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THE HOUSE OF GOD

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 1, 1877

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 49, No. 5.

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THE HOUSE OF GOD.

By Joseph Clarke

The house of God is a sacred place. Says the wise man, “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God.” Eccl. 5:1. Do not go there with a careless frame of mind; do not turn your head around to gaze at every one who arrives, nor look to see every accidental disturbance; rather seem not to notice these trivial matters. Think how probable it is that Jesus is present, waiting to bless those who have come in to worship him. Do not wait till the hour for beginning the service, but incline the head and bow the heart in a mental petition for grace and strength to worship God aright in his earthly courts. Pray then till the service commences; pray for the minister who is to preach, or for the elder or other person who is to lead; pray for all whom you love, if you feel that you can; pray for yourself or your enemies, or meditate upon the things of God, for the heart must be prepared if you would get a blessing. Do not, I pray you, gaze idly about at any time in meeting, it is so apt to beget the same habit in others; and, if all do it, it makes a congregation appear quite awkward; but the worst of this habit is, it is offensive to God.
JOSEPH CLARKE.