Finger Marks | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 11, 1872

Finger Marks.

A GENTLEMAN employed a mason to do some work for him, and among other things to “thin-whiten” the walls of one of his chambers. This thin-whitening is almost colorless until dried. The gentleman was much surprised on the morning after the chamber was finished to find on the drawer of his bureau, standing in the room, white finger marks. Opening the drawer he found the same on the articles in it, and also on a pocket-book. An examination revealed the same marks on the contents of a bag. This proved clearly that the mason, with his wet hands, had opened the drawer, and searched the bag, which contained no money, and had then closed the drawer without once thinking that any one would ever know it.

This “thin-whitening” which happened to be on his hands did not show at first, and he probably had no idea that twelve hours’ drying would reveal his wickedness. Children, beware of evil thoughts and deeds; they all leave their finger marks, which will one day be revealed. If you disobey your parents, or tell a falsehood, or take what is not your own, you make sad stains on your character. And so it is with all sin. It defiles the soul. It betrays those who engage in it, by the marks it makes on them. These marks may be almost, if not quite, invisible at first. But even if they should not be seen during any of your days on earth (which is not at all likely), yet there is a day coming in which every sin will be manifest.