REPENT by Roswell F. Cottrell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 29, 1869

REPENT.

By Roswell F. Cottrell

Be zealous and repent. There must be a revival of the spirit of consecration and of sacrifice. The spirit of the world has been stealing upon us. Satan is striving to overthrow us. There must be a deep work of reformation with us, a struggling in prayer and a striving for the faith and consecration manifested in the early part of our experience in this message. The times are perilous. Who believes it? Iniquity abounds with the form of godliness, but the power is wanting. Why do we not have more power from God? Is he willing to do? Has he forgotten to be gracious? Does he not care for the interests of his bleeding cause? What is the hindrance? It must be with us. He will work for us and through us, if we will chasten ourselves and prepare for his work. If we do not do this, it is evident he will soon spew us out of his mouth, and give his work into the hands of those who will do it. Oh! how dreadful to be cast off now! But the threatening of the true and faithful Witness means just what it says. Oh! let us heed his counsel.

But what shall we do? What can we do that we have not done? We can heed the voice of God in the gift of prophecy. We have said we believed that God has spoken. But have we acted as though we believed? How slow to do. Did we heartily heed the testimony, and that unitedly, we should be a strong people. We should be like a well-disciplined army, formidable as the Macedonian phalanx, “terrible as an army with banners.”

If we will return to the Lord, we must return by the way in which we have departed. We must do the very things we have left undone. Heed the testimonies. Believe they are meant for us. When God speaks he will be heard. He must not be trifled with, but at our peril.

The greatest stumbling-block to unbelievers in the Bible is the conduct of those who profess to believe it. Hypocrites, that in their lives give the lie to their profession, are most abominable in the sight of God. The greatest disparagement and hindrance to the success of Bible truth is the conduct of those who say they believe, but do not; whose lives testify that the truth does not sanctify them.

We say we believe we are the people that ‘keep the commandments,’ and ‘have the testimony of Jesus.’ But where is the fruit? If we heed the spirit of prophecy which God has given us, we shall be cutting loose from the world, its spirit, its pursuits, its customs and fashions, and be truly a peculiar people, zealous of good works. But has there not been a growing conformity to the world? How slow to heed that which we acknowledge to be the voice of God. He must be highly displeased. Then let us return to the Lord, and rend our heart, and not our garment. Return by the way we have departed. The pillar of cloud and of fire will not point out the way, unless we follow it. Do the very things we have been taught. Not say, How far may I vary from it, and be accepted. Not say, Do you think this is essential to salvation? God has said nothing that is non-essential. If God has said it, do it. If you deny that God has spoken, depart from this camp.

We have often wondered when we have heard people acknowledge Bible truth, the Sabbath, for example, and then ask, Do you think it essential to salvation that I should keep it? Say they, If I knew it was essential to my salvation, I would keep it. Oh! what darkness and blindness of mind humanity is capable of! Cannot a person that talks, or even thinks, in that way know, without being told, that his heart is not right in the sight of God? Need we tell them that which is so self-evident?

Well, just such a position some occupy in regard to the testimonies of the Spirit. Some things they cannot see it their duty to do. A sister recently inquired whether I thought it essential to salvation to do what the Spirit had expressly spoken. Said she, If I knew it was essential to salvation, I would do it. I replied that when God spoke, he meant for us to obey. I have since thought that perhaps I did not do my duty, not telling her that her heart was not right in the sight of God. But did she not know it? Was there any need of my telling her a thing so evident? Perhaps this may meet her eye. I shall probably never meet her again in time. I know not her name nor place of residence. But if this reaches you, dear sister, let me tell you that as long as this is your position, you are in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity. Know for a certainty that when you say (as you did), or even think, you would obey God, if you knew it was so necessary that you could not be saved without it, that your heart is not right in the sight of God. Every one ought to know this without being told. It is willing, cheerful obedience only that is acceptable in the sight of the Lord.

Let us begin anew to serve God. Let us get our hearts into the work, so that it will not be an irksome task. The true-hearted will go through. But let us not deceive ourselves. Let us crucify self and renew our consecration to God. Let us get in the place where we shall delight ourselves greatly in doing the will of the Lord; where we shall rejoice to suffer shame for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; where we will not inquire, How little may I do, and yet be accepted, but, What may I do and suffer for Him who suffered for us? Oh! for a baptism that will make us willing to suffer for his sake. May God help us to repent.

R. F. COTTRELL.