not put to a practical use the knowledge they have of the laws that govern
their own being, if they prefer present gratification to soundness of mind and body, they are not fit to
be entrusted with the lives of others. They are in duty bound to stand in the dignity of their God-given
manhood, free from the bondage of any appetite or passion. The man who chews and smokes is doing
injury not only to himself but
443
to all who come within the sphere of his influence. If a physician must be called, the tobacco devotee
should be passed by. He will not be a safe Counsellor. If the disease has its origin in the use of tobacco,
he will be tempted to prevaricate and assign some other than the true cause; for how can he condemn
himself in his own daily practice? {5T 442.2}
There are many ways of practising the healing art, but there is only one way that Heaven approves.
God's remedies are the simple agencies of nature that will not tax or debilitate the system through their
powerful properties. Pure air and water, cleanliness, a proper diet, purity of life, and a firm trust in God
are remedies for the want of which thousands are dying; yet these remedies are going out of date
because their skilful use requires work that the people do not appreciate. Fresh air, exercise, pure
water, and clean, sweet premises are within the reach of all with but little expense, but drugs are
expensive, both in the outlay of means and in the effect produced upon the system. {5T 443.1}
The work of the Christian physician does not end with healing the maladies of the body; his efforts
should extend to the diseases of the mind, to the saving of the soul. It may not be his duty, unless
asked, to present any theoretical points of truth; but he may point his patients to Christ. The lessons of
the divine Teacher are ever appropriate. He should call the attention of the repining to the ever-fresh
tokens of the love and care of God, to His wisdom and goodness as manifested in His created works.
The mind can then be led through nature up to nature's God and centred on the heaven which He has
prepared for those that love Him. {5T 443.2}
The physician should know how to pray. In many cases he must increase suffering in order to save life;
and whether the patient is a Christian or not, he feels greater security if he knows that his physician
fears God. Prayer will give the sick an abiding confidence; and many times if their cases are borne to
the Great Physician in humble trust, it will do more for them than all the drugs that can be
administered. {5T 443.3}
Satan is the originator of disease; and the physician is
444
warring against his work and power. Sickness of the mind prevails everywhere. Nine tenths of the
diseases from which men suffer have their foundation here. Perhaps some living home trouble is, like a
canker, eating to the very soul and weakening the life forces. Remorse for sin sometimes undermines
the constitution and unbalances the mind. There are erroneous doctrines also, as that of an eternally
burning hell and the endless torment of the wicked, that, by giving exaggerated and distorted views of
the character of God, have produced the same result upon sensitive minds. Infidels have made the most
of these unfortunate cases, attributing insanity to religion; but this is a gross libel and one which they
will not be pleased to meet by and by. The religion of Christ, so far from being the cause of insanity, is
one of its most effectual remedies; for it is a potent soother of the nerves. {5T 443.4}
The physician needs more than human wisdom and power that he may know how to minister to the
many perplexing cases of disease of the mind and heart with which he is called to deal. If he is
ignorant of the power of divine grace he cannot help the afflicted one, but will aggravate the difficulty;
but if he has a firm hold upon God he will be able to help the diseased, distracted mind. He will be able
to point his patients to Christ and teach them to carry all their cares and perplexities to the great
Burden Bearer. {5T 444.1}
There is a divinely appointed connection between sin and disease. No physician can practice for a
month without seeing this illustrated. He may ignore the fact; his mind may be so occupied with other
matters that his attention will not be called to it; but if he will be observing and honest he cannot help
acknowledging that sin and disease bear to each other the relationship of cause and effect. The
physician should be quick to see this and to act accordingly. When he has gained the confidence of the
afflicted by relieving their sufferings and bringing them back from the verge of the grave, he may teach
them that disease is the result of sin and that it is the fallen foe who seeks to allure them to health-andsoul-destroying
445
practices. He may impress their minds with the necessity of denying self and obeying the laws of life
and health. In the minds of the young especially he may instill right principles. God loves His creatures
with a love that is both tender and strong. He has established the laws of nature, but His laws are not
arbitrary exactions. Every "Thou shalt not," whether in physical or moral law, contains or implies a
promise. If it is obeyed, blessings will attend our steps; if it is disobeyed, the result is danger and
unhappiness. The laws of God are designed to bring His people closer to Himself. He will save them
from the evil and lead them to the good if they will be led, but force them He never will. We cannot
discern God's plans, but we must trust Him and show our faith by our works. {5T 444.2}
Physicians who love and fear God are few compared with those who are infidels or openly irreligious,
and these should be patronized in preference to the latter class. We may well distrust the ungodly
physician. A door of temptation is open to him, a wily devil will suggest base thoughts and actions,
and it is only the power of divine grace that can quell tumultuous passion and fortify against sin. To
those who are morally corrupt, opportunities to corrupt pure minds are not wanting. But how will the
licentious physician appear in the day of God? While professing to care for the sick, he has betrayed
sacred trusts. He has degraded both the soul and the body of God's creatures, and has set their feet in
the path that leads to perdition. How terrible to trust our loved ones in the hands of an impure man,
who may poison the morals and ruin the soul! How out of place is the godless physician at the bedside
of the dying! {5T 445.1}
The physician is almost daily brought face to face with death. He is, as it were, treading upon the verge
of the grave. In many instances familiarity with scenes of suffering and death results in carelessness
and indifference to human woe, and recklessness in the treatment of the sick. Such physicians seem to
have no tender sympathy. They are harsh and abrupt, and the sick dread their approach. Such men,
446
however great their knowledge and skill, can do the suffering little good; but if the love and sympathy
that Jesus manifested for the sick is combined with the physician's knowledge, his very presence will
be a blessing. He will not look upon his patient as a mere piece of human mechanism, but as a soul to
be saved or lost. {5T 445.2}
The duties of the physician are arduous. Few realize the mental and physical strain to which he is
subjected. Every energy and capability must be enlisted with the most intense anxiety in the battle with
disease and death. Often he knows that one unskilful movement of the hand, even but a hairbreadth in
the wrong direction, may send a soul unprepared into eternity. How much the faithful physician needs
the sympathy and prayers of the people of God. His claims in this direction are not inferior to those of
the most devoted minister or missionary worker. Deprived, as he often is, of needed rest and sleep, and
even of religious privileges on the Sabbath, he needs a double portion of grace, a fresh supply daily, or
he will lose his hold on God and will be in danger of sinking deeper in spiritual darkness than men of
other callings. And yet often he is made to bear unmerited reproaches and is left to stand alone, the
subject of Satan's fiercest temptations, feeling himself misunderstood, betrayed by his friends. {5T
446.1}
Many, knowing how trying are the duties of the physician and how few opportunities physicians have
for release from care, even upon the Sabbath, will not choose this for their lifework. But the great
enemy is constantly seeking to destroy the workmanship of God's hands, and men of culture and
intelligence are called upon to combat his cruel power. More of the right kind of men are needed to
devote themselves to this profession. Painstaking effort should be made to induce suitable men to
qualify themselves for this work. They should be men whose characters are based upon the broad
principles of the word of God--men who possess a natural energy, force, and perseverance that will
enable them to reach a high standard of excellence. It is not everyone
447
who can make a successful physician. Many have entered upon the duties of this profession every way
unprepared. They have not the requisite knowledge; neither have they the skill and tact, the carefulness
and intelligence, necessary to ensure success. {5T 446.2}
A physician can do much better work if he has physical strength. If he is feeble he cannot endure the
wearing labour incident to his calling. A man who has a weak constitution, who is a dyspeptic, or who
has not perfect self-control, cannot become qualified to deal with all classes of disease. Great care
should be taken not to encourage persons who might be useful in some less responsible position, to
study medicine at a great outlay of time and means, when there is no reasonable hope that they will
succeed. {5T 447.1}
Some have been singled out as men who might be useful as physicians, and they have been encouraged
to take a medical course. But some who commenced their studies in the medical colleges as Christians
did not keep the divine law prominent; they sacrificed principle and lost their hold on God. They felt
that singlehanded they could not keep the fourth commandment and meet the jeers and ridicule of the
ambitious, the world-loving, the superficial, the skeptic, and the infidel. This kind of persecution they
were not prepared to meet. They were ambitious to climb higher in the world, and they stumbled on the
dark mountains of unbelief and became untrustworthy. Temptations of every kind opened before them,
and they had no strength to resist. Some of these have become dishonest, scheming policy men and are
guilty of grave sins. {5T 447.2}
In this age there is danger for everyone who shall enter upon the study of medicine. Often his
instructors are worldly-wise men and his fellow students infidels, who have no thought of God, and he
is in danger of being influenced by these irreligious associations. Nevertheless, some have gone
through the medical course and have remained true to principle. They would not continue their studies
on the Sabbath, and they have proved that men may become qualified
448
for the duties of a physician and not disappoint the expectations of those who furnish them means to
obtain an education. Like Daniel, they have HONOURED God, and He has kept them. Daniel
purposed in his heart that he would not adopt the customs of kingly courts; he would not eat of the
king's meat nor drink of his wine. He looked to God for strength and grace, and God gave him wisdom
and skill and knowledge above that of the astrologers, the soothsayers, and the magicians of the
kingdom. To him the promise was verified: "Them that honour Me I will honour." {5T 447.3}
The young physician has access to the God of Daniel. Through divine grace and power he may become
as efficient in his calling as Daniel was in his exalted position. But it is a mistake to make a scientific
preparation the all-important thing, while religious principles, that lie at the very foundation of a
successful practice, are neglected. Many are lauded as skilful men in their profession who scorn the
thought that they need to rely upon Jesus for wisdom in their work. But if these men who trust in their
knowledge of science were illuminated by the light of heaven, to how much greater excellence might
they attain! How much stronger would be their powers, with how much greater confidence could they
undertake difficult cases! The man who is closely connected with the Great Physician of soul and body
has the resources of heaven and earth at his command, and he can work with a wisdom, an unerring
precision, that the godless man cannot possess. {5T 448.1}
Those to whom the care of the sick is entrusted, whether as physicians or nurses, should remember that
their work must stand the scrutiny of the piercing eye of Jehovah. There is no missionary field more
important than that occupied by the faithful, God-fearing physician. There is no field where a man may
accomplish greater good or win more jewels to shine in the crown of his rejoicing. He may carry the
grace of Christ, as a sweet perfume, into all the sickrooms he enters; he may carry the true healing
balm to the sin-sick soul. He can point the sick and dying to the
449
Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. He should not listen to the suggestion that it is
dangerous to speak of their eternal interests to those whose lives are in peril, lest it should make them
worse; for in nine cases out of ten the knowledge of a sin-pardoning Saviour would make them better
both in mind and body. Jesus can limit the power of Satan. He is the physician in whom the sin-sick
soul may trust to heal the maladies of the body as well as of the soul. {5T 448.2}
The superficial and the evil-minded in the profession will seek to arouse prejudice against the man who
faithfully discharges the duties of his profession, and to strew his path with obstacles; but these trials
will only reveal the pure gold of character. Christ will be his refuge from the strife of tongues. Though
his life may be hard and self-denying, and in the estimation of the world may be a failure, in the sight
of heaven it will be a success, and he will be ranked as one of God's noblemen. "They that be wise
shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for
ever and ever." {5T 449.1}
52. The Coming Crisis
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed,
which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." In the near future we
shall see these words fulfilled as the Protestant churches unite with the world and with the papal power
against commandment keepers. The same spirit which actuated papists in ages past will lead
Protestants to pursue a similar course toward those who will maintain their loyalty to God. {5T 449.2}
Church and state are now making preparations for the future conflict. Protestants are working in
disguise to bring Sunday to the front, as did the Romanists. Throughout the land the papacy is piling up
her lofty and massive structures,
450
in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions are to be repeated. And the way is preparing for
the manifestation, on a grand scale, of those lying wonders by which, if it were possible, Satan would
deceive even the elect. {5T 449.3}
The decree which is to go forth against the people of God will be very similar to that issued by
Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther. The Persian edict sprang from the malice of Haman
toward Mordecai. Not that Mordecai had done him harm, but he had refused to show him reverence
which belongs only to God. The king's decision against the Jews was secured under false pretenses
through misrepresentation of that peculiar people. Satan instigated the scheme in order to rid the earth
of those who preserved the knowledge of the true God. But his plots were defeated by a counterpower
that reigns among the children of men. Angels that excel in strength were commissioned to protect the
people of God, and the plots of their adversaries returned upon their own heads. The Protestant world
today see in the little company keeping the Sabbath a Mordecai in the gate. His character and conduct,
expressing reverence for the law of God, are a constant rebuke to those who have cast off the fear of
the Lord and are trampling upon His Sabbath; the unwelcome intruder must by some means be put out
of the way. {5T 450.1}
The same masterful mind that plotted against the faithful in ages past is still seeking to rid the earth of
those who fear God and obey His law. Satan will excite indignation against the humble minority who
conscientiously refuse to accept popular customs and traditions. Men of position and reputation will
join with the lawless and the vile to take counsel against the people of God. Wealth, genius, education,
will combine to cover them with contempt. Persecuting rulers, ministers, and church members will
conspire against them. With voice and pen, by boasts, threats, and ridicule, they will seek to overthrow
their faith. By false representations and angry appeals they will stir up the passions of the people. Not
having a "Thus saith the Scriptures" to bring against the advocates of the Bible Sabbath,
451
they will resort to oppressive enactments to supply the lack. To secure popularity and patronage,
legislators will yield to the demand for a Sunday law. Those who fear God cannot accept an institution
that violates a precept of the Decalogue. On this battlefield comes the last great conflict of the
controversy between truth and error. And we are not left in doubt as to the issue. Now, as in the days of
Mordecai, the Lord will vindicate His truth and His people. {5T 450.2}
By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will
disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf
to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with
spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every
principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for
the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the
marvellous working of Satan and that the end is near. {5T 451.1}
As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of
Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God's forbearance is reached, that the
measure of our nation's iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to
return. The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which
prophets have described as the time of Jacob's trouble. The cries of the faithful, persecuted ones ascend
to heaven. And as the blood of Abel cried from the ground, there are voices also crying to God from
martyrs' graves, from the sepulchres of the sea, from mountain caverns, from convent vaults: "How
long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the
earth?" {5T 451.2}
The Lord is doing His work. All heaven is astir. The Judge of all the earth is soon to arise and
vindicate His insulted authority. The mark of deliverance will be set upon the men who keep God's
commandments, who revere His
452
law, and who refuse the mark of the beast or of his image. {5T 451.3}
God has revealed what is to take place in the last days, that His people may be prepared to stand
against the tempest of opposition and wrath. Those who have been warned of the events before them
are not to sit in calm expectation of the coming storm, comforting themselves that the Lord will shelter
His faithful ones in the day of trouble. We are to be as men waiting for their Lord, not in idle
expectancy, but in earnest work, with unwavering faith. It is no time now to allow our minds to be
engrossed with things of minor importance. While men are sleeping, Satan is actively arranging
matters so that the Lord's people may not have mercy or justice. The Sunday movement is now making
its way in darkness. The leaders are concealing the true issue, and many who unite in the movement do
not themselves see whither the undercurrent is tending. Its professions are mild and apparently
Christian, but when it shall speak it will reveal the spirit of the dragon. It is our duty to do all in our
power to avert the threatened danger. We should endeavour to disarm prejudice by placing ourselves in
a proper light before the people. We should bring before them the real question at issue, thus
interposing the most effectual protest against measures to restrict liberty of conscience. We should
search the Scriptures and be able to give the reason for our faith. Says the prophet: "The wicked shall
do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." {5T 452.1}
Those who have access to God through Christ have important work before them. Now is the time to
lay hold of the arm of our strength. The prayer of David should be the prayer of pastors and laymen: "It
is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law." Let the servants of the Lord weep
between the porch and the altar, crying: "Spare Thy people, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to
reproach." God has always wrought for His people in their greatest extremity, when there seemed the
least hope that ruin could be averted. The designs of wicked men, the enemies of the church, are
subject to His power and overruling
453
providence. He can move upon the hearts of statesmen; the wrath of the turbulent and disaffected, the
haters of God, His truth, and His people can be turned aside, even as the rivers of water are turned, if
He orders it thus. Prayer moves the arm of Omnipotence. He who marshals the stars in order in the
heavens, whose word controls the waves of the great deep, the same infinite Creator will work in
behalf of His people if they call upon Him in faith. He will restrain the forces of darkness until the
warning is given to the world and all who will heed it are prepared for the conflict. {5T 452.2}
"The wrath of man shall praise Thee," says the psalmist; "the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain."
