Too Much Caution by Jos. Clarke

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 30, 1872

Too Much Caution.

By Jos. Clarke

A FARMER may be so cautious as to neglect the proper season for putting in his crops. The merchant may be so fearful as to neglect to supply his store with reasonable and salable goods. Such caution, all will see, is altogether unprofitable.

We have a message to proclaim. As a people we hold that it is contained in Rev. 14:9–14, and it is briefly comprehended in verse 12: “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

Now if we go into a locality, and spend whole weeks in proclaiming the commandments of God, and defer to speak of the faith of Jesus, lest it may be unpopular, and so continue to defer it, we fail to proclaim the third angel’s message, and leave the ground for enemies to occupy, who will take great pleasure in declaring the faith of Jesus in their own way, and thus frustrate the work of God.

It is not an open question what we must declare. The faith of Jesus is, and has been, from the first, a part of the third angel’s message (and well do our enemies know this); and those who have been most faithful in proclaiming all its parts, have been uniformly most successful in winning souls, and most evidently owned by God in their work.

The faith of Jesus is a part of this message. Too much caution in proclaiming it, is as dangerous as too little; and he who is ashamed of this part, is unfit to proclaim any part of the truth. God will bless and sustain proper zeal and fearlessness in the defence of truth.

JOS. CLARKE.