Rooted in Christian Doctrine

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Feb 7, 1878

Rooted in Christian Doctrine

No one ever saw a black hickory tree blown out of root. The hurricane may twist it off or break it down, though even that seldom occurs; but it cannot drag it out of the ground. The reason is that this tree, while it sends out plenty of surface roots, always sends a strong tap root straight down into the solid sub-soil, and lays hold of the foundations of stone or clay or hard-pan, as the case may be. There are other trees—the beech, maple and ash—which interlace the surface with a web of roots; but in a storm, especially if the ground previously has been water-soaked, over they go! A Christian is not safe and reliable unless he has sent a tap root down into hard, strong foundations of Christian doctrine. Surface roots of sentiment and emotion have their uses, but they are not good for much, either in a dry time or in a tempest.