Words to the Young

There is a witness present with us, even as there was at the sacrilegious feast of Belshazzar. «The king made a feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.»

There was a witness present on this occasion, just as there is a witness present at all such times of feasting and frivolity. The witness was not an invited guest, yet when the hilarity was at its height, when God’s name and honor were profaned, the bloodless hand wrote the sentence of judgment on the wall. «Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.»

In all the gatherings of young and old, there is present an uninvited guest, a witness from heaven, as there was a witness at the sacrilegious feast of Belshazzar. Could those who dishonor God by their words and actions, behold the writing in the record, their countenances would change, as surely as did the countenance of the king when he saw the part of the bloodless hand that wrote on the wall of his palace. You may think that you are sinning in secret, or you may be entirely indifferent to the matter; but for all that, every dishonoring word spoken against God will bring its sure reward. That which you sow you will also reap. The Lord has said, «Them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.» You may suppose that your reasonings are very clear and sharp. Nebuchadnezzar thought the same. Warnings were given him in dreams, and no one of his wise men could interpret them. Daniel alone was found to interpret the dreams of the king, and to add words given him of God, to exhort the king to repentance and reformation.

Daniel said to the king, «O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.» But the king did not heed the message of Daniel. For twelve months he was tested and proved of God, to see if he would humble his proud heart, and the witness was with him when he came in and when he went out; and at the end of the twelve months he walked in his palace in the kingdom of Babylon. «The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.»

The king’s reason was taken away, and the word of God was fulfilled to the very letter. For seven years his kingdom was ruled by others, while the might and mind and power of the king were humbled. He ate grass as an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven. «And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.»

Before Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall of the king’s palace, he rehearsed the experience of Nebuchadnezzar before Belshazzar. «Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let they gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor: and for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: and he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts , and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them: and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hah numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. Tekel;’ Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.»

The Lord exalted his name even among the heathen, and kings honored God because of his wonderful works, which revealed him to be the only true God. Mrs. E. G. White. —

«And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men; and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.»

When the Ephesians were converted, they changed their habits and practices. Under the conviction of the Spirit of God, they acted with promptness, and laid bare all the mysteries of their witchcraft. They came and confessed, and showed their deeds, and their souls were filled with holy indignation, because they had given such devotion to magic, and had so highly prized the books in which the rules of Satan’s devising had laid down the methods whereby they might practice witchcraft. They were determined to turn from the service of the evil one, and they brought their costly volumes, and publicly burned them. Thus they made manifest their sincerity in turning to God.

This portion of history has been written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. The Ephesians claimed to have intercourse with invisible beings, from whom they derived their knowledge of that which was to come to pass. In our day this communion with spirits is called Spiritualism, and the arts practiced by mediums are not all slight of hand, cunning, and pretense. The visible and invisible worlds are in close connection. Satan is the master deceiver, and his confederates in evil are in training under him to work in the same line in which he works. The apostle says, «We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.»

Those who surrender their will and their way to God, doing as did Abraham in keeping the way of the Lord, will be guided into safe paths. Their prayers will go up continually to God for help, and holy angels will be on their side, working through them, that they shall not be overcome of the evil one.

The books the Ephesians committed to the flames on their conversion to the gospel, they formerly delighted in, and permitted them to rule their consciences and guide their minds. They might have sold them, but by so doing the evil would be perpetuated. They now abhor the Satanic mysteries, the magical arts, and regard with aversion the knowledge they obtained from them. I would ask the young who have been connected with the truth, Have you burned your magical books? We do not charge you with the evil that had bound the Ephesians, or claim that you have practiced magic, and dealt in the arts of sorcery in the same way as they have. We do not say that you have followed the mysteries of necromancy, or held communion with evil spirits. But are you not in communion with the author of all evil, with the deviser of all these mysteries and hellish arts? Do you not listen to the suggestions of him who is the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air? Have you not submitted to his falsehoods, and yielded yourselves as his agents to work that which was in harmony with your life before conversion? Have you not given yourselves up to be Satan’s agents, and in a broader sense, are you not holding intercourse with fallen angels, and learning lessons from them in the art of deceiving your own soul and the souls of others?

What about the magical books? What have you been reading? How have you been employing your time? Have you been seeking to study the sacred oracles in order that you may hear the voice of God speaking to you out of his word? The world is deluged with books which sow the seeds of skepticism, infidelity, and atheism, and to a larger or less degree you have been learning your lessons from these books, and they are magical books. They put God out of the mind, and separate the soul from the true Shepherd. The volumes you have read have been devised by the agents of Satan to bewitch the mind with theories formed in the synagogue of Satan, to show you how you may serve the evil one with satanic dignity. How numerous are the books of infidel tendencies, which are calculated to unsettle the mind through specious doubts! Satan has breathed his poisonous breath upon them, and a deadly, spiritual malaria affects the soul that reads them. What a mass of fictitious reading is there in the world, to fill the mind with fancies and follies, thus creating a disrelish for the words of truth and righteousness! The mind is thus unfitted for solemn thought, for patient, persevering investigation of the Scriptures, which is the guide book by which you are to be directed to the paradise of God.

