Earlier text: BEHAVIOR IN THE HOUSE OF GOD.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. 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. 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; who will it injure, yourself 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.509 If your heart is not pure, if your hands are not clean in his sight, he cannot work with you. He wants you to have truth in your heart and life,—interwoven with your character. 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 honor, 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. 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 wrong-doer shall be separated from his presence? 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. 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. 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 centered. 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! 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 one word to say in vindication of your course.511 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. 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 dishonoring him who redeemed you with the price of his own blood. 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? 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. Jesus expects all who claim to be his soldiers, to512 do service 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. 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. 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 mold and fashion according to his purpose, that you may be a vessel unto honor. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 yourself that has brought you into this unenviable position. You must win back your confidence in God and in514 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 light, even the light 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. 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 clamoring 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 molding process a vessel unto honor. 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 "cedar of Lebanon."515 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. 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 Scriptures? "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." There is no such thing as following Christ unless you refuse to gratify inclination, and determine to obey God. It is not your feelings, your emotions, that make you a child of God, but the doing of God's will. A life of usefulness is before you, if your will becomes God's will. Then you may stand in your God-given manhood, an example of good works. You will then help to maintain rules of discipline, instead of helping to break them down. You will then help to maintain order, instead of despising it, and inciting to irregularity of life by your own course of action. I tell you in the fear of God, I know what you may be, if your will is placed on the side of God. "We are laborers together with God." You may be doing your work for time and eternity in such a manner that it will516 stand the test of the Judgment. Will you try? Will you now turn square about? You are the object of Christ's love and intercession. Will you now surrender to God, and help those who are placed as sentinels to guard the interests of his work, instead of causing them grief and discouragement? SUITABLE READING FOR CHILDREN.
DEAR BROTHER E: I have just read the Review and Herald, and have seen your article giving a list of good books for our youth. I was much surprised to read your recommendation of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” “Robinson Crusoe,” and such books. You are in danger of becoming somewhat careless in your writing. It would be well to give thought and careful study to whatever is to be immortalized in print. I am really alarmed to see that your spiritual eyesight is not more clear in the matter of selecting and recommending reading for our youth. I know that the recommendation in our papers of such infatuating books as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” will in many minds justify the reading of other books which are nothing but fiction. . . . This recommendation will make taxing work for those who are laboring to persuade the youth to discard fictitious reading. I have repeatedly seen the evil of reading such books as you recommend, and have an article all prepared, cautioning our youth in this very matter. Be sure, my brother, not to lead away from the searching of the Scriptures. It has been revealed to me that the purchase and sale by our brethren of story-books such as are commonly circulated in Sunday-schools, is a snare to our people, especially to our children. It leads them to expend money for that class of reading which fevers the imagination, and unfits them for the real duties of practical life. You may be assured that this recommendation of517 yours will be acted upon. The youth need no such sanction or liberty; for their taste and inclination are all in this direction. But I hope no more such recommendations will appear. You must be getting away from Jesus and his teachings, and do not realize it. It is Satan’s work to present to our youth newspaper stories, and story-books that fascinate the senses, and thus destroy their relish for the word of God. Do not, my dear brother, throw everything that comes into your mind, into the Review and Herald, but write guardedly. If the Spirit of Christ moves you to write, then use your pen, feeling the burden of souls, weeping between the porch and the altar, crying, “Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach.” But if it is only your own feelings and active mind that prompt you to write, then refrain until the Lord’s Spirit presses and moves you. Do not think that because you pursue a certain course, and do certain things, it is an evidence that they are right, and that you must present them to others as a rule or guide. It is not best for you to feel at liberty to speak your mind upon such matters as concern the welfare of our youth, recommending books which do not tend to spirituality or piety. If you fancy that such reading will develop firm, unspotted principle, you are mistaken. May the Lord help you to move cautiously and humbly, and not throw out misleading statements in the papers; for they will be considered as having been sanctioned by our people. You are putting a burden upon others, to counteract the influence of these sentiments. My brother, your safety is in