God means that testing truth shall be brought to the front and become a subject of examination and
discussion, even if it is through the contempt placed upon it. The minds of the people must be agitated.
Every controversy, every reproach, every slander, will be God's means of provoking inquiry and
awakening minds that otherwise would slumber. {5T 453.1}
Thus it has been in the past history of God's people. For refusing to worship the great golden image
which Nebuchadnezzar had set up, the three Hebrews were cast into the fiery furnace. But God
preserved His servants in the midst of the flames, and the attempt to enforce idolatry resulted in
bringing the knowledge of the true God before the assembled princes and great men of the vast
kingdom of Babylon. {5T 453.2}
So when the decree went forth forbidding prayer to any god save the king. As Daniel, according to his
custom, made his supplications three times a day to the God of heaven, the attention of the princes and
rulers was called to his case. He had an opportunity to speak for himself, to show who is the true God,
and to present the reason why He alone should receive worship, and the duty of rendering Him praise
and homage. And the deliverance of Daniel from the den of lions was another evidence that the Being
whom he worshipped was the true and living God. {5T 453.3}
So the imprisonment of Paul brought the gospel before
454
kings, princes, and rulers who otherwise would not have had this light. The efforts made to retard the
progress of truth will serve to extend it. The excellence of truth is more clearly seen from every
successive point from which it may be viewed. Error requires disguise and concealment. It clothes
itself in angel robes, and every manifestation of its real character lessens its chance of success. {5T
453.4}
The people whom God has made the depositaries of His law are not to permit their light to be hidden.
The truth must be proclaimed in the dark places of the earth. Obstacles must be met and surmounted. A
great work is to be done, and this work has been entrusted to those who know the truth. They should
make mighty intercession with God for help now. The love of Christ must be diffused in their own
hearts. The Spirit of Christ must be poured out upon them, and they must be making ready to stand in
the judgment. While they are consecrating themselves to God, a convincing power will attend their
efforts to present the truth to others, and its light will find access to many hearts. We must sleep no
longer on Satan's enchanted ground, but call into requisition all our resources and avail ourselves of
every facility with which Providence has furnished us. The last warning is to be proclaimed "before
many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings;" and the promise is given, "Lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world." {5T 454.1}
53. The Church the Light of the World
The Lord called out His people Israel and separated them from the world that He might commit to
them a sacred trust. He made them the depositaries of His law, and He designed, through them, to
preserve among men the knowledge of Himself. Through them the light of heaven was to shine out to
the dark places of the earth, and a voice was to be heard appealing to all peoples to turn from their
idolatry to serve the living
455
and true God. Had the Hebrews been true to their trust, they would have been a power in the world.
God would have been their defence, and He would have exalted them above all other nations. His light
and truth would have been revealed through them, and they would have stood forth under His wise and
holy rule as an example of the superiority of His government over every form of idolatry. {5T 454.2}
But they did not keep their covenant with God. They followed after the idolatrous practices of other
nations, and instead of making their Creator's name a praise in the earth their course held it up to the
contempt of the heathen. Yet the purpose of God must be accomplished. The knowledge of His will
must be spread abroad in the earth. God brought the hand of the oppressor upon His people and
scattered them as captives among the nations. In affliction many of them repented of their
transgressions and sought the Lord. Scattered throughout the countries of the heathen, they spread
abroad the knowledge of the true God. The principles of the divine law came in conflict with the
customs and practices of the nations. Idolaters endeavoured to crush out the true faith. The Lord in His
providence brought His servants, Daniel, Nehemiah, Ezra, face to face with kings and rulers, that these
idolaters might have an opportunity to receive the light. Thus the work which God had given His
people to do in prosperity, in their own borders, but which had been neglected through their
unfaithfulness, was done by them in captivity, under great trial and embarrassment. {5T 455.1}
God has called His church in this day, as He called ancient Israel, to stand as a light in the earth. By the
mighty cleaver of truth, the messages of the first, second, and third angels, He has separated them from
the churches and from the world to bring them into a sacred nearness to Himself. He has made them
the depositaries of His law and has committed to them the great truths of prophecy for this time. Like
the holy oracles committed to ancient Israel, these are a sacred trust to be communicated to the world.
The three angels of Revelation 14
456
represent the people who accept the light of God's messages and go forth as His agents to sound the
warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth. Christ declares to His followers: "Ye are the
light of the world." To every soul that accepts Jesus the cross of Calvary speaks: "Behold the worth of
the soul: 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.'" Nothing is to be permitted
to hinder this work. It is the all-important work for time; it is to be far-reaching as eternity. The love
that Jesus manifested for the souls of men in the sacrifice which He made for their redemption, will
actuate all His followers. {5T 455.2}
But very few of those who have received the light are doing the work entrusted to their hands. There
are a few men of unswerving fidelity who do not study ease, convenience, or life itself, who push their
way wherever they can find an opening to press the light of truth and vindicate the holy law of God.
But the sins that control the world have come into the churches, and into the hearts of those who claim
to be God's peculiar people. Many who have received the light exert an influence to quiet the fears of
worldlings and formal professors. There are lovers of the world even among those who profess to be
waiting for the Lord. There is ambition for riches and honour. Christ describes this class when He
declares that the day of God is to come as a snare upon all that dwell upon the earth. This world is their
home. They make it their business to secure earthly treasures. They erect costly dwellings and furnish
them with every good thing; they find pleasure in dress and the indulgence of appetite. The things of
the world are their idols. These interpose between the soul and Christ, and the solemn and awful
realities that are crowding upon us are but dimly seen and faintly realized. The same disobedience and
failure which were seen in the Jewish church have characterized in a greater degree the people who
have had this great light from heaven in the last messages of warning. Shall we, like them, squander
our opportunities and privileges until God shall permit oppression and persecution to come upon
457
us? Will the work which might be performed in peace and comparative prosperity be left undone until
it must be performed in days of darkness, under the pressure of trial and persecution? {5T 456.1}
There is a terrible amount of guilt for which the church is responsible. Why are not those who have the
light putting forth earnest efforts to give that light to others? They see that the end is near. They see
multitudes daily transgressing God's law; and they know that these souls cannot be saved in
transgression. Yet they have more interest in their trades, their farms, their houses, their merchandise,
their dress, their tables, than in the souls of men and women whom they must meet face to face in the
judgment. The people who claim to obey the truth are asleep. They could not be at ease as they are if
they were awake. The love of the truth is dying out of their hearts. Their example is not such as to
convince the world that they have truth in advance of every other people upon the earth. At the very
time when they should be strong in God, having a daily, living experience, they are feeble, hesitating,
relying upon the preachers for support, when they should be ministering to others with mind and soul
and voice and pen and time and money. {5T 457.1}
Brethren and sisters, many of you excuse yourselves from labour on the plea of inability to work for
others. But did God make you so incapable? Was not this inability produced by your own inactivity
and perpetuated by your own deliberate choice? Did not God give you at least one talent to improve,
not for your own convenience and gratification, but for Him? Have you realized your obligation, as His
hired servant, to bring a revenue to Him by the wise and skilful use of this entrusted capital? Have you
not neglected opportunities to improve your powers to this end? It is too true that few have felt any real
sense of their responsibility to God. Love, judgment, memory, foresight, tact, energy, and every other
faculty have been devoted to self. You have displayed greater wisdom in the service of evil than in the
cause of God. You have
458
perverted, disabled, nay, even besotted your powers, by your intense activity in worldly pursuits to the
neglect of God's work. {5T 457.2}
Still you soothe your conscience by saying that you cannot undo the past, and gain the vigour, the
strength, and the skill which you might have had if you had employed your powers as God required.
But remember that He holds you responsible for the work negligently done or left undone through your
unfaithfulness. The more you exercise your powers for the Master, the more apt and skilful you will
become. The more closely you connect yourself with the Source of light and power, the greater light
will be shed upon you, and the greater power will be yours to use for God. And for all that you might
have had, but failed to obtain through your devotion to the world, you are responsible. When you
became a follower of Christ you pledged yourself to serve Him and Him alone, and He promised to be
with you and bless you, to refresh you with His light, to grant you His peace, and to make you joyful in
His work. Have you failed to experience these blessings? be sure it is the result of your own course.
{5T 458.1}
In order to escape the draft during the war, there were men who induced disease, others maimed
themselves that they might be rendered unfit for service. Here is an illustration of the course which
many have been pursuing in relation to the cause of God. They have crippled their powers, both
physical and mental, so that they are unable to do the work which is so greatly needed. {5T 458.2}
Suppose that a sum of money were placed in your hands to invest for a certain purpose; would you
throw it away and declare that you were not now responsible for its use? would you feel that you had
saved yourself a great care? Yet this is what you have been doing with the gifts of God. To excuse
yourself from working for others on the plea of inability, while you are all absorbed in worldly
pursuits, is mockery of God. Multitudes are going down to ruin; the people who have received light
and truth are but as a handful to withstand all the host
459
of evil; and yet this little company are devoting their energies to anything and everything but to
learning how they may rescue souls from death. Is it any marvel that the church is weak and
inefficient, that God can do but little for His professed people? They place themselves where it is
impossible for Him to work with them and for them. Dare you continue thus to disregard His claims?
Will you still trifle with heaven's most sacred trusts? Will you say with Cain: "Am I my brother's
keeper?" {5T 458.3}
Remember that your responsibility is measured, not by your present resources and capacities, but by
the powers originally bestowed and the possibilities for improvement. The question which each one
should ask himself is not whether he is now inexperienced and unfit to labour in God's cause, but how
and why he is in this condition, and how it can be remedied. God will not supernaturally endow us
with the qualifications which we lack; but while we exert the ability we have, He will work with us to
increase and strengthen every faculty; our dormant energies will be aroused, and powers which have
long been palsied will receive new life. {5T 459.1}
So long as we are in the world, we must have to do with the things of the world. There will ever be a
necessity for the transaction of temporal, secular business; but this should never become all-absorbing.
The apostle Paul has given a safe rule: "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord."