Much is written in regard to gaining earthly treasure, as though the wealth of this world would buy us a passport into heaven. What volumes of history have been written, filled with the daring, presumptuous achievements of men whose lives do not throw one glimmer of light upon the pathway that leads to the better country! How many books are there concerning war and bloodshed, which mislead the youth! As they read, Satan stands at their side to inspire them with the spirit of the warrior of whom they read, and their blood becomes heated in their veins, and they are stirred up to do cruel actions. How numerous are immoral books, which lead to unholy desires, and fire the passions of the heart, and lead away from all that is pure and holy!

You have had your magical books, in which the very scenes and pictures were inspired by him who was once an exalted angel in the courts of heaven. He had knowledge; he possessed wisdom high and deep. Long was he in connection with God, and was trained in the school of Christ. He had a masterly mind, a powerful intellect, and yet he apostatized, and now his one aim is to lead men in various ways, according to their gifts, to array themselves against God, that he may counteract the influence of the Spirit of God on human hearts.

I would ask, Shall the magical books be burned up? In the synagogue of Satan, there are places of attraction where licentiousness is fostered and indulged; but the witness is there, and an unseen visitant testifies to the deeds done in darkness. In the associations of the vain, the proud, the mirthful, Satan presides, and is the chief mover in scenes of gayety. He is there in disguise. Witchcraft is going on around us on every hand, and the world and the church are under the influence of one who will lead them to do things they never dreamed of doing. Should they be informed of the deeds they will perform, they would be as much astonished as was Hazael when the prophet told him of his future course. The apostle asks the Galatians, «Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?»

Every man, woman, and child that is not under the control of the Spirit of God, is under the influence of Satan’s sorcery, and by his words and example, he will lead others away from the path of truth. When the transforming grace of Christ is upon the heart, a righteous indignation will take possession of the soul because the sinner has so long neglected the great salvation that God has provided for him. He will then surrender himself, body, soul, and spirit to God, and will withdraw from companionship with Satan, through the grace given him of God. He will, like the Ephesians, denounce sorcery, and will cut the last thread that binds him to Satan. He will leave the banner of the prince of darkness, and will come under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel. He will burn the magical books. Mrs. E. G. White. —

The history of nations is the strongest evidence of the verity of God’s word. Those who have regarded with indifference the word of God, bear the signature of the earthliness of all their acquirements and pursuits. Equity, truth, order, purity, peace, follow in the track of all who practice the teachings of Christ as contained in the Old and New Testaments. The real doers of the word of God are described as those who draw out their souls to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul. God speaks in his word, and let every one listen to his voice. He who has educated himself in such a way that he gives credence to the sophistry of Satan, and who thinks it is a mark of high intelligence to boast of his skepticism and infidelity, needs to become a fool in the eyes of the worldly wise, in order that he may have the true wisdom that cometh down from the source of all wisdom. To argue with persons who are established in infidel principles, is of no avail; for as fast as you overthrow one point, Satan suggests to them another criticism.

«The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field; the grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever. . . . Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. To whom will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? . . . Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: that bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown; yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. . . . Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fail: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.»

The time is not far distant when there will be no one to lift up his head and voice in pride, saying, I am an infidel. How is it that men make this boast, and walk in false paths? Life and death are set before them. If men do not continually seek for higher good, if they do not appropriate the precious promises, warnings, and reproofs in the word of God, they will not be refined and ennobled. The bewitching power of Satan will take control of the mind, and they will use the God-given faculties to serve the natural evil desires of the mind. If men do not grow in grace, they will grow in worldliness and sin. Every evil inclination gratified, every action of the person, leaves its impress upon the soul, and is revealed in the character. The conversation we have by the fireside, the books we read, the business we transact, are all agents in forming our characters, and day by day decide our eternal destiny.

Every one who neglects to read and search the Scriptures is in danger; for he loses the hidden treasures of truth. To take up fictitious stories, the fruits of somebody’s imagination, is to lay the mind open to the bewitching power of Satan; and this kind of reading creates an unnatural appetite for fictitious stories, from which no moral strength is derived. Fictitious stories leave the mind and heart as destitute of the grace of God as were the hills of Gilboa of dew and rain. Let every one who claims to be a child of God, burn the magical books. If the mind is filled with that which is like to chaff, only chaff will come forth from the mind.

