Two Extremes by Daniel T. Bourdeau

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 26, 1872

Two Extremes.

By Daniel T. Bourdeau

ONE extreme is to believe that God will do all the work of sanctification for us without our co-operation; another extreme is to take the work of overcoming in our own hands, without giving God a chance to work for us. The first extreme leads some to spiritual idleness, and those who hold to it cannot expect to progress in holiness. The latter extreme leads others to overact and worry and chafe in taking upon themselves burdens that God and others should bear, and tends to discouragement. Both of these extremes deprive many of the help that they must receive from God to overcome. God cannot help a lazy person; for whatever he does for us is to help us work out our salvation and perfect holiness. Neither can he do much for those who depend mainly upon their own efforts. Such are inclined to walk by sight, and not by faith, and lean upon a broken staff which cannot hold them up.

Oh! let us while doing all we can to perform the work God has assigned us, give our fellow-creatures a chance to get an experience for themselves in doing what God has for them to do, and give God and his Holy Spirit an opportunity to do for us what we cannot possibly accomplish in our own strength. If our burdens are too heavy for us, and we feel we are being crushed under their weight, let us cast them on the Lord, and he will sustain us. To do this, we need to learn of Christ, who was meek and lowly in heart; and the promise is that we shall find rest to our souls.

Oh! why drag and grope our way in weakness, folly, and darkness, while God has an exhaustless supply of strength, wisdom, and light, for us. Why not rather give God an opportunity to manifest through us the unbounded riches of his grace to our best good and to his glory? D. T. BOURDEAU.