JOS. CLARKE by JOS. CLARKE.

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 1, 1872

JOS. CLARKE

By JOS. CLARKE.

Meditations.

We should be careful how we reason, and how we decide in our own minds; how we feel toward God, toward our fellow-mortals, and toward ourselves.

In this world of sin, and error, and crime, much occurs that is paradoxical, much that is strange, and we must sometimes wait a little before we judge; moral worth may struggle beneath a load we do not understand, and hasty reproof or random shots may hit wide of the mark, or may wound the innocent.

We should be careful how we hear, lest we guide the spear intended for another to our own hearts, or that which should wound and destroy our own carnality we may parry off and avoid.

Honesty and purity of purpose will stand the test when the glitter of hypocrisy will be held up in its vileness before the universe. No one need fear the truth of the Judge who is to give us our final reward. Only the reality, let us look to this. Do we cherish in our hearts any wrong? Is there any selfishness there? any pride or self-will? any lurking evil? any partiality to our interest or tastes?

We cannot dissemble before our Judge. He looks us through and through. Nothing can cover our sin but the pardoning, cleansing blood of Christ. Let us see to it that we do not part with principle, or truth, or innocence. We may part with our sins, and be the gainers by the exchange. We may part with innocence, and lose eternal life. Shall we do this?