walking humbly with God. I tremble when I read your many articles, giving counsel and rules for other ministers. It is hardly proper for you to have so much to say in this direction. If you become self-sufficient and self-confident, the Lord will certainly leave you to make some mistake. You need carefully to guard your518 own soul, and to seek a daily, living experience in the things of God. You should keep self out of sight, and let Jesus appear. Christ is your strength, your shield; you are a weak, erring man, and need to be very cautious, lest you stumble. I entreat you to be on your guard, that you do not in word or in deed mar the sacred work of God. I have felt so thankful for you, that you could act a part in this great work. Jesus loves you, and he will work with your efforts if you have a living connection with God. But you must live a life of watchfulness and prayer. Do not become careless. Do not separate from Jesus, but bring him into your everyday life. Do not make work for yourself and others by careless admissions and counsels; but know that unless Christ is taken into your heart, unless your eye is single to the glory of God, pride will come into your heart, self-esteem will prevail, and you will, ere you are aware, be walking carelessly. "Make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way." There are many of our youth whom God has endowed with superior capabilities. He has given them the very best of talents; but their powers have been enervated, their minds confused and enfeebled, and for years they have made no growth in grace and in a knowledge of the reasons of our faith, because they have gratified a taste for story-reading. They have as much difficulty to control the appetite for such superficial reading, as the drunkard has to control his appetite for intoxicating drink. These might to-day be connected with our publishing houses, and be efficient workers, to keep books, prepare copy for the press, or to read proof; but their talents have been perverted until they are mental dyspeptics, and consequently are unfitted for a responsible position anywhere. The imagination is diseased. They live an unreal life. They are unfitted for the practical duties of life; and that which is the most sad and discouraging is, they have lost519 all relish for solid reading. They have become infatuated and charmed with just such food for the mind as the intensely exciting stories contained in "Uncle Tom's Cabin." That book did good in its day to those who needed an awakening in regard to their false ideas of slavery; but we are standing upon the very borders of the eternal world, where such stories are not needed in the preparation for eternal life. The only safety for any of us is to be thoroughly converted, and to be conversant with the truth as it is revealed in the word of God, that we may be able to give to every man that asks us, a reason of the hope that is in us, with meekness and fear. The special effort of ministers, and of workers all through our ranks, for this time should be to turn away the attention of the youth from all exciting stories, to the sure word of prophecy. The attention of every soul striving for eternal life should center upon the Bible. It seems wonderfully strange to me, considering all I have written in regard to the reading of exciting stories, to see a recommendation from your pen to read "Robinson Crusoe," "Uncle Tom’s Cabin," and "Æsop’s Fables." My brother, you made a mistake in writing that article. If these books are among those which you have for sale, I beg of you never to offer them again to our youth. It is your duty to call their attention to the Bible; do not become their tempter by offering to them attractive storybooks, which will divert their minds from the study of the Scriptures. We must ourselves be drinking of the water of life, else we will be constantly hewing out for ourselves broken cisterns which can hold no water. There are a thousand ways and plans that Satan has of creeping in to unsettle the minds of youth; and unless the soul is firmly and fully stayed upon God, and conscientiously guarded upon the very point of keeping the mind employed in searching the520 Scriptures, and becoming grounded in our faith, they will surely be ensnared. We cannot be off guard for a moment. We cannot allow ourselves to move from impulse. We must set a guard about our minds and the minds of our children, that they may not be allured by Satan's temptations. We are in the great day of atonement, and the sacred work of Christ for the people of God that is going on at the present time in the heavenly sanctuary, should be our constant study. We should teach our children what the typical day of atonement signified, and that it was a special season of great humiliation and confession of sins before God. The antitypical day of atonement is to be of the same character. Every one who teaches the truth by precept and example, will give the trumpet a certain sound. You need ever to cultivate spirituality, because it is not natural for you to be heavenly minded. The great work is before us of leading the people away from worldly customs and practices, up higher and higher, to spirituality, piety, and earnest work for God. It is your work to proclaim the message of the third angel, to sound the last note of warning to the world. May the Lord bless you with spiritual eye-sight. I write this in love, seeing your danger. Please consider these things carefully and prayerfully. To the students of South Lancaster Academy I would say, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." Never be ashamed of your faith; never be found on the side of the enemy. "Ye are the light of the world." Your faith is to be revealed as precious truth,—truth which all should have, and all must have, if they are saved. As a people, we are in the minority. We are not popular. Our enemies521 will be watching us for evil, to betray us, and to ruin our souls. They will not appreciate our motives. They will misinterpret our earnest zeal, and our intense desire to have others see and understand the truth, that they may do the will of God by obeying all his commandments. But we should fight the good fight of faith, and be found "steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." It is with feelings of inexpressible sadness, and sometimes almost with despair, that I contemplate the condition of the young, and see how difficult it is to encourage those to obtain an education to whom I know God has liberally intrusted