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Now and Then

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Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 16, 1882

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 8, No. 11.

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Now and Then.

By Washington Morse

BY WASHINGTON MORSE.

In 1843 and '44 we were looking for our dear Lord to come in glory. We saw our reckoning all run out upon the tenth day of the seventh month, which was 22d of October, 1844. Of this I had no doubt. We consecrated ourselves to the Lord, and all we possessed, our goods, our farms, and all our worldly interests. Our theme was, The Lord is coming! When we were asked the question,
What are you going to do if the Lord does not come when you predict? Our answer was, Sir, we have no "If" in our faith. Everything was made to bow to this truth. We left our farms, our shops, and went in search of our friends and neighbors to warn them; we prayed with them and wept over them. Our theme was, The Lord is coming! get ready! get ready!
Well, How is it now? Where is the zeal and fervor that we had then? We have got our farms, our cattle, our property, and are much absorbed with the things of the world; these are in our hearts, and the coming of our Lord is put far off. We have got these things between us and the Lord's coming, and our love for his coming and for each other and for perishing souls is crowded out; and as out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, so it is with us. May God have mercy and help us to empty our hearts, and remove the rubbish from the door of our hearts, and get that love for perishing souls that we had under the first message. Then our means will go freely to help warn our fellow men, and send the last message of mercy to every nation, tongue, and king, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Yes, our Lord is surely coming, and how much we love this truth, our actions will tell.
Mankato, Minn., February 26.