Books from the pens of infidels should have no place in the libraries of those who would serve God. They will make better kindling material for your stove, than food for the mind. Infidel books have been a cause of ruin to many souls. Men have studied these books of Satan’s inspiration, and they have become confused in regard to what was truth. Satan stands at the side of him who opens an infidel book, and he will educate the mind that peruses such literature, and so bewitch the soul that it will be almost impossible to break the infatuation.

Let no believer flatter himself that his mountain standeth sure, and that he will never be moved away from his position of faith. No confidence can be placed in human nature, when the soul is separated from God. On every side avenues open naturally from the safe path, and the wary as well as the unsuspecting are in positive danger, unless they do as did Daniel, make the Lord their strength. The intellect is composed of that upon which it feeds. I would speak to the young men who suppose themselves to be free men, because they are cherishing infidel principles. You are not free. You are bound with bands like steel, and the only one who can free you, is the «Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.» Jesus has purchased you from the slavery of sin and death, in order that he may make you sons of God. But you must cooperate with God in the work of your salvation, else Christ will have died for you in vain.

Satan imparts to those who serve under his banner his own attributes, and causes men to lose control over themselves, so that he may lead them to do the very things they have despised. They will be led to talk loftily, and make a boast of things over which they should be ashamed. Those who are thus led into the delusion of Satan, do not know that they are in bondage. The bands have been broken that bind them to that which is good and pure and holy, and they leave their allegiance to God, and become apostates. They are led of passion and blind self-will, and they permit self-will to gain ascendency over reason and principle. Yet these are the men who call themselves free; but how deluded they are! They imagine that they have a very high standard; but O how shamefully low it is! They say, We want our own ways, not thy ways, O God. They do not realize the truth that Jesus uttered, «Without me ye can do nothing» to reach a high standard. I ask you, young men, Will you keep back from God that which is his own? Will you rob God, and misuse his time, misapply his talents, and refuse to give him the service he requires from each one of you? Will you lay yourselves, the purchased possession of Christ, upon the shrine of the world? Jesus, who has bought you with an infinite price, asks you to give him your heart. Will you give it to him? He asks your time, your money, your body, your soul. He has bought all there is of you; you are his purchased possession. O, do not yield yourselves to the service of Satan, to become a slave to the powers of darkness, and do the bidding of the prince of evil! Mrs. E. G. White.

«Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. . . . For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption: but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.» If young men who have been perusing Satan’s books of skepticism, had given the powers of their mind to the diligent searching of the field which contains the hidden treasure, they would have had a different character to-day from that which they have. How different would their record be in the books of heaven, and how different their cases when the books shall be opened, and every man shall be rewarded according as his work shall be.

«And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.» The day of judgment is not far distant, and will you dare to brave that day in your own unsanctified independence? Will you stand in warfare against God and the holy angels on that day when every soul shall stand definitely under the banner of him whom he has chosen to serve? Will you care to deny your Maker to his face?

We do not want your deception to continue upon you, if you have any inclination to be undeceived. We read that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh. How?—It was by revealing himself as a God who had power above all gods. The Governor of the universe, the God that ruleth in the heavens and upon earth, sent this wicked, idolatrous, tyrannical king a message to let his people go. When the king refused to let Israel go, God made his power apparent in sending the plagues, and in exhibiting his might by great signs and wonders. But Pharaoh resisted the power of God. It was the king’s sowing time. God does not put a spell upon men to force them to resist him, but the very evidence that should have convinced Pharaoh, only hardened him in unbelief, and at every exhibition of the power of God, his heart hardened in obstinacy.

When light comes to the soul through God’s appointed agencies, and it is not received and acted upon, there is manifest a contempt of God, and stubborn resistance increases as additional light comes to convince of error, and manifest truth. The case of Pharaoh stands forth in Bible history to warn men off the ground that he took. He set himself in stubborn resistance against the messages and warnings God sent. Every ray of light that comes from heaven to men, when resisted by the ungodly, increases their power of resistance, and finally sets the heart in rebellion against God. He who sows rebellion reaps rebellion.

After God sends light and evidence, calculated to convince any rational, unprejudiced mind, and it is not received or acted upon, but rather treated with contempt, resisted, and refused, the Holy Spirit is withdrawn, and men are left in their chosen obstinacy. The Lord gradually removed from Pharaoh the restraint that his Holy Spirit had exercised over him, and gave him up to his own way. It was more and more evident that the heart of the king was fixed in desperate rebellion against God. In word and character he said, «Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.»

