Feeding on Ashes by W. C. Wales

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 14, 1903

Feeding on Ashes

By W. C. Wales

W. C. WALES

As I used to pass to and from the office of The Southern Watchman, my path lay in full view of the city dumping grounds. Here all the refuse and ashes from a large city are deposited. I never cast my eyes toward that unsightly place without seeing a number of poor people overhauling the rubbish, dissecting each ill-smelling cart load, in order, if possible, to find something of value. In my heart I pitied these poor people thus reduced to search among dirt and ashes for things which could be at the best of only questionable value or use.

Over this pitiful scene I saw the great, grand blue sky, through which the glorious sun was running his majestic race. A little in the distance were beautiful trees with their waving branches, where the happy birds were flitting and singing their songs of joy and gladness. All this beauty and glory were near at hand, but these poor garbage pickers, with bent forms and downcast eyes, saw it not; they were feeding on ashes.

A company of young people are gathered for the evening, having the precious opportunity to encourage and inspire one another, to develop and strengthen their social, intellectual, and spiritual natures; but the entire time is spent in frivolous talk, trashy stories, idle games, and loud laughter; they are feeding on ashes.

In a church looking for the soon coming of Jesus to gather his people home beyond temptation, sin, care, and tears, in a church professing to bear a final message to a lost world as God's holy, commandment-keeping ambassadors, we sometimes find gossiping, backbiting, envy, and soul-devouring jealousy; they are feeding on ashes.

In the home, which should be a type of God's pure paradise above, which should be the dearest place on earth, we often find unkindness, impatience, harsh, cruel words, and jealousy,—feeding on ashes. What would we think of a person who was invited to sit down and partake of a bountiful repast, but would refuse, and instead would partake of ashes?—We would think the appetite of such a one alarmingly depraved.

O, how many of us have depraved spiritual appetites! Do we choose the companions who are frivolous and worldly, rather than those who are strong, spiritually minded, and helpful? Do we select light, trashy, or even secular reading in preference to that which is devotional, elevating, and in harmony with the solemn truths of which we are the messengers? Do we talk and think upon the failures of our brethren, depreciating the efforts of this zealous sister, or deploring the faults of that consecrated brother, instead of thinking and speaking of the good qualities of our brethren, and feeding the mind on higher and better things?

What are we feeding upon? God has made wonderful provision for his remnant people. In this fearfully degenerate and worldly age, when men's minds are busily occupied with everything except God and heavenly things, the Lord has opened our minds to themes of unspeakable grandeur,—the wonderful events which are daily fulfilling his Word, the multiplying evidences of the fast approach of redemption's morning, the great message, so broad and uplifting, which we must sound everywhere, the work of earth's short to-day, the rapturous prospect of heaven's glorious to-morrow, the change to sinless immortality, the celestial journey to Zion's gates, the meeting before the throne on the crystal sea, the harp, the crown, the mansions, the communion of saints, the tree of life, the Saviour's companionship, the honor, the glory, the everlasting song, every day a joy, every hour a rapture, every moment an ecstasy.

Surely here are themes to engage all our thought without resorting to trash or trifles. May God help us to gird up the loins of our mind, and be like unto men that wait for their Lord when he shall return from the wedding.