The humble, common duties of life are all to be performed with fidelity; "heartily," says the apostle,
"as to the Lord." Whatever our department of labour, be it housework or field work or intellectual
pursuits, we may perform it to the glory of God so long as we make Christ first and last and best in
everything. But aside from these worldly employments there is given to every follower of Christ a
special work for the upbuilding of His kingdom--a work which requires personal effort for the
salvation of men. It is not a work to be performed once a week merely, at the place of worship, but at
all times and all places. {5T 459.2}
460
Everyone who connects himself with the church makes in that act a solemn vow to work for the
interest of the church and to hold that interest above every worldly consideration. It is his work to
preserve a living connection with God, to engage with heart and soul in the great scheme of
redemption, and to show, in his life and character, the excellency of God's commandments in contrast
with the customs and precepts of the world. Every soul that has made a profession of Christ has
pledged himself to be all that it is possible for him to be as a spiritual worker, to be active, zealous, and
efficient in his Master's service. Christ expects every man to do his duty; let this be the watchword
throughout the ranks of His followers. {5T 460.1}
We are not to wait to be solicited to give light, to be importuned for counsel or instruction. Everyone
who receives the rays of the Sun of Righteousness is to reflect its brightness to all about him. His
religion should have a positive and decided influence. His prayers and entreaties should be so imbued
with the Holy Spirit that they will melt and subdue the soul. Said Jesus: "Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." It would be
better for a worldling never to have seen a professor of religion than to come under the influence of
one who is ignorant of the power of godliness. If Christ were our pattern, His life our rule, what zeal
would be manifested, what efforts put forth, what liberality exercised, what self-denial practised! How
untiringly should we labour, what fervent petitions for power and wisdom would ascend to God! If all
the professed children of God would feel that it is the chief business of life to do the work which He
has bidden them to do, if they would labour unselfishly in His cause, what a change would be seen in
hearts and homes, in churches, yea, in the world itself! {5T 460.2}
Vigilance and fidelity have been required of Christ's followers in every age; but now that we are
standing upon the very verge of the eternal world, holding the truths we do, having so great light, so
important a work, we must double our
461
diligence. Everyone is to do to the very utmost of his ability. My brother, you endanger your own
salvation if you hold back now. God will call you to account if you fail in the work He has assigned
you. Have you a knowledge of the truth? give it to others. {5T 460.3}
What can I say to arouse our churches? What can I say to those who have acted a prominent part in the
proclamation of the last message? "The Lord is coming," should be the testimony borne, not only by
the lips, but by the life and character; but many to whom God has given light and knowledge, talents of
influence and means, are men who do not love the truth and do not practice it. They have drunk so
deeply from the intoxicating cup of selfishness and worldliness that they have become drunken with
the cares of this life. Brethren, if you continue to be as idle, as worldly, as selfish as you have been,
God will surely pass you by, and take those who are less self-caring, less ambitious for worldly
honour, and who will not hesitate to go, as did their Master, without the camp, bearing the reproach.
The work will be given to those who will take it, those who prize it, who weave its principles into their
everyday experience. God will choose humble men who are seeking to glorify His name and advance
His cause rather than to honour and advance themselves. He will raise up men who have not so much
worldly wisdom, but who are connected with Him, and who will seek strength and counsel from
above. {5T 461.1}
Some of our leading men are inclined to indulge the spirit manifested by the apostle John when he
said: "Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth
not with us." Organization and discipline are essential, but there is now very great danger of a
departure from the simplicity of the gospel of Christ. What we need is less dependence upon mere
form and ceremony, and far more of the power of true godliness. If their life and character are
exemplary, let all work who will, in any capacity. Although they may not conform exactly to your
methods, not a word
462
should be spoken to condemn or discourage them. When the Pharisees desired Jesus to silence the
children who sang His praise, the Saviour said: "If these should hold their peace, the stones would
immediately cry out." Prophecy must be fulfilled. So in these days, the work must be done. There are
many departments of labour; let everyone act a part as best he can. The man with one talent is not to
bury that in the earth. God has given to every man his work according to his ability. Those to whom
larger trusts and capabilities have been committed should not endeavour to silence others who are less
able or experienced. Men with one talent may reach a class that those with two or five talents cannot
approach. Great and small alike are chosen vessels to bear the water of life to thirsting souls. Let not
those who preach the word lay their hands upon the humblest worker and say: "You must labour in this
channel or not work at all." Hands off, brethren. Let everyone work in his own sphere, with his own
armour on, doing whatever he can do in his humble way. Strengthen his hands in the work. This is no
time for pharisaism to control. Let God work through whom He will. The message must go. {5T
461.2}
All are to show their fidelity to God by the wise use of His entrusted capital, not in means alone, but in
any endowment that will tend to the upbuilding of His kingdom. Satan will employ every possible
device to prevent the truth from reaching those who are buried in error; but the voice of warning and
entreaty must come to them. And while only a few are engaged in this work, thousands ought to be as
much interested as they. God never designed that the lay members of the church should be excused
from labour in His cause. "Go, labour in My vineyard," is the Master's command to each of His
followers. As long as there are unconverted souls in the world, there should be the most active, earnest,
zealous, determined effort for their salvation. Those who have received the light should seek to
enlighten those who have it not. If the church members do not individually take hold of this work, then
they show that they have no living connection with God. Their
463
names are registered as slothful servants. Can you not discern the reason why there is no more
spirituality in our churches? It is because you are not colabourers with Christ. {5T 462.1}
God has given to every man his work. Let us each wait on God, and He will teach us how to work and
what work we are best adapted to perform. Yet none are to start out in an independent spirit to
promulgate new theories. The workers should be in harmony with the truth and with their brethren.
There should be counsel and co-operation. But they are not to feel that at every step they must wait to
ask some higher officer if they may do this or that. Look not to man for guidance, but to the God of
Israel. {5T 463.1}
The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a
terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances. The warnings that worldly
conformity has silenced or withheld must be given under the fiercest opposition from enemies of the
faith. And at that time the superficial, conservative class, whose influence has steadily retarded the
progress of the work, will renounce the faith and take their stand with its avowed enemies, toward
whom their sympathies have long been tending. These apostates will then manifest the most bitter
enmity, doing all in their power to oppress and malign their former brethren and to excite indignation
against them. This day is just before us. The members of the church will individually be tested and
proved. They will be placed in circumstances where they will be forced to bear witness for the truth.
Many will be called to speak before councils and in courts of justice, perhaps separately and alone. The
experience which would have helped them in this emergency they have neglected to obtain, and their
souls are burdened with remorse for wasted opportunities and neglected privileges. {5T 463.2}
My brother, my sister, ponder these things, I beseech you. You have each a work to do. Your
unfaithfulness and neglect are registered against you in the Ledger of Heaven. You have diminished
your powers and lessened your capabilities. You
464
lack the experience and efficiency which you might have had. But before it is forever too late, I urge
you to arouse. Delay no longer. The day is almost spent. The westering sun is about sinking forever
from your sight. Yet while the blood of Christ is pleading, you may find pardon. Summon every
energy of the soul, employ the few remaining hours in earnest labour for God and for your fellow men.
{5T 463.3}
My heart is stirred to the very depths. Words are inadequate to express my feelings as I plead for
perishing souls. Must I plead in vain? As Christ's ambassador I would arouse you to labour as you
never laboured before. Your duty cannot be shifted upon another. No one but yourself can do your
work. If you withhold your light, someone must be left in darkness through your neglect. {5T 464.1}
Eternity stretches before us. The curtain is about to be lifted. We who occupy this solemn, responsible
position, what are we doing, what are we thinking about, that we cling to our selfish love of ease, while
souls are perishing around us? Have our hearts become utterly callous? Cannot we feel or understand
that we have a work to do for the salvation of others? Brethren, are you of the class who having eyes
see not, and having ears hear not? Is it in vain that God has given you a knowledge of His will? Is it in
vain that He has sent you warning after warning? Do you believe the declarations of eternal truth
concerning what is about to come upon the earth, do you believe that God's judgments are hanging
over the people, and can you still sit at ease, indolent, careless, pleasure loving? {5T 464.2}
It is no time now for God's people to be fixing their affections or laying up their treasure in the world.
The time is not far distant, when, like the early disciples, we shall be forced to seek a refuge in desolate
and solitary places. As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight to the
Judean Christians, so the assumption of power on the part of our nation in the decree enforcing the
papal sabbath will be a warning to us. It will then be time to leave the large cities,
465
preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains. And
now, instead of seeking expensive dwellings here, we should be preparing to move to a better country,
even a heavenly. Instead of spending our means in self-gratification, we should be studying to
economize. Every talent lent of God should be used to His glory in giving the warning to the world.
God has a work for His colabourers to do in the cities. Our missions must be sustained; new missions
must be opened. To carry forward this work successfully will require no small outlay. Houses of
worship are needed, where the people may be invited to hear the truths for this time. For this very
purpose, God has entrusted a capital to His stewards. Let not your property be tied up in worldly
enterprises, so that this work shall be hindered. Get your means where you can handle it for the benefit
of the cause of God. Send your treasures before you into heaven. {5T 464.3}
The members of the church should individually hold themselves and all their possessions upon the
altar of God. Now, as never before, the Saviour's admonition is applicable: "Sell that ye have, and give
alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no
thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Those who are fastening their means in large houses, in lands, in worldly enterprises, are saying by
their actions: "God cannot have it; I want it for myself." They have bound up their one talent in a
napkin and hid it in the earth. There is cause for such to be alarmed. Brethren, God has not entrusted
means to you to lie idle nor to be covetously retained or hid away, but to be used to advance His cause,
to save the souls of the perishing. It is not the time now to bind up the Lord's money in your expensive
buildings and your large enterprises, while His cause is crippled and left to beg its way, the treasury
half-supplied. The Lord is not in this way of working. Remember, the day is fast approaching when it
will be said: "Give an account of thy stewardship." Can you not discern the signs of the times? {5T
465.1}
466
Every day that passes brings us nearer the last great important day. We are one year nearer the
judgment, nearer eternity, than we were at the beginning of 1884. Are we also drawing nearer to God?
Are we watching unto prayer? Another year of our time to labour has rolled into eternity. Every day
we have been associating with men and women who are judgment bound. Each day may have been the
dividing line to some soul; someone may have made the decision which shall determine his future
destiny. What has been our influence over these fellow travellers? What efforts have we put forth to
bring them to Christ? {5T 466.1}
It is a solemn thing to die, but a far more solemn thing to live. Every thought and word and deed of our
lives will meet us again. What we make of ourselves in probationary time, that we must remain to all
eternity. Death brings dissolution to the body, but makes no change in the character. The coming of
Christ does not change our characters; it only fixes them forever beyond all change. {5T 466.2}
Again I appeal to the members of the church to be Christians, to be Christlike. Jesus was a worker, not
for Himself, but for others. He laboured to bless and save the lost. If you are Christians you will imitate
His example. He has laid the foundation, and we are builders together with Him. But what material are
we bringing to lay on this foundation? "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."
If you are devoting all your strength and talent to the things of this world, your lifework is represented
by wood, hay, and stubble, to be consumed by the fires of the last day. But unselfish labour for Christ
and the future life will be as gold, silver, and precious stones; it is imperishable. {5T 466.3}
My brethren and sisters, awake, I beseech you, from the sleep of death. It is too late to devote the
strength of brain, bone, and muscle to self-serving. Let not the last day find you destitute of heavenly
treasure. Seek to push the triumphs of the cross, seek to enlighten souls, labour for the salvation of
467
your fellow beings, and your work will abide the trying test of fire. {5T 466.4}
"If any man's work abide, . . . he shall receive a reward." Glorious will be the reward bestowed when
the faithful workers are gathered about the throne of God and the Lamb. When John in his mortal state
beheld the glory of God, he fell as one dead; he was not able to endure the sight. But when mortal shall
have put on immortality, the ransomed ones are like Jesus, for they see Him as He is. They stand
before the throne, signifying that they are accepted. All their sins are blotted out, all their
transgressions borne away. Now they can look upon the undimmed glory from the throne of God. They
have been partakers with Christ of His sufferings, they have been workers together with Him in the
plan of redemption, and they are partakers with Him in the joy of beholding souls saved through their
instrumentality to praise God through all eternity. {5T 467.1}
54. Joshua and the Angel
If the veil which separates the visible from the invisible world could be lifted, and the people of God
could behold the great controversy that is going on between Christ and holy angels and Satan and his
evil hosts concerning the redemption of man; if they could understand the wonderful work of God for
the rescue of souls from the bondage of sin, and the constant exercise of His power for their protection
from the malice of the evil one, they would be better prepared to withstand the devices of Satan. Their
minds would be solemnized in view of the vast extent and importance of the plan of redemption and
the greatness of the work before them as colabourers with Christ. They would be humbled, yet
encouraged, knowing that all heaven is interested in their salvation. {5T 467.2}
A most forcible and impressive illustration of the work of Satan and the work of Christ, and the power
of our Mediator
468
to vanquish the accuser of His people, is given in the prophecy of Zechariah. In holy vision the prophet
beholds Joshua the high priest, "clothed with filthy garments," standing before the Angel of the Lord,
entreating the mercy of God in behalf of his people who are in deep affliction. Satan stands at his right
hand to resist him. Because Israel had been chosen to preserve the knowledge of God in the earth, they
had been, from their first existence as a nation, the special objects of Satan's enmity, and he had
determined to cause their destruction. He could do them no harm while they were obedient to God;
therefore he had bent all his power and cunning to enticing them into sin. Ensnared by his temptations
they had transgressed the law of God and thus separated from the Source of their strength, and had
been left to become the prey of their heathen enemies. They were carried into captivity to Babylon, and
there remained for many years. Yet they were not forsaken of the Lord. His prophets were sent to them
with reproofs and warnings. The people were awakened to see their guilt, they humbled themselves
before God, and returned to Him with true repentance. Then the Lord sent them messages of
encouragement, declaring that He would deliver them from their captivity and restore them to His
favour. It was this that Satan was determined to prevent. A remnant of Israel had already returned to
their own land, and Satan was seeking to move upon the heathen nations, who were his agents, to
utterly destroy them. {5T 467.3}
As Joshua humbly pleads for the fulfilment of God's promises, Satan stands up boldly to resist him. He
points to the transgressions of Israel as a reason why that people should not be restored to the favour of
God. He claims them as his prey and demands that they be given into his hands to be destroyed. {5T
468.1}
The high priest cannot defend himself or his people from Satan's accusations. He does not claim that
Israel are free from fault. In his filthy garments, symbolizing the sins of the people, which he bears as
their representative, he stands before the Angel, confessing their guilt, yet pointing to their repentance
469
and humiliation, relying upon the mercy of a sin-pardoning Redeemer and in faith claiming the
promises of God. {5T 468.2}
Then the Angel, who is Christ Himself, the Saviour of sinners, puts to silence the accuser of His
people, declaring: "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke
thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" Israel had long remained in the furnace of affliction.