Pharaoh had his sowing time, and he also had his reaping time. He sowed resistance and obstinacy. He sowed the seed in the soil. No new power was put into operation by God. The seed was left to spring up; the man was permitted to act out his true character. When the Lord sees unbelief in the heart against light and evidence, all he has to do is to let the human agent alone; for the seed put into the soil will bring forth seed after its kind. Many have been sowing the seed of unbelief, and if this seed is cultivated, it will produce a harvest that will not be so pleasant to reap as the seed is to sow. When Pharaoh refused to heed the messages and admonitions of God, and was not admonished by the first miracle that God worked to convince him, he was in a condition more easily to say, «I will,» and «I will not.» His independent resistance produced a harvest after its kind, and all the evidences that God gave to set his steps in the right path, only served to fasten him in unbelief and rebellion. He went on from one degree of resistance and wilful disobedience of God to another degree, just as the ungodly of all ages have done, and will do to the close of time, until he finally looked upon the dead face of his first-born. The character revealed by Pharaoh is similar to that of all the impenitent. God destroys no man; but after a time the wicked are given up to the destruction they have wrought for themselves.

When a man chooses his own way in the face of light and evidence, and refuses to be admonished, and to turn to the Lord with contrition of soul, the next message the Lord shall send will have less effect, for he allows his independent, self-willed spirit to control his judgment. He continues to cast the seed of resistance into his heart, and every time he repeats his act of resistance, refusing to turn from his own way to God’s way, he bends his inclination in the way of disobedience, loves rebellion, and at last becomes callous, and the seed of unbelief ripens for the harvest. The Holy Spirit strives with every man; resist the Holy Spirit, which is the divine voice to man, and the more you resist, the less inclination will you have to repent and reform. Satan will take you under his care, and will give you plenty to do in his line, and you will become more and more in harmony with your leader, and the company that stands under his banner. The warning of God may come to you, saying, «Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?» But you will throw back the answer, «I will not serve God. I am not religiously inclined. After I go on in the way of self-pleasing as long as I wish, I will choose another leader. I do not mean always to stand under Satan’s standard, and give my influence and service to him. But I will do just as I please until certain objects are gained, and then I will change.» This is the way many reason.

The foolish rich man is an example of what fate may come to those who think only of pleasing themselves, and living for this present world. He made up his mind what he would do, but his Maker had other plans. When he said, «Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry,» God said, «This night thy soul shall be required of thee.» Thus shall it be with every one who is not rich toward God. What foolish reasoning comes from the impenitent heart! How foolish is it to educate the affections away from God, in direct opposition to the plainest precepts of Jehovah, to allow Satan to control the mind, to bind the soul in service to himself, and then flatter ourselves that at any time we may be able to step from the ranks of evil into the army of the Lord Jesus Christ! Every hour we walk in the path of unrighteousness, every warning we resist, we place ourselves farther away from the probability of repentance. Warnings, reproofs, entreaties, have less and less effect. The judgment loses its solemnity, the inclination of the heart becomes less and less toward the service of God, and more and more toward the service of self and the world.

Then take heed to-day to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Thank God it is not too late for wrongs to be righted. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. Mrs. E. G. White.

Satan is watching for an opportunity whereby he may take control of him whom God has blessed with great light. If he can work upon the soul in such a way as to transform the character of those who have been greatly enlightened of heaven, so that he may cause them to work his works, he will triumph. We are a spectacle unto the world, to angels, and to men. He who makes up his mind that he will follow his own natural, unsanctified inclination, is not placing himself where he is likely to be inclined to become religious. The unsanctified heart will never incline itself to God. Joshua said to Israel: «Now therefore put away . . . the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel.» «But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. . . . But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.» «But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear; but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.»

I must impress upon you to note the agency by which the soul is destroyed. The soul’s destruction cannot be laid to the charge of God. It cannot be said that he has made a decree against any man. He does not cast darkness before the eyes of him who would see light. The condition of the soul is in accordance with the seed sown. If we recklessly cast seed into the soil, whatever may be its character, the harvest will be after the kind of seed cast into the soil.

God is full of mercy and goodness and truth. He forgives transgressions and sins. But if the human agent takes his case out of the hands of God, and wills to do as he pleases, irrespective of warning and reproof and counsel from the Spirit of God; if he refuses the light that is flashed athwart his pathway to reveal to him whither his feet are tending; if he chooses darkness rather than light that is of infinite value, and determinedly walks in darkness, he will come to look upon the light that is as an angel to guide him aright, as veritable darkness that is against his good; and how great is that darkness!

It is a terrible thing for us to have our own way. If we indulge self once in any known sin, unless the heart is touched by the Holy Spirit, and yields to the entreaties of God in repentance and contrition, it is easier to sin the second time. The second departure from righteousness is less offensive than the first; and thus the habit of evil is formed, and the seed sown produces a harvest. Through the germinating power of what a man sows, he proceeds from bad to worse.

