p. 107 | Evil Surmising by Jos. Clarke

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 22, 1874

Evil Surmising.

By Jos. Clarke

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Ex. 20: 16.

The first step in the direction of slanderous conversation consists in imagining evil against one's associates and cotemporaries.

Often evil exists, and breaks out in open sin, and numbers love to publish the same to all who will listen: and when well-authenticated reports are become stale with repetition, the best actions of the righteous are canvassed, and base motives are imputed, in order to fill up the gap of time, and to satiate the carnal heart.

Had an evil surmiser been present when Jesus applauded the liberality of the poor widow who cast into the treasury her two mites, which was all her ready change, such surmiser would doubtless have said that it was done by her in order to get applause, to make a noise in the world: another would have said, Charity begins at home; and so the poor widow would have gone home in sorrow, had she heard of these poisonous remarks. But the dear Lord, who knew the heart, gave her the needed and deserved encouragement.

When the repentant and humble Christian came and washed Jesus’ feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, these evil surmisers would have said, This woman has some low design in this act; and the Master should at least forbid so gross an act of servility.

These surmisers would have accused Paul of fickleness, in so soon changing from Judaism to Christianity; and Jude and Peter would be accused of harshness, and lack of love; and the beloved John would have been weeping for effect; Elijah would be called rash and imprudent, and only wanted notoriety; Moses and Joshua would have been suspected of being in quest of renown; and David and Solomon would have been guilty, in the eyes of these surmisers, of covetousness and ambition; they would imagine the Lord had designs which he did not speak of, and his apostles would not escape their evil imagination. No wonder the Lord brought the flood upon the world, because all the imagination of man’s heart was evil continually. Gen. 6: 5.

What is most grievous is that the most innocent are oftener the victims of this surmising spirit than others; because it is only the wicked who surmise evil. See 1 Tim. 6. 4. And let us bear in mind that it is better to think too well of a person than to unjustly condemn him.

JOS. CLARKE.