Because of their sins they had been well-nigh consumed in the flame kindled by Satan and his agents
for their destruction, but God had now set His hand to bring them forth. In their penitence and
humiliation the compassionate Saviour will not leave His people to the cruel power of the heathen. "A
bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench." {5T 469.1}
As the intercession of Joshua is accepted, the command is given, "Take away the filthy garments from
him," and to Joshua the Angel declares, "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I
will clothe thee with change of raiment." "So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with
garments." His own sins and those of his people were pardoned. Israel were clothed with "change of
raiment" --the righteousness of Christ imputed to them. The mitre placed upon Joshua's head was such
as was worn by the priests and bore the inscription, "Holiness to the Lord," signifying that,
notwithstanding his former transgressions, he was now qualified to minister before God in His
sanctuary. {5T 469.2}
After thus solemnly investing him with the dignity of the priesthood the Angel declared: "Thus saith
the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou shalt also
judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that
stand by." He would be HONOURED as the judge or ruler over the temple and all its services; he
should walk among attending angels, even in this life, and should at last join the glorified throng
around the throne of God. {5T 469.3}
"Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy
470
fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth My servant the
Branch." Here is revealed the hope of Israel. It was by faith in the coming Saviour that Joshua and his
people received pardon. Through faith in Christ they were restored to God's favour. By virtue of His
merits, if they walked in His ways and kept His statutes, they would be "men wondered at,"
HONOURED as the chosen of heaven among the nations of the earth. Christ was their hope, their
defence, their justification and redemption, as He is the hope of His church today. {5T 469.4}
As Satan accused Joshua and his people, so in all ages he accuses those who are seeking the mercy and
favour of God. In the Revelation he is declared to be the "accuser of our brethren," "which accused
them before our God day and night." The controversy is repeated over every soul that is rescued from
the power of evil and whose name is registered in the Lamb's book of life. Never is one received from
the family of Satan into the family of God without exciting the determined resistance of the wicked
one. Satan's accusations against those who seek the Lord are not prompted by displeasure at their sins.
He exults in their defective characters. Only through their transgression of God's law can he obtain
power over them. His accusations arise solely from his enmity to Christ. Through the plan of salvation,
Jesus is breaking Satan's hold upon the human family and rescuing souls from his power. All the hatred
and malignity of the archrebel is stirred as he beholds the evidence of Christ's supremacy, and with
fiendish power and cunning he works to wrest from Him the remnant of the children of men who have
accepted His salvation. {5T 470.1}
He leads men into skepticism, causing them to lose confidence in God and to separate from His love;
he tempts them to break His law, and then he claims them as his captives and contests the right of
Christ to take them from him. He knows that those who seek God earnestly for pardon and grace will
obtain it; therefore he presents their sins before them to discourage them. He is constantly seeking
occasion against those
471
who are trying to obey God. Even their best and most acceptable services he seeks to make appear
corrupt. By countless devices, the most subtle and the most cruel, he endeavours to secure their
condemnation. Man cannot meet these charges himself. In his sin-stained garments, confessing his
guilt, he stands before God. But Jesus our Advocate presents an effectual plea in behalf of all who by
repentance and faith have committed the keeping of their souls to Him. He pleads their cause and
vanquishes their accuser by the mighty arguments of Calvary. His perfect obedience to God's law, even
unto the death of the cross, has given Him all power in heaven and in earth, and He claims of His
Father mercy and reconciliation for guilty man. To the accuser of His people He declares: "'The Lord
rebuke thee, O Satan.' These are the purchase of My blood, brands plucked from the burning." Those
who rely upon Him in faith receive the comforting assurance: "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to
pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." All that have put on the robe of Christ's
righteousness will stand before Him as chosen and faithful and true. Satan has no power to pluck them
out of the hand of Christ. Not one soul that in penitence and faith has claimed His protection will
Christ permit to pass under the enemy's power. His word is pledged: "Let him take hold of My
strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me." The promise given to
Joshua is made to all: "If thou wilt keep My charge, . . . I will give thee places to walk among these
that stand by." Angels of God will walk on either side of them, even in this world, and they will stand
at last among the angels that surround the throne of God. {5T 470.2}
The fact that the acknowledged people of God are represented as standing before the Lord in filthy
garments should lead to humility and deep searching of heart on the part of all who profess His name.
Those who are indeed purifying their souls by obeying the truth will have a most humble opinion of
themselves. The more closely they view the spotless
472
character of Christ, the stronger will be their desire to be conformed to His image, and the less will
they see of purity or holiness in themselves. But while we should realize our sinful condition, we are to
rely upon Christ as our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption. We cannot answer the
charges of Satan against us. Christ alone can make an effectual plea in our behalf. He is able to silence
the accuser with arguments founded not upon our merits, but on His own. {5T 471.1}
Yet we should never be content with a sinful life. It is a thought that should arouse Christians to greater
zeal and earnestness in overcoming evil, that every defect in character, every point in which they fail to
meet the divine standard, is an open door by which Satan can enter to tempt and destroy them; and,
furthermore, that every failure and defect on their part gives occasion to the tempter and his agents to
reproach Christ. We are to exert every energy of the soul in the work of overcoming, and to look to
Jesus for strength to do what we cannot do of ourselves. No sin can be tolerated in those who shall
walk with Christ in white. The filthy garments are to be removed, and Christ's robe of righteousness is
to be placed upon us. By repentance and faith we are enabled to render obedience to all the
commandments of God, and are found without blame before Him. Those who shall meet the approval
of God are now afflicting their souls, confessing their sins, and earnestly pleading for pardon through
Jesus their Advocate. Their attention is fixed upon Him, their hopes, their faith, are centred on Him,
and when the command is given, "Take away the filthy garments, and clothe him with change of
raiment, and set a fair mitre upon his head," they are prepared to give Him all the glory of their
salvation. {5T 472.1}
Zechariah's vision of Joshua and the Angel applies with peculiar force to the experience of God's
people in the closing up of the great day of atonement. The remnant church will be brought into great
trial and distress. Those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus will feel the ire of
the dragon and his hosts. Satan numbers the world as his
473
subjects, he has gained control of the apostate churches; but here is a little company that are resisting
his supremacy. If he could blot them from the earth, his triumph would be complete. As he influenced
the heathen nations to destroy Israel, so in the near future he will stir up the wicked powers of earth to
destroy the people of God. All will be required to render obedience to human edicts in violation of the
divine law. Those who will be true to God and to duty will be menaced, denounced, and proscribed.
They will "be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends." {5T 472.2}
Their only hope is in the mercy of God; their only defence will be prayer. As Joshua was pleading
before the Angel, so the remnant church, with brokenness of heart and earnest faith, will plead for
pardon and deliverance through Jesus their Advocate. They are fully conscious of the sinfulness of
their lives, they see their weakness and unworthiness, and as they look upon themselves they are ready
to despair. The tempter stands by to accuse them, as he stood by to resist Joshua. He points to their
filthy garments, their defective characters. He presents their weakness and folly, their sins of
ingratitude, their unlikeness to Christ, which has dishonoured their Redeemer. He endeavours to
affright the soul with the thought that their case is hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never
be washed away. He hopes to so destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations, turn from
their allegiance to God, and receive the mark of the beast. {5T 473.1}
Satan urges before God his accusations against them, declaring that they have by their sins forfeited
the divine protection, and claiming the right to destroy them as transgressors. He pronounces them just
as deserving as himself of exclusion from the favour of God. "Are these," he says, "the people who are
to take my place in heaven and the place of the angels who united with me? While they profess to obey
the law of God, have they kept its precepts? Have they not been lovers of self more than of God? Have
they not placed their own interests above His service? Have they not loved the things of the world?
Look at the sins which
474
have marked their lives. Behold their selfishness, their malice, their hatred toward one another." {5T
473.2}
The people of God have been in many respects very faulty. Satan has an accurate knowledge of the
sins which he has tempted them to commit, and he presents these in the most exaggerated light,
declaring: "Will God banish me and my angels from His presence, and yet reward those who have been
guilty of the same sins? Thou canst not do this, O Lord, in justice. Thy throne will not stand in
righteousness and judgment. Justice demands that sentence be pronounced against them." {5T 474.1}
But while the followers of Christ have sinned, they have not given themselves to the control of evil.
They have put away their sins, and have sought the Lord in humility and contrition, and the divine
Advocate pleads in their behalf. He who has been most abused by their ingratitude, who knows their
sin, and also their repentance, declares: "'The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan.' I gave My life for these
souls. They are graven upon the palms of My hands." {5T 474.2}
The assaults of Satan are strong, his delusions are terrible; but the Lord's eye is upon His people. Their
affliction is great, the flames of the furnace seem about to consume them; but Jesus will bring them
forth as gold tried in the fire. Their earthliness must be removed that the image of Christ may be
perfectly reflected; unbelief must be overcome; faith, hope, and patience are to be developed. {5T
474.3}
The people of God are sighing and crying for the abominations done in the land. With tears they warn
the wicked of their danger in trampling upon the divine law, and with unutterable sorrow they humble
themselves before the Lord on account of their own transgressions. The wicked mock their sorrow,
ridicule their solemn appeals, and sneer at what they term their weakness. But the anguish and
humiliation of God's people is unmistakable evidence that they are regaining the strength and nobility
of character lost in consequence of sin. It is because they are drawing nearer to Christ, and their eyes
are fixed upon His perfect purity, that they so clearly
475
discern the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Their contrition and self-abasement are infinitely more
acceptable in the sight of God than is the self-sufficient, haughty spirit of those who see no cause to
lament, who scorn the humility of Christ, and who claim perfection while transgressing God's holy
law. Meekness and lowliness of heart are the conditions for strength and victory. The crown of glory
awaits those who bow at the foot of the cross. Blessed are these mourners, for they shall be comforted.
{5T 474.4}
The faithful, praying ones are, as it were, shut in with God. They themselves know not how securely
they are shielded. Urged on by Satan, the rulers of this world are seeking to destroy them; but could
their eyes be opened, as were the eyes of Elisha's servant at Dothan, they would see the angels of God
encamped about them, by their brightness and glory holding in check the hosts of darkness. {5T 475.1}
As the people of God afflict their souls before Him, pleading for purity of heart, the command is given,
"Take away the filthy garments" from them, and the encouraging words are spoken, "Behold, I have
caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." The spotless
robe of Christ's righteousness is placed upon the tried, tempted, yet faithful children of God. The
despised remnant are clothed in glorious apparel, nevermore to be defiled by the corruptions of the
world. Their names are retained in the Lamb's book of life, enrolled among the faithful of all ages.
They have resisted the wiles of the deceiver; they have not been turned from their loyalty by the
dragon's roar. Now they are eternally secure from the tempter's devices. Their sins are transferred to
the originator of sin. And the remnant are not only pardoned and accepted, but HONOURED. "A fair
mitre" is set upon their heads. They are to be as kings and priests unto God. While Satan was urging
his accusations and seeking to destroy this company, holy angels, unseen, were passing to and fro,
placing upon them the seal of the living God. These are they that stand upon Mount Zion with the
Lamb, having the Father's name written in
476
their foreheads. They sing the new song before the throne, that song which no man can learn save the
hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. "These are they which
follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits
unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the
throne of God." {5T 475.2}
Now is reached the complete fulfilment of those words of the Angel: "Hear now, O Joshua the high
priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring
forth My servant the Branch." Christ is revealed as the Redeemer and Deliverer of His people. Now
indeed are the remnant "men wondered at," as the tears and humiliation of their pilgrimage give place
to joy and honour in the presence of God and the Lamb. "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be
beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped
of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall
be called holy, even everyone that is written among the living in Jerusalem." {5T 476.1}
55. Unity and Love in the Church
Dear Brethren and Sisters in Healdsburg: Do not forget that the most dangerous snares which Satan has
prepared for the church will come through its own members who do not love God supremely or their
neighbour as themselves. Satan is continually striving to wedge himself in between brethren. He seeks
to gain control of those who claim to believe the truth, but who are unconverted; and when he can
influence these, through their own carnal nature, to unite with him in trying to thwart the purposes of
God, then he is exultant. {5T 477.1}
The Health Institute, the college, the ministry, and the missionary societies, are all instrumentalities
which God employs for the accomplishment of His work. If Satan can in any way invent something
which will divert talent and means from these instrumentalities into another channel, he will do it.