Those who neglect to search the Scriptures, choosing rather to read books of skeptical writers, or of writers who are frivolous or worldly, will be tempted to neglect prayer, to withdraw from religious meetings, to invest money in cheap literature, and will so educate themselves that all taste for the sacred oracles will be erased from the mind. Thus will they be led to refuse to hear, to refuse to incline the heart to seek God while he may be found, to call upon him while he is near, while he is still sending messages of reproof, warning, and entreaty. They say to all the tender entreaties of God’s Spirit, «Not now; I will go into another city, and buy and sell and get gain; and after that I will begin a new life.» O do not be deceived by this suggestion of the enemy to wait, and that after a time you will repent. The longer you put it off, the less will be your inclination to turn to God, and obey the invitations of mercy. The most discouraging development in your case is the very fact that you say, «Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.» This is an evidence that conscience has become aroused, and then put to sleep again with an opiate. But think of this;—conscience may never wake again! While God grants you life, while you are sure of probation, embrace your day of opportunity and privilege.

On the morning of June 29, a brother came to the house where I was visiting. He had a conversation with the lady of the house at twelve o’clock; he ate a hearty dinner, and afterward went to work in his garden. After working for awhile, he became heated and thirsty, and drank a cup of cold water. His wife stepped out of the room, but hearing a noise, she returned. She found her husband standing leaning against the wall, but he fell that moment on the floor, unconscious. She asked him if he knew her, as he opened his eyes, but he was unable to answer; for he gasped and died.

How uncertain is life! To-day many of you may go out in usual health, and you may be brought home lifeless. Your unfinished work is left for other hands to do. To-day is the time to enroll your name with those who love God, and who keep his commandments. To-day make your calling and election sure. Peter gives a copy of the best life insurance policy in the world. He says: «Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for it ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be administered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.» Mrs. E. G. White. —

It is the purpose of God that we are to make continual progress in divine knowledge and virtue. We are surrounded by wicked men, beset with Satan’s temptations, and we should understand how necessary it is to have a right hold above. Where shall we spend our eternity?—In the presence of the omnipotent God. Then, is it not best to become acquainted with him, to understand our obligation to him? Or do you think it wise to live according to our own finite desires, and to be governed by our own finite speculations? Shall we follow our own human wisdom, and bury in the earth our Lord’s entrusted talent, instead of putting it out to usury? In hoarding the Lord’s goods we become alienated from God. Instead of having a heart of gratitude, to show forth the praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light, we make the complaint of the unfaithful servant, «I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.»

The unfaithful servant was a poor, deceived, dishonest soul. He said, «I knew thee that thou art a hard man.» But was this accusation true? He makes it manifest by his charge that he was not acquainted with God, and judged God to be one altogether like himself. Had he made a diligent use of his Lord’s entrusted goods, had he been thankful for the trust the Lord had reposed in him, had he qualified himself to make the best use possible of what God had given him, he would never have uttered the words, «Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed.» How deceived the sinner shows himself to be! He thinks he has a perfect knowledge of God, and that he knows his own heart, when he neither knows himself nor God. His supposed knowledge is only deception. He knows nothing as he ought to know it.

Unbelief in regard to God and dishonesty in dealing with God, lead to dishonesty in dealing with men. Separation from God means the corruption of morals while fear and love of God produce faithfulness and integrity. Thus it is that each one of us is sealing his destiny. That which we sow, we shall reap. This is our sowing time, and as beings accountable to God, we should take heed as to the kind of seed we are sowing. Let us bear in mind that the reaping time will surely come.

Christ is still our great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, and we may yet have faith in Christ. We may repent of our sins. Jesus says, «Ye believe in God, believe also in me.» Every provision has been made to meet the needs of our spiritual and our moral nature. God is love, and he cares for us. «Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Light and immortality are brought to light through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus has said that he has set before us an open door, and no man can shut it. The open door is before us, and through the grace of Christ, beams of merciful light stream forth from the gates ajar.

The bitterness of life is caused by the labors, the mortifications, the humiliations and sufferings, that result from sin. But if pardon is sought, it will be obtained. We shall be conscious of our unworthiness, and acknowledge the justice of our humiliation and chastisement. «As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.» Let not your heart and mine be filled with the falsehood that came from the unfaithful servant’s lips, «I knew thee that thou art a hard man.» Reproof must come to the wrong-doer, and those who are faithful ministers of God will have to deal with men in a close way if they are faithful to their charge.

The apostle says, «All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.» We are all in need of reproof, of correction, of instruction in righteousness; and it is hard for us to kick against the pricks. We are to give all diligence, and add to «faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things, is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be administered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.»

There are some who, when reproved, make serious charges against those who deal with their cases. They accuse those who deal faithfully with them, because they are blinded, and feel humiliated before others. But every minister is under the responsibility of reproving and correcting the erring. If he shunned this duty, the blood of souls would be upon his garments. In Paul’s last charge to Timothy, he said, «I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.» Again he says, «Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.» «For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, . . . whose mouths must be stopped. . . . This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith. . . . Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.» (Marginal reading, «void of judgment.»)

