p. 318 | The Record

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Oct 18, 1877

The Record.

There are two angels that attend unseen Each one of us, and in great books record Our good and evil deeds. He who writes down The good ones, after every action, closes His volume and ascends with it to God; The other keeps his dreadful day-book open Till sunset, that he may repent; which doing, The record of the action fades away, And leaves a line of white across the page.

The above beautiful lines are from Longfellow's poem entitled, “The Golden Legend.” We do not know how many angels attend each of us, or just how the record is taken; yet we know a record is kept, for we read in Rev. 20:12: “And another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

Many years ago a man, brought before a tribunal, was told to relate his story freely and without fear, as it should not be used against him. He commenced to do so, but had not proceeded far before he heard the scratching of a pen behind a curtain. In an instant he

was on his guard, for by that sound he knew that notwithstanding their promise a record was being taken of what he said.

Silently and unseen by us the angel secretaries are taking a faithful record of our words and actions, and even of our thoughts. Do we realize this? and a more solemn question, What is the record they are making?

Not long ago I read of a strange list. It was an exact catalogue of the crimes committed by a man who was at last executed in Norfolk Island, with the various punishments he had received for his different offenses. It was written out in small hand by the chaplain, and was nearly three yards long.

What a sickening catalogue to be crowded into one brief life. Yet this man was once an innocent child. A mother no doubt bent lovingly over him, a father perhaps looked upon him in pride and joy, and imagination saw him rise to manhood honored and trusted by his fellow-men. But the boy chose the path of evil and wrong-doing regardless of the record he was making, and finally committed an act, the penalty of which was death, and he perished miserably upon the scaffold.

Dear readers, most of you are young, and your record but just commenced. Oh, be warned in time, and seek to have a list of which you will not be ashamed when scanned by Jehovah, angels, and men. Speak none but kind, loving words; have your thoughts and aspirations pure and noble; crowd into your life all the good deeds you can, and thus crowd out evil ones.

Angels are now weighing moral worth. The record will soon close, either by death or the decree, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still, and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous let him be righteous still; and he that is holy let him be holy still.” We have but one short, preparing hour in which to redeem the past and get ready for the future. Our life record will soon be examined. What shall it be!