capabilities. Without education, they will be crippled and inefficient in any position. Yet in gaining this education they will be exposed to dangers and temptations. Satan will try to employ their cultivated abilities in his service. Some employ their powers to evil purposes. The subtle poison of sensuality courses through their veins, and it finds little obstruction in its way. It is fascinating, bewitching. The mind, which, with due regard for moral integrity, is capable of the highest degree of cultivation and literary excellence, is often degraded to administer to lust. Elevated morals and practical godliness have no charms for these deluded souls; and it is almost impossible to bring to bear upon them any influence, either by precept or example, that shall counteract the efforts of Satan to corrupt and ruin their souls. Unless these young men and women are willing to learn, willing to be counseled by those of experience, they will surely be led astray by the wiles of Satan. And unless those who teach them are steadily growing in grace and in a knowledge of the truth, and in real spiritual discernment, they will be in danger, by their example and by advancing erroneous ideas, of unconsciously aiding the enemy in his work, leading souls to regard that as best for them, which will bring the least good, and be of the least benefit to their souls. The plans devised and carried out for the education522 of our youth are none too broad. They should not have a one-sided education, but all their powers should receive equal attention. Moral philosophy, the study of the Scriptures, and physical training should be combined with the studies usually pursued in schools. Every power—physical, mental, and moral—needs to be trained, disciplined, and developed, that it may render its highest service; for unless all are equally developed, one faculty cannot do its work thoroughly, without overtaxing some part of the human machinery. Much has been said and written in regard to the importance of training the mind for its highest service. This has sometimes led to the opinion that if the intellect is educated to put forth its highest powers, it will strengthen the physical and moral nature, for the development of the whole man. Time and experience have proved this to be an error. We have seen men and women go forth as graduates from college, who were in no way qualified to make a proper use of the wonderful physical organism with which God had provided them. The whole body is designed for action, not for inaction. If the physical powers are not taxed equally with the mental, too much strain is brought upon the latter. Unless every part of the human machinery performs its allotted tasks, the mental powers cannot be used to their highest capability for any length of time. Natural powers must be governed by natural laws, and the faculties must be educated to work harmoniously, and in accord with these laws. The teachers in our schools can disregard none of these particulars without shirking responsibility. Pride may lead them to seek for a high worldly standard of intellectual attainment, that students may make a brilliant show; but when it comes to solid acquirements—those which are essential to fit men and women for any and every emergency in practical life,—such students are only partially prepared to make life a success. Their defective education often leads to failure in whatever branch of business they undertake. Gymnasium exercises may in some instances be an advantage. They were brought in to supply the want of useful physical training, and have become popular with educational institutions; but they are not without drawbacks. Unless carefully regulated, they are productive of more harm than good. Some have suffered life-long physical injury through these gymnasium sports. The manual training connected with our schools, if rightly conducted, will largely take the place of the gymnasium. Teachers should give far more attention to the physical, mental, and moral influences in our schools. Although the study of the sciences may carry the students to high literary attainments, it does not give a full, perfect education. When special attention is given to the thorough development of every physical and moral power which God has given, then students will not leave our colleges calling themselves educated while they are ignorant of that knowledge which they must have for practical life, and for the fullest development of character. My heart aches as I see these deficiencies; for the result must be loss of health, a lack of care-taking ability, and a want of adaptation to that kind of labor which is most essential to success in life. The newspapers abound in sensational records of frauds and embezzlements, of misery in families—husbands eloping with other men's wives, and wives eloping with other women's husbands,—all because these parties were not trained to habits of industry, and never learned how to economize time, or to employ their faculties in the best way to make a happy home. Would that I could arouse every teacher in our land on this subject. There is a work for them to do, to broaden and elevate their educational work. There is a period of time just before us, when the condition of the world will become desperate; when that true religion which yields obedience to a "Thus saith the Lord," will become almost extinct. Our youth should be taught that wicked deeds are not forgotten or overlooked because God does not524 immediately punish the perpetrators with extreme indignation. God keeps a reckoning with the nations. Through every century of this world's history, evil-workers have been treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath; and when the time fully comes that iniquity shall have reached the stated boundary of God's mercy, his forbearance will cease. When the accumulated figures in heaven's record books shall mark the sum of transgression complete, wrath will come, unmixed with mercy, and then it will be seen what a tremendous thing it is to have worn out the divine patience. This crisis will be reached when the nations shall unite in making void God's law. The days will come when the righteous will be stirred to zeal for God, because of the abounding iniquity. None but divine power can stay the arrogance of Satan, united with evil men; but in the hour of the church’s greatest danger, most fervent prayer will be offered in her behalf by the faithful remnant, and God will hear and answer at the very time when the guilt of the transgressor has