«The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.» «Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.» «Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.» Mrs. E. G. White. —

The case of the man who claims to know the truth, and yet neglects to become a doer of the words of Christ, is one to be pitied. He neglects to watch and pray, neglects to make God his counselor and dependence, becomes self-sufficient, and walks in the imagination of his own heart, as if he had wisdom, knowledge, and strength in himself. He fails to improve his talents, or works in a negligent, careless way, and thereby disqualifies himself for some place of usefulness he might have filled. But although he neglects the work God has given him to do, he is not released from the responsibility of the results of not doing all he might have done to bless humanity. Is God’s Spirit grieved? Is God dishonored? Are souls lost through his unfaithfulness? The guilt is upon the soul that sinneth. He is accountable for all the evil arising through his influence, conscious or unconscious, that works disaster in the world. By his unfaithfulness he prepares himself for the second death. Unless he repents, confesses his wrongs, and becomes qualified through the grace of Christ for service in his cause, he is a lost man. It is not safe to take a single false step.

We are free moral agents, and unless we improve the opportunities granted us, we shall be held accountable for all the good we might have done, had we done our full duty as Christians. The Judge of all the earth will require of the sinner the same duties that he requires of his servants; and those who fail to bring forth good works, will he charged as defaulters. The sinner may brave rebuke, he may appear to feel no remorse; yet the law of God holds him in its chains. Unless he exercises repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, he will perish in his sins. All that a Christian fails to do in faithful work, is charged to his account.

He is held accountable for the souls that are lost—those who might have been saved had he become a faithful watchman upon the walls of Zion. The sinner cannot be excused from his God-given work because he does not profess Christ, but this is not the way in which sinners look upon the matter of their responsibility before God. They suppose that they are less accountable because they do not stand under the blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel; but this is not so. Their salvation cost every jot and tittle as much as did the salvation of others, and it is the same as though they were benefited by the salvation provided for a lost world.

«Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.» The truth that sinners refuse to receive, works in the life from day to day, as a savor of death unto death. Every hour spent in careless inattention to the claims of God, results in terrible loss. It is a waste of the opportunities and privileges that God’s mercy has provided. To refuse to serve God is keeping back part of the price, committing robbery against God. It is evident that such as do this have dropped eternity out of their reckoning. We shall receive according to our works, and our stars will differ in glory according to the degree of faithfulness that has characterized our work. O what a terrible loss will those sustain, who have had light and truth shining all around them, and who carelessly lived on, and chose not the light and peace and joy of Christ.

While we are favorably situated, let us make use of every opportunity to know the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. We do not need to experience what are the delusive snares of Satan. It is the privilege of the young, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to return unto the Lord his own with usury. They may say, «Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.» Mrs. E. G. White. —

«Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.»

The denunciation that God pronounces upon the wicked at the day of judgment is not called forth by revolting crimes, by actual outbreaking sins, but condemnation comes because of the neglect of doing the good that the wicked might have done, had they possessed the qualifications that Christ has made it possible for every sinner to possess. Jesus clothed his divinity with humanity in order that humanity might touch humanity, that moral power might combine with human effort, and that man might become a laborer together with God. By looking to Jesus, by beholding his character, he is changed into Christ’s image, works along the same lines as those in which Christ worked, and becomes better and better acquainted with God, and with Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. Principles of eternal justice will be revealed in the decisions of the last great day, when the judgment shall sit, and the books be opened.

«And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, before whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.» The question concerning those to be judged, is, What is the character of their works? Jesus has given his life in order that transgressors may become transformed in character, and be made fit subjects for the kingdom of God, members of the royal family, children of the heavenly king. With the gross, sinful, corrupt transgressors that are named as outside the city, are the five foolish virgins, who took no oil (they had not the grace of God) in their vessels with their lamps. They had lamps,—a knowledge of the truth,—but no living connection with God. They were not vitalized by the Holy Spirit. They went out as those who were wise, but they were wise only in their own conceit; for they had no saving faith in Christ as their personal Saviour. They had not been growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The same lesson of unfaithfulness is presented in the parable of the talents, where the servant to whom was entrusted the one talent went and dug in the earth, and hid his Lord’s money. When his Lord returned, and inquired for his own with usury, this man made charges against God, just as many are doing to-day,—making charges against those who are bearing burdens and carrying responsibility in the cause of God. It was the unprofitable servant who made charges against his Lord. He said, «Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: 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.»

The Lord expects that every one shall put to use the ability of influence or means given him. We are to do the works of Christ, to practise the lessons he has given us, and, by exercising our powers, we are to increase and strengthen them. But if we fail to improve the talent given us of God, we prove ourselves unprofitable servants, and the Lord will say to us as to the man in the parable, «Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.» The Lord put no confidence in the unprofitable servant. Under test and trial, the principles which controlled his actions were developed, and he was found wanting. He educated himself to complain of those with whom he was brought into contact, and finally he complained of God.

