FEAR by A. S. Hutchins

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 27, 1869

FEAR.

By A. S. Hutchins

Some things the Christian should fear, others he should not. God said to his people anciently, “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies and seest horses and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee.” Here the strongest possible reason is assigned why they should not fear. “For the Lord thy God is with thee.” And again, “For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” Deut. xx, 4.

Only let us know that our lives are such, that we are so humble, so obedient and faithful, in the cause of our divine Master, that God and holy angels are with us to guide and protect us, and it is enough. For, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” In him and in his cause we may be strong and bold.

But we should fear self-righteousness. We should fear self-exaltation. We should fear self-deception. For here thousands are going to be ruined. To-day they are on the sure road to destruction; and are going to reach the solemn hour of Judgment deceived, to be lost, forever lost! Matt. vii, 22.

Says Paul, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” Mark: the examination is not to see whether we have been in the faith. A good experience and rich blessings from Heaven, in the past, will not answer for to-day. The food we ate

twenty years since, does not afford us physical strength now. Christians pray, “Give us day by day our daily bread.”

How false, how delusive then the hope of the individual, who to-day is in the dark, and far behind the fast-closing work for the world, using tea and the foul poison weed, tobacco; and yet flattering him or herself that God will not leave them now. “No, we have had too great an experience in this work to be left here.”

We pity you, brother; we pity you, sister; and beg you to heed the injunction, “Be not high-minded, but fear.” “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 1 Cor. x, 12. Prove yourselves. “The Lord is with you, while ye be with him: and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” Kind reader, examine again carefully and prayerfully Rev. iii, 15–18. Oh! that we may all “buy the gold” and be “rich.” Rich in faith. Rich in good works. Rich in the blessed hope. Rich in favor with God here and in the world to come. A. S. Hutchins.