p. 70 | Worldliness

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 13, 1872

Worldliness.

WATCH against it. There is danger of its stealing upon us unawares. You may love the world, without being rich. No matter how poor you are, you will drink in the spirit of the world unless you absolutely guard against it. Remember that, respectable as worldliness is, even in the church, it is nevertheless a damning sin. The Bible says, If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. This is plain. Again it is affirmed, that no covetous man who is an idolater hath eternal life abiding in him. But no one can doubt but that the love of the world is common among professors. We are liable to be carried away by the current. How may we know whether we love the world or not?

If worldly motives exert a stronger influence over us than love for God and his cause does, it is a sure sign that we love the world. Why will the invalid leave family and friends, and at

a great expense visit some famous physician, and submit to take unpleasant remedies, and endure great self-denial? It is because life and health are prized more than ease or money. So, if one will give money for the rent of a pew which he would not give to have the gospel preached freely to all, it is because he loves social distinction more than he does the souls of his fellow-men. So, church festivals are justified, on the ground that more money can be raised in that way than in any other. What is this but an acknowledgment that professed Christians love their own appetites more than they do the cause of God?

We always seek most earnestly for that which we love most. So, if you find yourself seeking after gain more intensely than you do after God, you may rest assured that you love the world. If you are ready to make sacrifices of ease and convenience to promote worldly interest, which you would not make to promote the cause of God, without doubt you love the world. If you will take risks and assume responsibilities for the prospect of gain, which you would not take in the cause of God, it is because you love the world. God is a sure paymaster; But the worldling, whether in the church or out of it, does not trust him.

Again; you may know whether you love the world, by the gratification which you feel at its possession. If worldly prosperity elates you, and adversity depresses you, if your religious enjoyment fluctuates with your outward circumstances, you are evidently a stranger to the joys of salvation. If you grieve more over the loss of property than you do over the withdrawal of the favor of God, it is of no use for you longer to profess religion. You need convicting and converting.

Examine yourselves carefully, then, at this point. It is a point likely to be overlooked. But it is, nevertheless, of the utmost importance. You cannot afford to lose your soul for the baubles of earth, which endure but for a season. Remember, then, that Jesus says, Ye cannot serve God and mammon.