Christ says, «Ye are my witnesses.» But those who have not improved their knowledge, who have not increased their entrusted abilities, by working in Christ’s lines, would not be faithful and obedient in the future life. What a lesson is here given us! Judgment and retribution will come upon evil doers because of their lack of piety, because they have failed to exercise their entrusted abilities in blessing those around them. They will be found wanting because they failed to do the good that Jesus made it possible for them to do, by the provision of his grace. They refused the grace that Jesus died to bestow upon them, and disappointed the Master who has given to every man his work. For the neglect of doing the work given of God, the retributive judgment of God will fall upon the wicked and slothful servant. The unprofitable servant may have occupied himself in looking diligently after his own affairs, but he has dropped eternity out of his reckoning. By his own blood, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, has purchased sinners, and both the man and his talents belong to God. «Know ye not that . . . ye are not your own? for ye are bought with a price.» Mrs. E. G. White. —

All our capabilities, all our powers, are the purchased possession of Christ. Our intellectual and moral powers are capable, when not misapplied, of honoring and glorifying God. The tongue is to be educated to speak right words, the eye to discern right things; the heart is to be surrendered to Christ, that he may purify, refine, and sanctify it through the truth, in order that from its treasures we may bring forth good things. We may, if we choose, abuse our faculties; for God will not compel any one to do righteousness. We are free moral agents; and yet let us bear in mind that we are the property of Christ both by creation and by redemption. The talents we have are his gifts, and whether we have few or many talents, we are to devote them to God.

We are on test and trial, and Satan is playing the game of life to secure possession of the soul; but whatever may have been our hereditary or cultivated tendencies, the grace of Jesus Christ, through his death, is brought within the reach of every sinner. If we shall place ourselves under right influences by faith in Christ as our personal Saviour, divine power will combine with human effort, and we may come off more than conquerors through him that hath loved us. The Holy Spirit, the word of God, will be our helpers. God would have no one enter into any business or arrangement to supply temporal needs, that will in any way hinder his spiritual advancement, and curtail the use of his powers in the service of God.

At conversion, we are represented as babes in Christ; but we are not always to remain in the condition of children. We are to feed upon the sincere milk of the word, that we may grow thereby, and become strong, having been nourished by the word, if so be we have tasted that the Lord is gracious. «Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles [worldlings who obey not the truth]: that, whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.» «As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.»

The Lord held the slothful servant accountable for the talents which might have been his had he appreciated God’s entrusted gifts, and multiplied them by a wise and diligent use in gaining spiritual knowledge and understanding. He was held accountable for the exercising of a reformatory influence upon the world; but instead of improving what God had given him, he is represented as handing back to the Lord the talent he had bestowed. He had not put it out to the exchangers. He had not appreciated the claims that God had upon his time, influence, capability, and means. He had not become a co-laborer with God, seeking to save the soul of the perishing by reaching the highest standard possible. He neglected to search the Scriptures, that he might understand and become a doer of the words of Christ. He did not appreciate the importance of having faith, and he did not present in good works an unmistakable example. He did not make a right use of the privileges of knowing what was the will of God. He did not train his mind, his affections, his heart, in such a way that he became a faithful steward of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Love, gratitude, and praise are to come forth from the heart that holds the treasures of the grace of Christ. Mrs. E. G. White. —

The youth need to be instructed to build upon the abiding foundation, Jesus Christ. The reason that such grievous blunders are made on the part of the young, is that they do not heed the teachings and experience of those who have lived longer than they have, and have learned lessons that they have yet to learn. They yield to the temptations that assail them, and do not take heed to their ways. Even the counsel of parents is lost upon the children, who are subjects of anxiety, watchfulness, affection, and care. They do not heed the voice of educators and instructors, although the Lord has moved upon their hearts to give the youth line upon line and precept upon precept.

The Lord loves the youth. He sees in them great possibilities, and is ready to help them to reach a high standard, if they will only realize the need of his help, and lay a foundation of character that cannot be moved. But in the place of all this, the majority of the youth are willing to drift along,—to be carried wherever impulse or circumstances may take them. This is not because there has not been provided for them material by which they make a solid character building; but they do not consider the fact that God requires them to do their best in the days of their youth. They do not realize that they cannot afford to pass off cautions and warnings with a jest of ridicule. Many youth indulge a spirit of recklessness and folly, and they will not listen to the voice of counsel and reproof.

Let students who leave their homes, and who are no longer under the influence of their parents, remember that the eye of their heavenly Father is upon them. He knows their every necessity, and understands all their temptations. Let them remember that «the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.» Let them consider seriously whom they shall choose for associates; for there are always two classes attending school, and one class seek to please God and obey their instructors, while another class are filled with the spirit of lawlessness, and their minds are cast in an inferior mold.

