Appeal to a Popular Evangelist

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God will richly bless those who are humble and sincere, those who are kind and benevolent, who relieve the wants of the widow and the fatherless.

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This is an age of extravagance and display. Men think that it is necessary to make a display in order to gain success. But this is not so. Take up your work in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and show the fallacy of expending means needlessly for effect. Preach and practice economy. Labor with simplicity, humility, and graceful dignity, and your work will make a lasting impression. Trustful dependence on God, earnest prayer to Him for help, obedience to His Word—these are as gold and silver and precious stones brought to the foundation.

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Make it stand out with the greatest clearness that all created things are dependent on and under the control of Jehovah, and that as He sees best, He uses them as His instruments for the salvation of those who believe, and as instruments for the destruction of those who harden their-hearts in impenitence.

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To Reach Thousands There are thousands to be reached by the truth. There are thousands who are to receive Christ as a personal Saviour. Greater New York must be worked on an altogether more economical plan than the plan on which you have been working. Christ says, «Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.» Talk the truth, live the truth, walk before God in all humility of mind and in all simplicity of action. Let the angels see that you love God, and that you practice the humility of Christ. This all must do who enter the courts of the Lord. In this life they must walk in the new and precious way that Christ has provided for His followers.

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My brother, I write you this at this time because I want you to be prepared to engage in camp meeting work, prepared to speak to thousands, making plain by word and illustration the truths that must be presented. Suffer me to say the things that must be said to you. Hasty decisions, formed under the influence of strong feeling, without time for deliberation or for asking counsel from God, are generally wrong and are often exceedingly unjust.

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Cultivate Gentleness I have the word of the Lord for you. You need to cultivate the gentleness of Christ. Communion with God will give you increased influence for good. Bring humility into your business life and into your religious life. Watch, watch, watch! For the sake of your children, watch!

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Unite with your brethren in counsel. Do not, I beg of you, stand apart as a separate whole. Unify! unify! Exercise care to avoid discord and strife. Do not speak words such as I heard you speak when in the night season I was in a council meeting at which you were present. Speak the words that Christ would speak were He in your place.

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The Lord is your only safeguard. Fear Him, and tremble at His word. He will manifest Himself to His people as He does not to the world.

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Those who claim to believe the truth are to guard carefully the powers of body and mind, so that God and His cause will not be in any way dishonored by their words or actions. The habits and practices are to be brought into subjection to the will of God. We are to give careful attention to our diet.

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The Use of Flesh Meats It has been clearly presented to me that God’s people are to take a firm stand against meat eating. Would God for thirty years give His people the message that if they desire to have pure blood and clear minds, they must give up the use of flesh meat, if He did not want them to heed this message?

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By the use of flesh meat the animal nature is strengthened and the spiritual nature weakened. Such men as you, who are engaged in the most solemn and important work ever entrusted to human beings, need to give special heed to what they eat.

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Remember that when you eat flesh meat, you are but eating grains and vegetables secondhand; for the animal receives from these things the nutrition that makes it grow and prepares it for market. The life that was in the grains and vegetables passes into the animal, and becomes part of its life, and then human beings eat the animal. Why are they so willing to eat their food secondhand?

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In the beginning, fruit was pronounced by God as «good for food.» The permission to eat flesh meat was a consequence of the fall. Not till after the flood was man given permission to eat the flesh of animals. Why then need we eat flesh meat? Few who eat this know how full it is of disease. Flesh meat never was the best food, and now it is cursed by disease.

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The thought of killing animals to be eaten is in itself revolting. If man’s natural sense had not been perverted by the indulgence of appetite, human beings would not think of eating the flesh of animals.

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Our Relation to Health Reform We have been given the work of advancing health reform. The Lord desires His people to be in harmony with one another. As you must know, we shall not leave the position in which, for the last thirty-five years, the Lord has been bidding us stand. Beware how you place yourself in opposition to the work of health reform. It will go forward; for it is the Lord’s means of lessening the suffering in our world, and of purifying His people.

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Be careful what attitude you assume, lest you be found causing division. My brother, even while you fail to bring into your life and into your family the blessing that comes from following the principles of health reform, do not harm others by opposing the light God has given on this subject.

