Something New by Jos. Clarke

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Aug 5, 1875

Something New.

By Jos. Clarke

THE human mind is well pleased with new things and new discoveries. We want something new, is the cry from infancy to age. Paul adverted to this when he discoursed to the men of Athens. See Acts 17 : 21.

Now it seems that, as a general thing, the heart of man is almost unknown to its possessor; and all those who look carefully into the workings of their own hearts, find there much that is new to them.

Take, for instance, a self-righteous professor of religion, one who is moral and possessed of many virtues, somewhat conceited withal, and has been looked up to as a pattern in many respects.

This man begins to find himself in reality an unconverted man; he finds his heart growing callous and unfeeling; he finds his love for the world on the increase; he finds he has little love for God or his truth, and, on the whole, he begins to suspect that his hope is a vain hope.

This is a new thing to him. He never doubted before as to himself; but had many doubts concerning others, upon whom he looked with pity, if not with something of contempt. But now he sees some such persons in advance of him in the divine life; truly this is something new, and it is interesting to him, in a way he did not anticipate.

This self-righteous, conceited man is alarmed at his situation, and he humbles himself as a sinner before God, and pleads with God that he may see what is wrong in his own heart. He tries the prayer of the publican, and finds it fits him; and now he begins to see what is the matter. He finds pride in his heart, and many other sins he had not supposed had a place there; truly this is a new thing to him.

As this poor self-righteous, conceited man goes on in his work of prayer and self-examination, he finds himself in possession of evil thoughts, motives, and passions, and unruly lusts and appetites, which grieve, and have grieved away the Spirit of God from his heart. He finds, instead of loving God and his people, he loves his own self and self-interest; instead of loving sinners, he loves his farm, his money, and his goods; to him this is a new discovery.

But now he prays as he never did before in all his experience (for this is an old professor); but the light comes in slowly, for God had gone a great way from him, or rather, he had gone many years' travel from God; but the Lord has pity for this poor backslider, and as he returns the Lord meets him as he did the prodigal son. Can it be, says he, that I was so far from God?

Almost an apostate, almost gone, almost lost, and yet he was very self-complacent. What a mistake! Ah! there was a hidden apartment in his heart, where Satan had an easy chair, and even yet it is hard keeping him out of it.

Yes, there are hidden places in the heart yet to explore before he gets all the new things where he can fairly see them, and test them by the light of the word of God.

Jos. Clarke.