There are some who are deceived in themselves. While flattering themselves that they are doing God's
work, they are playing into the hands of the great deceiver and rendering him effectual service. Beware
of these deceptions. Ever remember what is due to our Christian profession as God's peculiar people;
and beware lest, in the exercise of personal independence, your influence may work against the
purposes of God, and you, through Satan's devices, become a stumbling block, directly in the way of
those who are weak
478
and halting. There is danger of giving our enemies occasion to blaspheme God and heap scorn upon
believers in the truth. {5T 477.2}
Be especially guarded against becoming a tool in the hands of the enemy to divert the minds of any-men and women, or children--from an entire surrender of themselves to God and to the great work for
this time. Beware of flattering the young by holding out to them the prospect of financial gain,
wonderful educational advantages, or great personal achievements. Flattering words are sweet to the
unconsecrated heart, and some who think they are standing firm, are dazed, allured, and intoxicated
with hopes that will never be realized. A great wrong has been done in this way. All should think and
speak modestly of their own capabilities, and should be careful not to encourage pride and self-esteem
in others. Men and women, unless consecrated to God, are weak in moral power and may be entirely
mistaken in their estimate of human ability and of what constitutes Christian fidelity. Present no
inducements which will lessen the interest of any in building up an institution which God has said
should be built up. {5T 478.1}
Brother A does not manifest good judgment upon all occasions and in all matters. He is not wellbalanced, and unless he walks in humility before God, he will make dangerous mistakes. He lacks
discernment, and therefore misjudges character, using such extravagant words of flattery to some as
will hurt their souls. He will lead them to think that they can do some great thing, and thus they will
neglect the little duties lying directly in their path. {5T 478.2}
I do not plead for inactivity, but I plead for this selfish, worldly spirit to be overcome. Any enterprise
which will unite the interests of church members, and will bring harmony and unity of effort into the
work of God, may be safely entered into. But never, never forget that you are either servants of Jesus
Christ, working strenuously for that unity of believers which Christ prayed might exist, or you are
working against this unity and against Christ. {5T 478.3}
479
Those who seek to lessen the interest of any in the school at Healdsburg, or in the missionary work in
any of its branches, are not working together with God, but are working under another captain, whose
aim is to weaken and destroy. Your usefulness, brethren and sisters of the Healdsburg church, requires
that you be straightforward in all your dealings; that you be humble, holy, and undefiled. There should
be less proud self-seeking, less self-importance. When the members of the church are clothed with
humility, when they put from them self-esteem and self-seeking, when they seek constantly to do
God's will--then they will work together in harmony. God's Spirit is one. . . . {5T 479.1}
The crisis is just before us when each will need much strength from God in order to stand against the
wiles of Satan, for his deceptions will come in every conceivable form. Those who have allowed
themselves to be the sport of Satan's temptations will be unprepared then to take the right side. Their
ideas will be confused so that they cannot discern between the divine and the satanic. {5T 479.2}
There will come a crisis in every one of our institutions. Influences will be at work against them from
both believers and unbelievers. There must be no betraying of confidence or holy trust now to benefit
or exalt self. We should constantly watch our life with jealous care lest we leave wrong impressions
upon the world. Say it, act it: "I am a Christian. I can not act upon the world's maxims. I must love God
supremely and my neighbour as myself. I cannot enter into or connive at any arrangement which will
interfere in the slightest manner with my usefulness or weaken my influence or destroy the confidence
of anyone in God's instrumentalities." . . . {5T 479.3}
Remember that God's people are but a little flock compared with the professedly Christian world and
the myriads of world-adoring men and women. They are to be Bible Christians, examples to our youth
of righteousness and exactness in all things. Every influence surrounding the young
480
should be of a holy character, and this influence should begin in our own families. The sacred and the
common should not be commingled. {5T 479.4}
Guarding the Interests of Brethren
By his baptismal vows every member of the church has solemnly pledged himself to guard the interests
of his brethren. All will be tempted to cling to their own cherished plans and ideas, which appear sound
to them; but they should watch and pray, and endeavour, to the utmost of their ability, to build up the
kingdom of Jesus in the world. Every Christian is required by God, as far as it is in his power, to ward
off from his brethren and sisters every influence which will have the least tendency to divide them or
to separate their interests from the work for this present time. He should not only have a regard for his
own spiritual interests, but should manifest a burden for the souls of those to whom he stands related;
and he should, through Christ, have a constraining power over other members of the church. His words
and deportment should have an influence to lead them to follow Christ's example in self-denial, selfsacrifice, and love for others. {5T 480.1}
If there are any in the church who exert an influence contrary to the love and disinterested benevolence
which Jesus manifested for us, if they draw apart from their brethren, faithful men should deal with
these cases in wisdom, labouring for their souls, yet being careful that their influence shall not leaven
others, and that the church shall not be led astray by their disaffection and false reports. Some are filled
with self-sufficiency. There are a few who they think are right, but they question and find fault with
every act of others. These persons must not be allowed to imperil the interests of the church. In order
to raise the moral tone of the church, each should feel it his duty to seek personal spiritual culture,
through the practice of strict Bible principles, as in the sight of a holy God. {5T 480.2}
481
Let each church member feel that he himself must be right with God, that he must be sanctified
through the truth. Then he can represent Christian character to others and can set an example of
unselfishness. If each will do this, the church will increase in spirituality and in favour with God. {5T
481.1}
Every church member should feel under obligation to consecrate his tithe to God. None are to follow
the sight of their eyes or the inclination of their selfish hearts and thus rob God. They should not use
their means to gratify vanity or for any other selfish indulgence, for in so doing they entangle
themselves in Satan's snares. God is the giver of tact, of ability to accumulate wealth, and therefore all
is to be laid upon His altar. The requirement is: "Honour the Lord with thy substance." The tendency to
covetousness must be constantly restrained, else it will eat into the hearts of men and women, and they
will run greedily after gain. {5T 481.2}
In the wilderness of temptation, Satan, the adversary of souls, presented before Christ the glories of
this world and said: "If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine." The Saviour repulsed
Satan; but how easily is man seduced by the representations of the great enemy! Many are charmed
with the attractions of the world; they serve mammon rather than God, and so lose their souls. {5T
481.3}
In a little while we are to meet our Lord; and what account shall we have to give Him of the use we
have made of our time, our talents of influence, and our possessions? Our joy should be in the work of
saving souls. I solemnly inquire of the Healdsburg church: Is God among you of a truth? Says the True
Witness: "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall
walk with Me in white: for they are worthy." Are you of this number? Have you held fast your
integrity? As drowning men, have you clung to Jesus, who is your refuge? Are you obeying Him,
living for Him, loving Him? Is each member pure and holy and undefiled, one in whose mouth
482
there is no guile? If so, you are most happy; for you are, in the sight of God, "more precious than fine
gold; even . . . than the golden wedge of Ophir." While multitudes are devoted to mammon, and serve
not the Holy One of Israel, there are a few who have not defiled their garments, but have kept them
unspotted from the world; and these few will be a power. This class will have that faith which works
by love and purifies the soul. They will exemplify lofty Christian principles. They will seek for
personal connection with the Source of light and will endeavour to make constant improvement,
cultivating every faculty to its fullest extent. God would have you bring into your life the most
unbending uprightness and integrity; this will distinguish you before the world as children of the most
high God. Jesus was calm and gentle, not losing His self-command, even when in stormy conflict,
amid fiercest elements of opposition. {5T 481.4}
God says to you who have had great light: "Come up higher." Draw nearer to God and heaven. Go
forward. You need faith, an unfeigned love for your brethren, and a deeper interest in them. God has
entrusted you with sacred responsibilities. There is a mission field for every member of the church,
where he may exert an influence for good. {5T 482.1}
Our college is not what it should be nor what it will be if our brethren and sisters will feel that it is a
sacred trust committed to them. If they will elevate the standard of spirituality in the church, if they
will set an example of integrity in all their dealings, if all will cultivate godliness and Christian dignity,
then the influence of the college will be widespread, and a light will go forth from it with rich
blessings. I have seen that if the college is properly conducted, many youth will go forth from it to be
active labourers in the cause of God. But let all take heed lest in word or action they cast an influence
against it or against the truth by an unconsecrated life, by evil surmising, or by evil report; for God will
surely
483
mark it against them. The college will always be obliged to struggle against difficulties because some
men lack faith and are not controlled by the mind of Christ. If Satan can find persons among us who
will watch for evil and speak disparagingly of our institutions, picking up every little unpleasant thing
that happens, he is well pleased. He will not cease his efforts to lead persons to depreciate the college
because it does not in every particular meet their ideas. If he sees that youth can be benefited he will
press every influence into the church to discourage rather than to strengthen and build up. {5T 482.2}
That these elements are in Healdsburg as well as in other places none will deny; and if Satan did not
use them, he would use some other influence to the same end. But "woe to that man by whom the
offense cometh;" for it were "better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were
cast into the sea." God has His means of working. Men cannot always discern them, and by attaching
so much importance to their own efforts they not only give the Lord no room to work, but are found
working against Him. "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." "Ye therefore, beloved,
seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked,
fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ." {5T 483.1}
We are nearing the end of time. Trials will be abundant from without, but let them not come from
within the church. Let God's professed people deny self for the truth's sake, for Christ's sake. "For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Everyone who truly loves God will
have the spirit of Christ and a fervent love for his brethren. The more a person's heart is in communion
with God, and the more his affections are centred in Christ, the less will he be disturbed
484
by the roughness and hardships he meets in this life. Those who are growing up to the full stature of
men and women in Christ Jesus, will become more and more like Christ in character, rising above the
disposition to murmur and be discontented. They will despise to be faultfinders. {5T 483.2}
The church at this time should have the faith once delivered to the saints, which will enable them to
say boldly: "God is mine helper;" "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." The
Lord bids us arise and go forward. Whenever the church at any period have forsaken their sins, and
believed and walked in the truth, they have been HONOURED of God. There is in faith and humble
obedience a power that the world cannot withstand. The order of God's providence in relation to His
people is progression--continual advancement in the perfection of Christian character, in the way of
holiness, rising higher and higher in the clear light and knowledge and love of God, to the very close of
time. Oh! why are we ever learning only the first principles of the doctrine of Christ? {5T 484.1}
The Lord has rich blessings for the church if its members will seek earnestly to arouse from this
perilous lukewarmness. A religion of vanity, words devoid of vitality, a character destitute of moral
strength,--these are pointed out in the solemn message addressed by the True Witness to the churches,
warning them against pride, worldliness, formalism, and self-sufficiency. To him that says, "I am rich,
and increased with goods, and have need of nothing," the Lord of heaven declares, Thou "knowest not
that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." But to the lowly, the suffering,
the faithful, the patient, who are alive to their weakness and insufficiency, are given words of
encouragement: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." The True Witness
485
says to all: "I know thy works." This close scrutiny is over the churches in California. Nothing escapes
His searching gaze; their faults and errors, their neglects and failures, their sinful departure from the
truth, their declensions and shortcomings--all are "opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to
do." {5T 484.2}
I hope and pray that you may walk in all lowliness of mind, that you may be a blessing to one another.
"Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry." The bridal lamps must be
kept trimmed and burning. Our Lord delays because of His long-suffering to usward, "not willing that
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." But when we, with all the redeemed, shall
stand upon the sea of glass, with harps of gold and crowns of glory, and before us the immensity of
eternity, then we shall see how short was the waiting period of probation. "Blessed are those servants,
whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching." {5T 485.1}
We are living in an age when all should especially give heed to the injunction of the Saviour: "Watch
and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." Let everyone bear in mind that he should be true and loyal
to God, believing the truth, growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Saviour's
invitation is: "Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
The Lord is willing to help us, to strengthen and bless us; but we must pass through the refining
process until all the impurities in our character are burned away. Every member of the church will be
subjected to the furnace, not to consume, but to purify. {5T 485.2}
The Lord has wrought among you, but Satan has also intruded himself, to bring in fanaticism. There
are other evils also to be avoided. Some are in danger of being satisfied with the glimpses they have
had of the light and love of God, and so ceasing to advance. Watchfulness and prayer have not
486
been maintained. At the very time when the acclamation is made, "The temple of the Lord, The temple
of the Lord, are these," temptations come in, and darkness gathers about the soul--earthliness,
selfishness, and self-glorification. There is a necessity for the Lord Himself to communicate His own
ideas to the soul. What a thought!--that instead of our poor, earthly, contracted ideas and plans the
Lord will communicate to us His own ideas, His own thought, noble, broad, far-reaching, always
leading heavenward! {5T 485.3}
Here is your danger, in failing to press forward "toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus." Has the Lord given you light? Then you are responsible for that light; not merely
while its rays are shining upon you, but for all which it has revealed to you in the past. You are to
surrender your will to God daily; you are to walk in the light, and to expect more; for the light from the
dear Saviour is to shine forth in clearer, more distinct rays amid the moral darkness, increasing in
brightness more and more unto the perfect day. {5T 486.1}
Are all the members of your church seeking to gather fresh manna every morning and evening? Are
you seeking divine enlightenment? or are you devising means whereby you can glorify yourselves?
Are you, with your whole soul, might, mind, and strength, loving and serving God in blessing others
around you by leading them to the Light of the world? Are you satisfied with past blessings? or are you
walking as Christ walked, working as He worked, revealing Him to the world in your words and
actions? Are you, as obedient children, living a pure and holy life? Christ must be brought into your
life. He alone can cure you of envy, of evil surmising against your brethren; He alone can take away
from you the self-sufficient spirit that some of you cherish to your own spiritual detriment. Jesus alone
can make you feel your weakness, your ignorance, your corrupt nature. He alone can
487
make you pure, refine you, fit you for the mansions of the blessed. {5T 486.2}
"Through God we shall do valiantly." What an amount of good you can do by being loyal to God and
to your brethren, by repressing every unkind thought, every feeling of envy or self-importance! Let
your life be filled with the ministry of kindness to others. How soon you may be called to lay off the
armour, you know not. Death may claim you suddenly, giving you no time to prepare for your last
change, no physical strength or mental power to fix your thoughts on God and make your peace with
Him. Some, erelong, will know by experience how vain is the help of man, how worthless is the selfimportant, self-sufficient righteousness which has satisfied them. {5T 487.1}
I feel urged by the Spirit of the Lord to tell you that now is your day of privilege, of trust, of blessing.
Will you improve it? Are you working for the glory of God, or for selfish interests? Are you keeping
before your mind's eye brilliant prospects of worldly success, whereby you may obtain selfgratification and financial gain? If so, you will be most bitterly disappointed. But if you seek to live a
pure and holy life, to learn daily in the school of Christ the lessons that He has invited you to learn, to
be meek and lowly in heart, then you have a peace which no worldly circumstances can change. {5T
487.2}
A life in Christ is a life of restfulness. Uneasiness, dissatisfaction, and restlessness reveal the absence
of the Saviour. If Jesus is brought into the life, that life will be filled with good and noble works for the
Master. You will forget to be self-serving, and will live closer and still closer to the dear Saviour; your
character will become Christlike, and all around you will take knowledge that you have been with
Jesus and learned of Him. Each one possesses in himself the source of his own happiness or
wretchedness. If he will, he may rise above the low, sentimental feeling which makes up the
488
experience of many; but so long as he is self-inflated, the Lord can do nothing for him. Satan will
present ambitious projects to daze the senses, but we must ever keep before us "the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Crowd all the good works you possibly can into this life.