reached its hight. He will “avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them.” They will be jealous for the honor of God. They will be zealous in prayer, and their faith will grow strong. There is too little zeal among the students. They should make more earnest efforts. It requires much study to know how to study. Each student must cultivate the habit of industry. He should see that no second-class work comes forth from his hand. He should take to himself the words Paul addressed to Timothy: "Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear unto all. Take heed unto thyself and to the doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee." The duty of old and young must be set forth in simple, positive language, because our lot is cast in perilous times, when it seems that truth must be overborne by falsehood and Satanic delusions. In the time of testing and trial, the shield of Omnipotence will be spread over those whom God has made the depositaries of his law. When legislators shall abjure the principles of Protestantism, so as to give countenance and the right hand of fellowship to Romanism, then God will interpose in a special manner in behalf of his own honor and the salvation of his people. The principles necessary for our youth to cultivate, must be kept before them in their daily education, that when the decree shall go forth requiring all to worship the beast and his image, they may make the right decisions, and have strength to declare, without wavering, their confidence in the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, even at the very time when the law of God is made void by the religious world. Those who waver now, and are tempted to follow in the wake of apostates who have departed from the faith, “giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils,” will surely be found on the side of those who make void the law of God, unless they repent, and plant their feet firmly upon the faith once delivered to the saints. If we are living amid those fearful perils described in the word of God, should we not be awake to the realities of the situation? Why keep so silent? Why make of the least importance the things that are of the greatest interest to every one of us? The Bible should be our dearest treasure, and should be earnestly studied and zealously taught to others. How can this marvelous indifference continue upon those who have had light and knowledge? Prophecy and history should form a part of the studies in our schools, and all who accept positions as educators, should prize more and more the revealed will of God. They should, in simplicity, instruct the students. They should unfold the Scriptures, and526 show by their own life and character the preciousness of Bible religion and the beauty of holiness; but never, for one moment, let the impression be left upon any one that it would be for his profit to hide his faith and doctrines from the unbelieving people of the world, fearing that he might not be so highly honored if his principles were known. It is no time to be ashamed of our faith. We are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. The whole universe is looking with inexpressible interest to see the closing work of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. At such a time as this, just as the great work of judging the living is to begin, shall we allow unsanctified ambition to take possession of the heart? What can be of any worth to us now, except to be found loyal and true to the God of heaven? What is there of any real value in this world, when we are on the very borders of the eternal world? What education can we give to the students in our schools, that is so necessary as a knowledge of “what saith the Scripture”? EXAMPLES OF HEROIC FIDELITY TO GOD.
Joseph, when honored by the Egyptians, did not conceal his loyalty to God. Elijah, amid the general apostasy, did not seek to hide the fact that he served the God of heaven. Baal's prophets numbered four hundred and fifty, his priests, four hundred, and his worshipers were thousands; yet Elijah did not try to make it appear that he was on the popular side. He grandly stood alone. The mountain was covered with people full of eager expectation. The king came in great pomp, and the idolaters, confident of triumph, shouted his welcome. But God had been greatly dishonored. One man, and only one man, appeared to vindicate the honor of God. With clear, trumpet-like tones, Elijah addressed the vast multitude: "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The result was,527 that the Lord God, who ruleth in the heavens, was vindicated, and the Baal-worshipers were slain. Where are the Elijahs of to-day? Daniel’s history is a remarkable one. He carried out his faith and principles against great opposition. He was condemned to death, because he would not abate one jot of his allegiance to God, even in the face of the king’s decree. It might, at this day, be called over-righteousness to go, as was his wont, three times a day, and kneel before the open window for prayer, while he knew that prying eyes were observing him, and that his enemies were ready to accuse him of disloyalty to the king; but Daniel would allow no earthly power to come in between him and his God, even with the prospect of death in the den of lions. Although God did not prevent Daniel from being cast into a den of lions, an angel went in with him and closed their mouths, so that no harm befell him; and in the morning, when the king called him, he responded, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.” He was a noble, steadfast servant of God. Nothing is gained by cowardice, or by fearing to let it be known that we are God's commandment-keeping people. Hiding our light, as if ashamed of our faith, will result only in disaster. God will leave us to our own weakness. May the Lord forbid that we should refuse to let our light shine forth in any place to which he may call us. If we venture to go forth of ourselves, following our own ideas, our own plans, and leave Jesus behind, we need not expect to gain fortitude, courage, or spiritual strength. God has had moral heroes, and he has them now,—those who are not ashamed of being his peculiar people. Their wills and plans are all subordinate to the law of God. The love of Jesus has led them not to count their lives dear unto themselves. Their work has been to catch the light from the word of God, and to528 let it shine forth in clear, steady rays to the world. Fidelity to God is their motto.