p. 362 | Try | AdventAI

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Nov 16, 1876

“Try.”

The Bible says, “Cleanse your hands ye sinners, and purify your hearts ye double minded.” “Cease to do evil, learn to do well.” “Depart from evil, and do good.” “Be sober, be vigilant.” “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him.” And thus through the whole book, from Genesis to Revelation, a moral precept is never prefixed with the enfeebling “try,” now so universally common. Just think of the Bible saying, Try to depart from evil! Try to cleanse your hands ye sinners! Try to speak the truth to one another! And instead of “Do not kill,” “Do not steal,” “Do not commit adultery,” suppose we had, do try not to kill, do try not to steal, do try not to commit adultery! It is time to stop recommending experimenting in morals. None of it is from above. It is all from beneath, a device from the devil to break down the force and majesty of the precepts of the Bible. That glorious book never uses the word “try” in any such connection. It knows nothing of experimental morals. “Try” is never properly used except where a failure may be justifiable. A failure in morals never was, and never can be justified.—Baptist Union.