"They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to
righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." {5T 487.3}
If our lives are filled with holy fragrance, if we honour God by having good thoughts toward others,
and doing good deeds to bless others, it matters not whether we live in a cottage or a palace.
Circumstances have but little to do with the experiences of the soul. It is the spirit cherished which
gives colouring to all our actions. A man at peace with God and his fellow men cannot be made
miserable. Envy will not be in his heart; evil surmising will find no room there; hatred cannot exist.
The heart in harmony with God is lifted above the annoyances and trials of this life. But a heart where
the peace of Christ is not, is unhappy, full of discontent; the person sees defects in everything, and he
would bring discord into the most heavenly music. A life of selfishness is a life of evil. Those whose
hearts are filled with love of self will store away evil thoughts of their brethren and will talk against
God's instrumentalities. Passions kept warm and fierce by Satan's promptings are a bitter fountain, ever
sending forth bitter streams to poison the life of others. . . . {5T 488.1}
Let each one who claims to follow Christ esteem himself less and others more. Press together, press
together! In union there is strength and victory; in discord and division there is weakness and defeat.
These words have been spoken to me from heaven. As God's ambassador I speak them to you. {5T
488.2}
Let everyone seek to answer the prayer of Christ: "That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in
Me, and I in
489
Thee." Oh, what unity is this! and says Christ: "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if
ye have love one to another." {5T 488.3}
When death claims one of our number, what are our memories of the treatment he has received? Are
the pictures upon memory's walls pleasant to reflect upon? Are they memories of kind words spoken,
of sympathy given at the right time? Have his brethren turned away the evil surmisings of indiscreet
meddlers? Have they vindicated his cause? Have they been faithful to the inspired injunction:
"Comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak"? "Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast
strengthened the weak hands." "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to
them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not." {5T 489.1}
When he with whom we have associated in the church is dead, when we know that his account in the
books of heaven is fixed, and that he must meet that record in the judgment, what are the reflections of
his brethren as to the course they have pursued toward him? What has been their influence upon him?
How clearly now every harsh word, every unadvised act, is called to mind! How differently they would
conduct themselves if they had another trial! {5T 489.2}
The apostle Paul thanked God for the comfort given him in sorrow, saying: "Blessed be . . . the God of
all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in
any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." As Paul felt the comfort
and warmth of God's love breaking into his soul, he reflected the blessing upon others. Let us so order
our conduct that the pictures hung upon the walls of our memory may not be of such a character that
we cannot endure to reflect upon them. {5T 489.3}
After those with whom we associate are dead, there will
490
never be an opportunity to recall any word spoken to them, or to wipe from the memory any painful
impression. Then let us take heed to our ways, that we do not offend God with our lips. Let all
coldness and variance be put away. Let the heart melt into tenderness before God, as we recall His
merciful dealings with us. Let the Spirit of God, like a holy flame, burn away the rubbish that is piled
up at the door of the heart, and let Jesus in; then His love will flow out to others through us, in tender
words and thoughts and acts. Then if death parts us from our friends, to meet no more till we stand at
the bar of God, we shall not be ashamed to have the record of our words appear. {5T 489.4}
When death closes the eyes, when the hands are folded upon the silent breast, how quickly feelings of
variance change! There is no grudging, no bitterness; slights and wrongs are forgiven, forgotten. How
many loving words are spoken of the dead! How many good things in their life are brought to mind!
Praise and commendation are now freely expressed; but they fall upon ears that hear not, hearts that
feel not. Had these words been spoken when the weary spirit needed them so much, when the ear could
hear and the heart could feel, what a pleasant picture would have been left in the memory! How many,
as they stand awed and silent beside the dead, recall with shame and sorrow the words and acts that
brought sadness to the heart now forever still! Let us now bring all the beauty, love, and kindness we
can into our life. Let us be thoughtful, grateful, patient, and forbearing in our intercourse with one
another. Let the thoughts and feelings which find expression around the dying and the dead be brought
into the daily association with our brethren and sisters in life. {5T 490.1}
56. Behavior in the House of God
To the humble, believing soul, the house of God on earth is the gate of heaven. The song of praise, the
prayer, the words spoken by Christ's representatives, are God's appointed agencies to prepare a people
for the church above, for that loftier worship into which there can enter nothing that defileth. {5T
491.1}
From the sacredness which was attached to the earthly sanctuary, Christians may learn how they
should regard the place where the Lord meets with His people. There has been a great change, not for
the better, but for the worse, in the habits and customs of the people in reference to religious worship.
The precious, the sacred, things which connect us with God are fast losing their hold upon our minds
and hearts, and are being brought down to the level of common things. The reverence which the people
had anciently for the sanctuary where they met with God in sacred service has largely passed away.
Nevertheless, God Himself gave the order of His service, exalting it high above everything of a
temporal nature. {5T 491.2}
The house is the sanctuary for the family, and the closet or the grove the most retired place for
individual worship; but the church is the sanctuary for the congregation. There should be rules in
regard to the time, the place, and the manner of worshipping. Nothing that is sacred, nothing that
pertains to the worship of God, should be treated with carelessness or indifference. In order that men
may do their best work in showing forth the praises of God, their associations must be such as will
keep the sacred distinct from the common, in their minds. Those who have broad ideas, noble thoughts
and aspirations, are those who have associations that strengthen all thoughts of divine things. Happy
are those who have a sanctuary, be it high or low, in the city or among the rugged mountain caves, in
the lowly cabin or in the wilderness.
492
If it is the best they can secure for the Master, He will hallow the place with His presence, and it will
be holy unto the Lord of hosts. {5T 491.3}
When the worshippers enter the place of meeting, they should do so with decorum, passing quietly to
their seats. If there is a stove in the room, it is not proper to crowd about it in an indolent, careless
attitude. Common talking, whispering, and laughing should not be permitted in the house of worship,
either before or after the service. Ardent, active piety should characterize the worshippers. {5T 492.1}
If some have to wait a few minutes before the meeting begins, let them maintain a true spirit of
devotion by silent meditation, keeping the heart uplifted to God in prayer that the service may be of
special benefit to their own hearts and lead to the conviction and conversion of other souls. They
should remember that heavenly messengers are in the house. We all lose much sweet communion with
God by our restlessness, by not encouraging moments of reflection and prayer. The spiritual condition
needs to be often reviewed and the mind and heart drawn toward the Sun of Righteousness. If when the
people come into the house of worship, they have genuine reverence for the Lord and bear in mind that
they are in His presence, there will be a sweet eloquence in silence. The whispering and laughing and
talking which might be without sin in a common business place should find no sanction in the house
where God is worshipped. The mind should be prepared to hear the word of God, that it may have due
weight and suitably impress the heart. {5T 492.2}
When the minister enters, it should be with dignified, solemn mien. He should bow down in silent
prayer as soon as he steps into the pulpit, and earnestly ask help of God. What an impression this will
make! There will be solemnity and awe upon the people. Their minister is communing with God; he is
committing himself to God before he dares to stand before the people. Solemnity rests upon all, and
angels
493
of God are brought very near. Every one of the congregation, also, who fears God should with bowed
head unite in silent prayer with him that God may grace the meeting with His presence and give power
to His truth proclaimed from human lips. When the meeting is opened by prayer, every knee should
bow in the presence of the Holy One, and every heart should ascend to God in silent devotion. The
prayers of faithful worshippers will be heard, and the ministry of the word will prove effectual. The
lifeless attitude of the worshippers in the house of God is one great reason why the ministry is not
more productive of good. The melody of song, poured forth from many hearts in clear, distinct
utterance, is one of God's instrumentalities in the work of saving souls. All the service should be
conducted with solemnity and awe, as if in the visible presence of the Master of assemblies. {5T
492.3}
When the word is spoken, you should remember, brethren, that you are listening to the voice of God
through His delegated servant. Listen attentively. Sleep not for one instant, because by this slumber
you may lose the very words that you need most--the very words which, if heeded, would save your
feet from straying into wrong paths. Satan and his angels are busy creating a paralysed condition of the
senses so that cautions, warnings, and reproofs shall not be heard; or if heard, that they shall not take
effect upon the heart and reform the life. Sometimes a little child may so attract the attention of the
hearers that the precious seed does not fall into good ground and bring forth fruit. Sometimes young
men and women have so little reverence for the house and worship of God that they keep up a
continual communication with each other during the sermon. Could these see the angels of God
looking upon them and marking their doings, they would be filled with shame, with abhorrence of
themselves. God wants attentive hearers. It was while men slept that Satan sowed his tares. {5T 493.1}
When the benediction is pronounced, all should still be
494
quiet, as if fearful of losing the peace of Christ. Let all pass out without jostling or loud talking, feeling
that they are in the presence of God, that His eye is resting upon them, and that they must act as in His
visible presence. Let there be no stopping in the aisles to visit or gossip, thus blocking them up so that
others cannot pass out. The precincts of the church should be invested with a sacred reverence. It
should not be made a place to meet old friends and visit and introduce common thoughts and worldly
business transactions. These should be left outside the church. God and angels have been dishonoured
by the careless, noisy laughing and shuffling of feet heard in some places. {5T 493.2}
Parents, elevate the standard of Christianity in the minds of your children; help them to weave Jesus
into their experience; teach them to have the highest reverence for the house of God and to understand
that when they enter the Lord's house it should be with hearts that are softened and subdued by such
thoughts as these: "God is here; this is His house. I must have pure thoughts and the holiest motives. I
must have no pride, envy, jealousy, evil surmising, hatred, or deception in my heart, for I am coming
into the presence of the holy God. This is the place where God meets with and blesses His people. The
high and holy One who inhabiteth eternity looks upon me, searches my heart, and reads the most secret
thoughts and acts of my life." {5T 494.1}
Brethren, will you not devote a little thought to this subject and notice how you conduct yourselves in
the house of God and what efforts you are making by precept and example to cultivate reverence in
your children? You roll vast responsibilities upon the preacher and hold him accountable for the souls
of your children; but you do not sense your own responsibility as parents and as instructors and, like
Abraham, command your household after you, that they may keep the statutes of the Lord. Your sons
and daughters are corrupted by your own example and lax precepts; and, notwithstanding
495
this lack of domestic training, you expect the minister to counteract your daily work and accomplish
the wonderful achievement of training their hearts and lives to virtue and piety. After the minister has
done all he can do for the church by faithful, affectionate admonition, patient discipline, and fervent
prayer to reclaim and save the soul, yet is not successful, the fathers and mothers often blame him
because their children are not converted, when it may be because of their own neglect. The burden
rests with the parents; and will they take up the work that God has entrusted to them, and with fidelity
perform it? Will they move onward and upward, working in a humble, patient, persevering way to
reach the exalted standard themselves and to bring their children up with them? No wonder our
churches are feeble and do not have that deep, earnest piety in their borders that they should have. Our
present habits and customs, which dishonour God and bring the sacred and heavenly down to the level
of the common, are against us. We have a sacred, testing, sanctifying truth; and if our habits and
practices are not in accordance with the truth, we are sinners against great light, and are
proportionately guilty. It will be far more tolerable for the heathen in the day of God's retributive
justice than for us. {5T 494.2}
A much greater work might be done than we are now doing in reflecting the light of truth. God expects
us to bear much fruit. He expects greater zeal and faithfulness, more affectionate and earnest efforts, by
the individual members of the church for their neighbours and for those who are out of Christ. Parents
must begin their work on a high plane of action. All who name the name of Christ must put on the
whole armour and entreat, warn, and seek to win souls from sin. Lead all you can to listen to the truth
in the house of God. We must do much more than we are doing to snatch souls from the burning. {5T
495.1}
It is too true that reverence for the house of God has
496
become almost extinct. Sacred things and places are not discerned; the holy and exalted are not
appreciated. Is there not a cause for the want of fervent piety in our families? Is it not because the high
standard of religion is left to trail in the dust? God gave rules of order, perfect and exact, to His ancient
people. Has His character changed? Is He not the great and mighty God who rules in the heaven of
heavens? Would it not be well for us often to read the directions given by God Himself to the Hebrews,
that we who have the light of the glorious truth shining upon us may imitate their reverence for the
house of God? We have abundant reason to maintain a fervent, devoted spirit in the worship of God.
We have reason even to be more thoughtful and reverential in our worship than had the Jews. But an
enemy has been at work to destroy our faith in the sacredness of Christian worship. {5T 495.2}
The place dedicated to God should not be a room where worldly business is transacted. If the children
assemble to worship God in a room that is used during the week for a school or a storeroom, they will
be more than human if, mingled with their devotional thoughts, they do not also have thoughts of their
studies or of things that have happened during the week. The education and training of the youth
should be of a character that would exalt sacred things and encourage pure devotion for God in His
house. Many who profess to be children of the heavenly King have no true appreciation of the
sacredness of eternal things. Nearly all need to be taught how to conduct themselves in the house of
God. Parents should not only teach, but command, their children to enter the sanctuary with sobriety
and reverence. {5T 496.1}
The moral taste of the worshippers in God's holy sanctuary must be elevated, refined, sanctified. This
matter has been sadly neglected. Its importance has been overlooked, and as the result, disorder and
irreverence have become prevalent,
497
and God has been dishonoured. When the leaders in the church, ministers and people, father and
mothers, have not had elevated views of this matter, what could be expected of the inexperienced
children? They are too often found in groups, away from the parents, who should have charge of them.