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While we do not make the use of flesh meat a test, while we do not want to force anyone to give up its use, yet it is our duty to request that no minister of the conference shall make light of or oppose the message of reform on this point. If, in the face of the light God has given concerning the effect of meat eating on the system, you will still continue to eat meat, you must bear the consequences. But do not take a position before the people that will permit them to think that it is not necessary to call for a reform in regard to meat eating, because the Lord is calling for reform. The Lord has given us the work of proclaiming the message of health reform, and if you cannot step forward in the ranks of those who are giving this message, you are not to make this prominent. In counterworking the efforts of your fellow laborers, who are teaching health reform, you are out of order, working on the wrong side.

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Be Like Minded Christ is our Example. He was next to God in the heavenly courts. But He came to this earth to live among men. «If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.»— Letter 48, 1902 . —

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Divine and Human Agencies in the Work of Saving Souls Our fidelity to Christian principles calls us to active service for God. Those who do not use their talents in the cause and work of God, will have no part with Jesus in His glory. Light is to shine forth from every soul that is a recipient of the grace of God. There are many souls in darkness, but what rest, and ease, and quietude many feel in this matter!

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Thousands enjoy great light and precious opportunities, but do nothing with their influence or their money to enlighten others. They do not even take the responsibility of keeping their own souls in the love of God, that they may not become a burden to the church. Such ones would be a burden and a clog in heaven. For Christ’s sake, for the truth’s sake, for their own sakes, such should arouse and make diligent work for eternity. Heavenly mansions are preparing for all who will comply with the conditions laid down in the Word of God.

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In behalf of the souls for whom Christ has died, who are in the darkness of error, it is enjoined upon all true followers of Christ to be a light to the world. God has done His part in the great work, and is waiting for the co-operation of His followers. The plan of salvation is fully developed.

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The blood of Jesus Christ is offered for the sins of the world, the Word of God is speaking to man in counsels, in reproofs, in warnings, in promises, and in encouragement, and the efficacy of the Holy Spirit is extended to help him in all his efforts. But with all this light the world is still perishing in darkness, buried in error and sin.

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Messengers of Mercy Who will be laborers together with God, to win these souls to the truth? Who will bear to them the good tidings of salvation? The people whom God has blessed with light and truth are to be the messengers of mercy. Their means is to flow into the divine channel. Their earnest efforts are to be put forth. They are to become laborers together with God, self-denying, self-sacrificing, like Jesus, who for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. . . .

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Has God enlightened you with a knowledge of Himself? Have the treasures of His Word been opened to your understanding, so that you have become intelligent in regard to the truths therein? Then go to work with your ability. If you are only humble, pure in heart, single in purpose, you will see the needs and wants of God’s cause. You will see that there are foreign countries to be visited, that missionaries must go forth with the spirit of self-sacrifice and devotion, to labor, to deny self, to suffer for Christ’s sake.

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And even in our own country there are thousands of all nations, and tongues, and peoples who are ignorant and superstitious, having no knowledge of the Bible or its sacred teachings. God’s hand was in their coming to America, that they might be brought under the enlightening influence of the truth revealed in His Word, and become partakers of His saving faith. How many have felt any interest for these strangers? How many have been stirred with the spirit of the Master to act as missionaries to those brought, as it were, to our very doors? What will arouse our churches to their true condition of sleepiness and inactivity while souls are perishing within their reach?

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Where there is one laborer there ought to be hundreds receiving every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, and giving it to the people as they can bear it. A hundredfold more might have been done than has been done.

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A worldly spirit has prevailed among the professed servants of God, and the souls of men have not been counted of half as much value as their cattle, their farms, and their business. God will hold them accountable for this terrible neglect in the past; but what are they going to do in the future? Will they come into co-operation with our great Benefactor? Will they as men who have had the light of truth, let that light shine forth to those in darkness?

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God has honored them with the privilege of being colaborers with Christ in the great harvest field. Will they thankfully, heartily receive all the advantages God has provided, and diligently improve them by exercise, using every ability and every sacred trust in the service of the Master? Their success in advancement in the divine life depends upon the improvement of the talents lent them. Their future reward will be proportioned to the integrity and earnestness with which they serve the Master.— R. & H., March 1, 1887 .