BABYLON IS FALLEN by L. E. Miller

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 24, 1867

BABYLON IS FALLEN.

By L. E. Miller

Truly “Babylon is fallen,” I could but exclaim, as I sat listening to a conversation the other evening upon the state of the professed people of God, who have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof, and were seeking the honors and pleasures of this world, and whose pride and popularity was fast driving the lovely Saviour from their hearts. As they sat mournfully talking over the sad state of the church, I said in my heart, “How has the gold become dim, and most fine gold changed?” “Because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” “With their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth out after covetous men.” I thought of the words of the prophet who spoke of a “man clothed in linen with a writer’s inkhorn by his side,” and how the Lord said unto him as he went through the land, “Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations done in the midst thereof.” Though they felt sad and disconsolate over the low state of the church, I could but lift a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord, and rejoice that the third angel’s message had brought to light the sad truth that Babylon had fallen, and was fast becoming the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird, and that I had heard its warning voice, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Never before did the present truth look so bright and so glorious. But as I thought of the wide harvest-field, and heard the cry from the east and the west, from the north and the south, Come and help us, I cried aloud, Where, O Lord, where are the laborers to carry this great light to those that sit in darkness? Oh! let us humble ourselves before the Lord by prayer and fasting, and let our united cry come up before the Lord for more laborers, for, truly, “the harvest is great, but the laborers are few.” Let us remember that “the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ear is open to their cry.” Oh! Let us come up to the help of the Lord. You, my brother, who have long felt the burden of the message, and have heard the Lord saying unto you, “Go work in my vineyard,” and have refused, what excuse will you make in that great day of final accounts? Think not it will be said of you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” In that great and terrible day you will be speechless. May the Lord help us all to arise and shake ourselves from the dust, and cry with all our hearts, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

We are none of us called unto the vineyard of the Lord to be idlers, we must work while the day lasts, for the night is soon coming. May none of us refuse to come up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty, for the enemy has come in like a flood, but the Lord will raise up a standard against him, and will you not rally around the standard of the Lord, and cry, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? The perils of the last days are upon us, and the Lord is testing his people. Come, let us bring all our tithes into the storehouse, and prove the Lord that he will open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing that there will not be room to receive it. The great refreshing that we have long looked for will come from the presence of the Lord upon his waiting people. Let us remember that every day we are laying up treasure in Heaven, or we are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath. Oh! how solemn is the thought, “As we sow, we shall also reap.” We read in the testimony that many who have heard the last call of mercy, and who have started in this glorious warfare, will be left behind, and never go through to the promised land. Oh! in that dread day they will cry, Let us in.

“Have we not heard the bridegroom is so sweet? Oh! let us in that we may kiss his feet.”

But we’ll hear the startling cry, Too late, too late; ye cannot enter now; depart ye workers of iniquity. “I called, but ye refused.” But the faithful will hear it said, “Open wide the gates, that the righteous nation who have kept the truth may enter in.” Oh! day of triumph! Oh! day of victory!

“Oh! long expected day, begin, Dawn on these realms of woe and sin; Fain would I leave this weary road, And go to meet my blessed Lord.”

L. E. MILLER.

Owasso, Mich.