Notwithstanding they are in the presence of God, and His eye is looking upon them, they are light and
trifling, they whisper and laugh, are careless, irreverent, and inattentive. They are seldom instructed
that the minister is God's ambassador, that the message he brings is one of God's appointed agencies in
the salvation of souls, and that to all who have the privilege brought within their reach it will be a
savour of life unto life or of death unto death. {5T 496.2}
The delicate and susceptible minds of the youth obtain their estimate of the labours of God's servants
by the way their parents treat the matter. Many heads of families make the service a subject of
criticism at home, approving a few things and condemning others. Thus the message of God to men is
criticized and questioned, and made a subject of levity. What impressions are thus made upon the
young by these careless, irreverent remarks the books of heaven alone will reveal. The children see and
understand these things very much quicker than parents are apt to think. Their moral senses receive a
wrong bias that time will never fully change. The parents mourn over the hardness of heart in their
children and the difficulty in arousing their moral sensibility to answer to the claims of God. But the
books of heavenly record trace with unerring pen the true cause. The parents were unconverted. They
were not in harmony with heaven or with heaven's work. Their low, common ideas of the sacredness of
the ministry and of the sanctuary of God were woven into the education of their children. It is a
question whether anyone who has for years been under this blighting influence of home instruction
will ever have a sensitive reverence and
498
high regard for God's ministry and the agencies He has appointed for the salvation of souls. These
things should be spoken of with reverence, with propriety of language, and with fine susceptibility, that
you may reveal to all you associate with that you regard the message from God's servants as a message
to you from God Himself. {5T 497.1}
Parents, be careful what example and what ideas you give your children. Their minds are plastic, and
impressions are easily made. In regard to the service of the sanctuary, if the speaker has a blemish, be
afraid to mention it. Talk only of the good work he is doing, of the good ideas he presented, which you
should heed as coming through God's agent. It may be readily seen why children are so little impressed
with the ministry of the word and why they have so little reverence for the house of God. Their
education has been defective in this respect. Their parents need daily communion with God. Their own
ideas need to be refined and ennobled; their lips need to be touched with a live coal from off the altar;
then their habits, their practices at home, will make a good impression on the minds and characters of
their children. The standard of religion will be greatly elevated. Such parents will do a great work for
God. They will have less earthliness, less sensuality, and more refinement and fidelity at home. Life
will be invested with a solemnity of which they have scarcely conceived. Nothing will be made
common that pertains to the service and worship of God. {5T 498.1}
I am often pained as I enter the house where God is worshipped, to see the untidy dress of both men
and women. If the heart and character were indicated by the outward apparel, then certainly nothing
could be heavenly about them. They have no true idea of the order, the neatness, and the refined
deportment that God requires of all who come into His presence to worship Him. What impressions do
these things give to unbelievers and to the youth, who are keen to discern and to draw their
conclusions? {5T 498.2}
In the minds of many there are no more sacred thoughts
499
connected with the house of God than with the most common place. Some will enter the place of
worship with their hats on, in soiled, dirty clothes. Such do not realize that they are to meet with God
and holy angels. There should be a radical change in this matter all through our churches. Ministers
themselves need to elevate their ideas, to have finer susceptibilities in regard to it. It is a feature of the
work that has been sadly neglected. Because of the irreverence in attitude, dress, and deportment, and
lack of a worshipful frame of mind, God has often turned His face away from those assembled for His
worship. {5T 498.3}
All should be taught to be neat, clean, and orderly in their dress, but not to indulge in that external
adorning which is wholly inappropriate for the sanctuary. There should be no display of the apparel;
for this encourages irreverence. The attention of the people is often called to this or that fine article of
dress, and thus thoughts are intruded that should have no place in the hearts of the worshippers. God is
to be the subject of thought, the object of worship; and anything that attracts the mind from the solemn,
sacred service is an offense to Him. The parading of bows and ribbons, ruffles and feathers, and gold
and silver ornaments is a species of idolatry and is wholly inappropriate for the sacred service of God,
where the eye of every worshipper should be single to His glory. All matters of dress should be strictly
guarded, following closely the Bible rule. Fashion has been the goddess who has ruled the outside
world, and she often insinuates herself into the church. The church should make the word of God her
standard, and parents should think intelligently upon this subject. When they see their children inclined
to follow worldly fashions, they should, like Abraham, resolutely command their households after
them. Instead of uniting them with the world, connect them with God. Let none dishonour God's
sanctuary by their showy apparel. God and angels are there. The Holy One of Israel has spoken
through His apostle: "Whose adorning let it not be that outward
500
adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden
man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which
is in the sight of God of great price." {5T 499.1}
When a church has been raised up and left uninstructed on these points, the minister has neglected his
duty and will have to give an account to God for the impressions he allowed to prevail. Unless correct
ideas of true worship and true reverence are impressed upon the people, there will be a growing
tendency to place the sacred and eternal on a level with common things, and those professing the truth
will be an offense to God and a disgrace to religion. They can never, with their uncultivated ideas,
appreciate a pure and holy heaven, and be prepared to join with the worshippers in the heavenly courts
above, where all is purity and perfection, where every being has perfect reverence for God and His
holiness. {5T 500.1}
Paul describes the work of God's ambassadors as that by which every man shall be presented perfect in
Christ Jesus. Those who embrace the truth of heavenly origin should be refined, ennobled, sanctified
through it. It will require much painstaking effort to reach God's standard of true manhood. The
irregular stones hewed from the quarry must be chiselled, their rough sides must be polished. This is an
age famous for surface work, for easy methods, for boasted holiness aside from the standard of
character that God has erected. All short routes, all cutoff tracks, all teaching which fails to exalt the
law of God as the standard of religious character, is spurious. Perfection of character is a lifelong work,
unattainable by those who are not willing to strive for it in God's appointed way, by slow and toilsome
steps. We cannot afford to make any mistake in this matter, but we want day by day to be growing up
into Christ, our living Head. {5T 500.2}
57. Religion and Scientific Education
Dear Brother and Sister B: You have both been presented before me as in danger spiritually. You were
leaving the right path and were placing your feet in a broader road. Sister B was saying many things, in
jots and tittles, here a little and there a little, which were as seed sown, and the harvest will surely
come. She was encouraging unbelief and telling her husband that the road they had been
TRAVELLING was altogether too narrow and lowly. She thought that her husband's qualifications
were of a high order and should be exercised in a broader and more influential manner. Brother B was
of the very same mind; in fact, he had led her into this train of thought. You both held the banner upon
which was inscribed, "The commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus;" but as you met in your way
with people whom you thought were popular, down came the banner, and you put it behind your backs,
saying: "If we let it be known that we are Seventh-day Adventists, then our influence will be at an end,
and we shall lose many advantages." I saw the banner of truth trailing behind you. Then the question
arose: "Why carry it at all? We can believe that which we see to be truth, but we need not let the
educators and students know that we bear this unpopular banner." There were those in your company
who were not pleased or satisfied with these suggestions, but they weakly followed your influence in
place of letting their light shine by holding aloft their standard. They hid their banners and marched on,
fearing to let the light which was given them of heaven shine before all. {5T 501.1}
I saw one approaching you with firm tread and grieved countenance. He said: "Let no man take your
crown." Have you forgotten the humiliation endured by the Son of God in coming to our world, how
He suffered abuse, reproach, insult, hatred, mockery, and betrayal, how He endured the
502
shameful trial in the judgment hall after having suffered the superhuman assaults of Satan in the
Garden of Gethsemane? Have you forgotten the wild cry from the mob, "Crucify Him, crucify Him,"
and how He died as a malefactor? Is the servant greater than his Lord? The followers of Jesus will not
be popular, but will be like their Master, meek and lowly of heart. You are seeking to climb to the
highest seat, but will find yourselves at last in the lowest. If you seek to deal justly, to love mercy, to
walk humbly with God, you will be partakers with Christ of His sufferings and sharers with Him of
His glory in His kingdom. The Lord has blessed you, but how little have you appreciated His lovingkindness! How little praise He has received from your lips! You may do a good work for the Master,
but not with your ideas as supreme. You must learn in the school of Christ, else you can never be
qualified to enter the higher grade, receive the seal of the living God, enter in through the gates into the
city of God, and be crowned with glory, honour, and immortality. {5T 501.2}
Satan works in many ways where he is not discerned, even through men and women who are in
positions of trust. He will suggest to their minds plausible errors of thought and action and speech that
will create doubt and work distrust where they think there is assurance of safety. He will work upon
dissatisfied elements to put them in active operation. There will be a desire for greatness and honour.
Envy will be excited in minds where it is not supposed to exist, and circumstances will not be wanting
to call it into action. Doubts will be raised, and flattering promises of gain will be offered if the cross is
not made so prominent. Satan will tempt some to think that our faith stands as a barrier to great
advancement and bars the way to reaching a high worldly position and being called remarkable men
and women. {5T 502.1}
In his first display of disaffection Satan was very cunning. All he claimed was that he wanted to bring
in a better order
503
of things, to make great improvements. He led the holy pair away from God, away from their
allegiance to His commandments, on the same point where thousands are tempted today and where
thousands fall; that is, by their vain imaginings. True knowledge is divine. Satan insinuated into the
minds of our first parents a desire for a speculative knowledge, whereby he declared they would
greatly improve their condition; but in order to gain this, they must take a course contrary to God's
holy will; for God would not lead them to the greatest heights. It was not God's purpose that they
should obtain knowledge that had its foundation in disobedience. This was a broad field into which
Satan was seeking to lead Adam and Eve, and it is the same field that he opens for the world today by
his temptations. {5T 502.2}
You were presenting the idea that education must stand as an independent work. This mixing of
religious matters and Bible doctrines with scientific education you considered as a drawback in our
educational work and as a hindrance in the work of carrying the students to the higher degrees of
scientific knowledge. {5T 503.1}
The great reason why so few of the world's great men and those having a college education are led to
obey the commandments of God is that they have separated education from religion, thinking that each
should occupy a field by itself. God presented a field large enough to perfect the knowledge of all who
should enter it. This knowledge was obtained under divine supervision; it was bound about with the
immutable law of Jehovah, and the result would have been perfect blessedness. {5T 503.2}
God did not create evil, He only made the good, which was like Himself. But Satan would not be
content to know the will of God and do it. His curiosity was on the stretch to know that which God had
not designed he should know. Evil, sin, and death were not created by God; they are the result of
disobedience, which originated in Satan. But the
504
knowledge of evil now in the world was brought in through the cunning of Satan. These are very hard
and expensive lessons; but men will learn them, and many will never be convinced that it is bliss to be
ignorant of a certain kind of knowledge, which arises from unsatisfied desires and unholy aims. The
sons and daughters of Adam are fully as inquisitive and presumptuous as was Eve in seeking forbidden
knowledge. They gain an experience, a knowledge, which God never designed they should have, and
the result will be, as it was to our first parents, the loss of their Eden home. When will human beings
learn that which is demonstrated so thoroughly before them? {5T 503.3}
The history of the past shows an active, working devil. He can no more be idle than harmless. Satan
was found in only one tree to endanger the safety of Adam and Eve. He planned to attract the holy pair
to that one tree, that they might do the very thing God had said they should not do--eat of the tree of
knowledge. There was no danger to them in approaching any other tree. How plausible his speech! He
laid hold of the very arguments which he uses today,--flattery, envy, distrust, questioning, and
unbelief. If Satan was so cunning at first, what must he be now after gaining an experience of many
thousands of years? Yet God and holy angels, and all those who abide in obedience to all the Lord's
expressed will, are wiser than he. The subtlety of Satan will not decrease, but the wisdom given to men
through a living connection with the Source of all light and divine knowledge will be proportionate to
his arts and wiles. {5T 504.1}
If men would stand the test which Adam failed to endure, and would, in the strength of Jesus, obey all
the requirements of God, because they are righteousness, then they would never become acquainted
with the objectionable knowledge. God never designed that men should have this knowledge which
comes of disobedience, and which, carried into practice, ends in eternal death. When men almost
invariably
505
choose the knowledge that Satan presents; when their taste is so perverted that it craves that knowledge
as though it were a fountain of supreme wisdom, then they give evidence that they are separated from
God and are in rebellion against Christ. {5T 504.2}
58. The Education of Our Children
Dear Sister C: If God in His providence has established a school among our own people in -----, and if
in place of sending your daughter where she would be in the society and under the influence of those
who love the truth, you place her in ----- Seminary, where she will be associated with a worldly class
who have no respect for God or His law, I ask you how you expect the Lord will work to counteract
the evil influence that must surround her and which you have voluntarily chosen. Will He commission
His angels to do the work which He has left for you to do? God does not work in that way; He expects
us to follow the light He has given in His word. {5T 505.1}
When God was about to smite the first-born of Egypt, He commanded the Israelites to gather their
children from among the Egyptians into their own dwellings and strike their door posts with blood, that
the destroying angel might see it and pass over their homes. It was the work of parents to gather in
their children. This is your work, this is my work, and the work of every mother who believes the truth.