Teachers should instruct the youth in love and tenderness, and through personal effort, seek to lead their feet into safe paths. They should look with pity upon those who have been badly trained in childhood, and seek to remedy the defects that, if retained, will greatly mar their characters in youth. They should teach the youth that time is golden; that it is perilous for them to think that they may sow wild oats, and not reap a harvest that will bring them woe and ruin. Teach the youth to be sober-minded. Let them imitate that which they admire in the characters of others who have moral power to resist evil, and to choose the good. Let students make their mark high.

Dear students, day and night the prayers of your parents will follow you. Listen to their entreaties and warnings, and do not choose reckless associates. You cannot discern how the leaven of wickedness will insidiously corrupt your mind and impair your habits, and by leading you to repeat evil habits, cause you to develop an unsound character. You may see no real danger, and think that you will be able to do right as easily as before you yielded to temptation to do wrong; but this is a mistake. Parents and teachers who love and fear God, may warn and entreat and counsel; but it may all be in vain, if you do not yield yourself to God, and improve the talents which he has given you to his glory. By misapplying your talents, by using them to fulfil unholy purposes, you may fail to yield the rich harvests of mental and spiritual attainment that you might have yielded, had you realized your accountability to God. Count the cost of the course of action that you are pursuing, if your feet are in the path of evil. Remember that you must meet the record of your life in the day of judgment, and answer for the degrading mold that has been placed upon your character. John says, «I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. . . . And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.» «The wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.»

«Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.» Through associating with evil companions, the youth are led to defile the temple of God. Why do our youth not consider that those who are ready to lead others into forbidden paths, are easily overcome by temptation, and are Satan’s agents to encourage disorderly habits, to laugh at those who are conscientious and who would preserve their integrity of character? By making companions of those who are evil, many are led into paths of disobedience and dissipation, that at first they had no thought of entering.

The only safe-guard for children and youth, is the love and fear of God. Let them choose for their companions those who give evidence that they will encourage good purposes, orderly habits, and uprightness of character. Let them choose for companions those who practise the Bible truth, and walk according to the light that shines upon their pathway. By practising right-doing, a disgust will be created in the heart for that which is low, cheap, and disorderly. «Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near: 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 God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.»

In view of what God has done for the salvation of souls, let youth seek to arm themselves to resist the wild temptations that would come to them through association with those who are agents of Satan. They will seek to allure you, to encourage you to engage with them in their evil work, and cause you to become an agent also to lead astray others who are weak in moral power.

I would appeal to the youth to consider their ways, to take time to think, to weigh their actions, and see what advantage it will be to them to serve the purposes of Satan, to do his pleasure, and dishonor God. By pursuing a course of transgression, the youth grieve him who gave himself up to a life of humiliation and suffering, and who died on Calvary’s cross, in order that they might not perish, but have everlasting life.

Compassed with temptation as you are, nothing will be sufficient as a safeguard against evil except the indwelling of Christ in your hearts through faith in his righteousness. You must practise his virtues, making him your daily pattern. When truth is brought into the inner sanctuary of the soul, it sanctifies the whole character. You need to cherish the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. As you believe in Christ, making him your personal Saviour, you cast your helpless soul upon him, believing that he pardons your past transgressions. Then you must learn to look continually to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, «who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.»

Good character does not come by chance; it is formed by persevering, untiring effort. The youth should seek to make all that is possible of themselves, by improving every intrusted talent and capability to the glory of God. The world’s Redeemer says, «Without me ye can do nothing.» Faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, will give strength and solidity to your character. Those who have faith in Christ, will be sober-minded, ever remembering that God’s eye is upon them, that angels of God are watching to see what manner of characters they will develop and they are weighing moral worth. «And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled, in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable, in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard.»

Individually probation is granted to you in order that you may form characters for the future, immortal life. Precious, golden moments are given you, that you may improve them according to the light which the Lord has graciously permitted to shine upon you from the throne of his glory. You should cherish every lesson that parents and instructors give you, and realize your need of deeper teaching than any human being can give. Christ is the greatest teacher the world ever knew. Where he abides in the heart by faith, his spirit will become a vitalizing agent to purify and vivify the soul. Only let us be sure that we are serving in the army of Prince Immanuel, and the truth in the heart will surely have a correcting influence on the character. Hold the truth as from God, as a treasure of the highest value, that must not be dimmed or tarnished by evil practices that are wholly out of harmony with its holy character. Under the divine influence of truth, the mind will be strengthened, the intellect invigorated, and that which is useless will be discarded for that which is pure and beneficial. Under the influence of truth the Christian character will develop, through the knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. Mrs. E. G. White.