The angel is to place a mark upon the forehead of all who are separated from sin and sinners, and the
destroying angel will follow, to slay utterly both old and young. {5T 505.2}
God is not pleased with our inattention and trifling with His blessings placed within our reach. Neither
is He pleased to have us place our children in worldly society, because this
506
best suits their tastes and inclinations. If the souls of your children are saved, you must do your work
with fidelity. God has not been wholly pleased with your course in regard to worldly associations, and
now the peril is revealed. You have also encouraged the reading of storybooks; these, and papers with
continued stories, lying upon your table, have educated the taste of your daughter until she is a mental
inebriate and needs a stronger power, a firmer will than her own, to control her. {5T 505.3}
The enemy has had his way with your daughter until his toils have bound her about like bands of steel,
and it will require a strong, persevering effort to save her soul. If you have success in this case, there
must be no halfway work. The habits of years cannot easily be broken. She should be placed where a
steady, firm, abiding influence is constantly exercised. I would advise you to put her in the college at ----; let her have the discipline of the boardinghouse. It is where she ought to have been years ago. The
boardinghouse is conducted upon a plan that makes it a good home. This home may not suit the
inclinations of some, but it is because they have been educated to false theories, to self-indulgence and
self-gratification, and all their habits and customs have been in a wrong channel. But, my dear sister,
we are nearing the end of time, and we want now, not to meet the world's tastes and practices, but to
meet the mind of God; to see what saith the Scriptures, and then to walk according to the light which
God has given us. Our inclinations, our customs and practices, are not to have the preference. God's
word is our standard. {5T 506.1}
So far as your daughter's health is concerned, right habits will secure to her health, while wrong habits
will ruin her for this life and for the future, immortal life. There is a heaven to gain, a perdition to shun;
and when you in the fear of God have done all that you can do on your part, then
507
you may expect that the Lord will do His part. Decisive action now may save a soul from death. {5T
506.2}
Your daughter needs a strong influence to counteract that of the society she loves. It will take just as
decided efforts to cure her of this mental disorder as it does to cure the drunkard of his craving for
liquor. You have a work to do which no other can do for you, and will you fail to do it? Will you in the
name of the Lord deal with your child as with a soul in danger of eternal ruin? Were she a girl who
loved God, one who could exercise self-control, her peril would not be so great. But she does not love
to think of God, of her duty, or of heaven. She persists in having her own way. She does not daily seek
strength from God, that she may resist temptation. Will you, then, place her in connection with
influences calculated to lead her thoughts away from God, away from the truth, and from
righteousness? If so, you place her on the enemy's battleground, with no strength to resist his power or
to over come his temptations. {5T 507.1}
If she were situated where there were heavenly and divine influences, her moral sensibilities, which are
now paralysed, might be aroused, and her thoughts and purposes, by the blessing of God, might be
changed to flow in the heavenly channel, and she be restored. But she is now in danger through inward
corruption and outward temptation. Satan is playing the game of life for her soul, and he has every
advantage for winning the game. {5T 507.2}
In my dreams I have been talking to you as I have here written. My heart yearns over you with
intensity. Trying as your case now is, do not despond. You need cheerfulness and decision. Seek for
help from God. God is your friend. You are never alone. The Bible is your Counsellor. It is a light to
them who are in darkness. Be steadfast in the hour of trial, for you will have new trials to meet. But
cling to Jesus, and make Him your strength. {5T 507.3}
59. Dangers of the Young
Brother D: My prayers are ascending to God for you, and my love for your soul leads me to write to
you again. I feel deeply grieved over your case, not that I look upon you as persecuted, but as a
deceived, misguided man, who has not Christ's likeness in his soul, and who is deceiving himself to his
certain ruin. {5T 508.1}
If you had the cause of God at heart you would see that your brethren have done only their duty in their
action toward you. You speak of going to ----- and showing that you can be a man. All that is asked of
you by those in responsible places at the office is that you show yourself a man just where you are; that
you do not degrade yourself by associating with sinners; and that you do not unite with them in evil
practices. Cease sympathizing with yourself, and remember the world's Redeemer. Consider the
infinite sacrifice He has made in behalf of man, and then think of His disappointment that, after He has
made such a sacrifice in man's behalf, man should choose to ally himself with those who hate Christ
and righteousness, and should become one with them in the indulgence of perverted appetite, thus
bringing eternal ruin to his soul. {5T 508.2}
But you have heard me say all these things; you have read them, as I have written to you, and yet they
have not affected your heart and life. You have set your heart against good and opened it to evil. You
have placed yourself in the enemy's way and have had no hold upon God to enable you to resist his
temptations. Suppose you do sever all connection with ----- through a revengeful spirit, because your
brethren have told you the truth; whom will it injure, you or them? You will grieve them by so doing,
but the work will go on just the same. God is raising up workers on every hand; He is not dependent on
you or any other man to do His work. If your heart is not pure, if your hands are not
509
clean in His sight, He cannot work with you. He wants you to have truth in your heart and life,
interwoven with your character. {5T 508.3}
I counsel you to humble your heart and confess your wrongs. Consider the solemn charge David gave
to Solomon on his dying bed: "I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself
a man; and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His
commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou
mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself." Take this charge to your
own heart. Let no one flatter you in wrongdoing. While it is a disgrace to sin, it is no disgrace, but
rather an honour, to confess one's sins. Maintain true individuality, and cultivate manly dignity. Put
away pride, self-conceit, and false dignity; for these can be maintained only at the most terrible
consequences to yourself. {5T 509.1}
It is not the boisterous song, the merry company, or the stimulating drink that can make you a man in
the sight of God, or cheer your heart in sickness and sorrow. True religion alone can be your solace
and comfort in trouble. The discipline you received at the office has not been more close and severe
than God's word has imposed upon you. Will you call God unjust? Will you tell Him to His face that
He is arbitrary because He declares that the wrongdoer shall be separated from His presence? {5T
509.2}
How plainly the picture is drawn in the word of God of His dealing with the man who accepted His
invitation to the wedding, but who did not put on the wedding garment which had been purchased for
him, the robe of Christ's righteousness! He thought his own defiled garments good enough to come
into the presence of Christ, but he was cast out as one who had insulted his Lord and abused His
gracious benevolence. {5T 509.3}
510
My brother, your righteousness will not be sufficient. You must put on the robe of Christ's
righteousness. You must be like Christ. Consider the severe test that Christ endured in the wilderness
of temptation on the point of appetite. He was emaciated by that long abstinence on your account and
on mine; He fought and conquered Satan, that He might give us vantage ground, bringing us divine
strength to conquer appetite and every unholy passion. {5T 510.1}
I ask you to look at this matter as it is. When you unite with the despisers of God in drinking beer or
wine or stronger drink, imagine Jesus before you, suffering the keenest pangs of hunger that He may
break the power of Satan and make it possible for man to conquer in his own behalf. Remember, when,
with the godless who reject the truth and refuse salvation, you are lifting the mug of foaming beer, that
Jesus is there looking on, even that Jesus whom you claim as your Saviour, in whom your hopes of
eternal life are centred. Oh, how can you, how can you be so weak in moral perception as not to see the
influence of these things upon yourself and others! You violate the most solemn pledge and then talk
of being persecuted! {5T 510.2}
When those who feel compelled to do something to break the power that Satan is exerting over our
youth tell you in sorrow that if you do not change your habits they cannot retain you in connection
with the work of God as a translator, how can you stand before them defiantly, without any evidence of
sorrow for your course? How does that Saviour who gave His life for you regard your attitude? And
yet you think you are persecuted. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that
every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good
or bad." When you stand before this grand and awful tribunal, from whose decisions there will be no
appeal and where there will be no misinterpretation, no misconception, then you will be silent. You
will not have
511
one word to say in vindication of your course. You will stand guilty, condemned, and hopeless, unless
you now put away your sins, make diligent work of repentance, and clothe yourself in the robe of
Christ's righteousness. {5T 510.3}
What other course could have been pursued toward you than has been taken? I have the tenderest
feelings of pity and love for your soul, but false words of sympathy to sustain you in rebellion and in
defiance of those whom God has placed in responsible positions in His work shall never be uttered by
me. I have too much regard for you to tell you, as some will surely do, that it will be well with you
when you are taking such a course, disgracing your manhood, defacing the moral image of God in your
soul, deceiving your own heart, and dishonouring Him who redeemed you with the price of His own
blood. {5T 511.1}
Christ has said: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." Are you overcoming? or are you being
overcome by your own lusts and appetites and passions? {5T 511.2}
In order to be safely trusted with the translation of our most important works, to handle sacred things,
ought you not to have the fullest connection with God and complete consecration to His service?
Ought you not to be where you can have the holy angels to minister to you, to give you wisdom and
knowledge as God gave to Daniel, to inspire you to give the correct ideas, in order that you may do the
work of translating correctly? If you choose to open your heart to Satan's suggestions, if you choose
the society of those who are the enemies of Christ, do you expect God to work a miracle to keep you
from yielding to Satan's power? Evil angels are gathering about your soul, but they are invited guests.
They make propositions, and you accept them. Until you have the resolution to obey God's will you
cannot have His guidance. {5T 511.3}
Jesus expects all who claim to be His soldiers to do service
512
for Him. He expects you to recognize the enemy and to resist him, not to invite him to your confidence
and thus betray sacred trust. The Lord has placed you in a position where you may be elevated and
ennobled, and be constantly gaining fitness for His work. If you do not obtain these qualifications you
alone are to blame. {5T 511.4}
There are three ways in which the Lord reveals His will to us, to guide us, and to fit us to guide others.
How may we know His voice from that of a stranger? How shall we distinguish it from the voice of a
false shepherd? God reveals His will to us in His word, the Holy Scriptures. His voice is also revealed
in His providential workings; and it will be recognized if we do not separate our souls from Him by
walking in our own ways, doing according to our own wills, and following the promptings of an
unsanctified heart, until the senses have become so confused that eternal things are not discerned, and
the voice of Satan is so disguised that it is accepted as the voice of God. {5T 512.1}
Another way in which God's voice is heard is through the appeals of His Holy Spirit, making
impressions upon the heart, which will be wrought out in the character. If you are in doubt upon any
subject you must first consult the Scriptures. If you have truly begun the life of faith you have given
yourself to the Lord to be wholly His, and He has taken you to mould and fashion according to His
purpose, that you may be a vessel unto honour. You should have an earnest desire to be pliable in His
hands and to follow whithersoever He may lead you. You are then trusting Him to work out His
designs, while at the same time you are co-operating with Him by working out your own salvation with
fear and trembling. You, my brother, will find difficulty here because you have not yet learned by
experience to know the voice of the Good Shepherd, and this places you in doubt and peril. You ought
to be able to distinguish His voice. {5T 512.2}
513
The Exercise of the Will
Pure religion has to do with the will. The will is the governing power in the nature of man, bringing all
the other faculties under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the deciding
power which works in the children of men unto obedience to God or unto disobedience. {5T 513.1}
You are a young man of intelligence; you desire to make your life such as will fit you for heaven at
last. You are often discouraged at finding yourself weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and
controlled by the habits and customs of your old life in sin. You find your emotional nature untrue to
yourself, to your best resolutions, and to your most solemn pledges. Nothing seems real. Your own
instability leads you to doubt the sincerity of those who would do you good. The more you struggle in
doubt, the more unreal everything looks to you, until it seems that there is no solid ground for you
anywhere. Your promises are like ropes of sand, and you regard in the same unreal light the words and
works of those in whom you should trust. {5T 513.2}
You will be in constant peril until you understand the true force of the will. You may believe and
promise all things, but your promises or your faith are of no value until you put your will on the side of
faith and action. If you fight the fight of faith with all your will power, you will conquer. Your
feelings, your impressions, your emotions, are not to be trusted, for they are not reliable, especially
with your perverted ideas; and the knowledge of your broken promises and your forfeited pledges
weakens your confidence in yourself, and the faith of others in you. {5T 513.3}
But you need not despair. You must be determined to believe, although nothing seems true and real to
you. I need not tell you it is you yourself that has brought you into this unenviable position. You must
win back your confidence in
514
God and in your brethren. It is for you to yield up your will to the will of Jesus Christ; and as you do
this, God will immediately take possession and work in you to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Your whole nature will then be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ, and even your
thoughts will be subject to Him. You cannot control your impulses, your emotions, as you may desire;
but you can control the will, and you can make an entire change in your life. By yielding up your will
to Christ, your life will be hid with Christ in God and allied to the power which is above all
principalities and powers. You will have strength from God that will hold you fast to His strength; and
a new life, even the life of living faith, will be possible to you. But your will must co-operate with
God's will, not with the will of associates through whom Satan is constantly working to ensnare and
destroy you. {5T 513.4}
Will you not without delay place yourself in right relation to God? Will you not say, "I will give my
will to Jesus, and I will do it now," and from this moment be wholly on the Lord's side? Disregard
custom and the strong clamouring of appetite and passion. Give Satan no chance to say: "You are a
wretched hypocrite." Close the door so that Satan will not thus accuse and dishearten you. Say, "I will
believe, I do believe that God is my helper," and you will find that you are triumphant in God. By
steadfastly keeping the will on the Lord's side, every emotion will be brought into captivity to the will
of Jesus. You will then find your feet on solid rock. It will take, at times, every particle of will power
which you possess; but it is God that is working for you, and you will come forth from the moulding
process a vessel unto honour. {5T 514.1}
Talk faith. Keep on God's side of the line. Set not your foot on the enemy's side, and the Lord will be
your helper. He will do for you that which it is not possible for you to do for yourself. The result will
be that you will become "like a
515
cedar in Lebanon." Your life will be noble, and your works will be wrought in God. There will be in
you a power, an earnestness, and a simplicity that will make you a polished instrument in the hands of
God. {5T 514.2}
You need to drink daily at the fountain of truth, that you may understand the secret of pleasure and joy
in the Lord. But you must remember that your will is the spring of all your actions. This will, that
forms so important a factor in the character of man, was at the Fall given into the control of Satan; and
he has ever since been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the utter ruin and
misery of man. But the infinite sacrifice of God in giving Jesus, His beloved Son, to become a sacrifice
for sin, enables Him to say, without violating one principle of His government: "Yield yourself up to
Me; give Me that will; take it from the control of Satan, and I will take possession of it; then I can
work in you to will and to do of My good pleasure." When He gives you the mind of Christ, your will
becomes as His will, and your character is transformed to be like Christ's character. Is it your purpose
to do God's will? Do you wish to obey the

Testimonies For The Church Volume Five

Transcription

Similar documents

Recursos para la Parroquia Encíclica del Papa Francisco

Sales Sheet

A Nativity Scene Prayer - Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade

summer wednesday evening service - First Presbyterian Church of

Instruments of Your Peace

the Bulletin

Different ways to God

A Franciscan Community where all are welcome

knox presbyterian church crieff

Central Bible Chapel February 2013