p. 197 | I Am Satisfied by William M. Healey

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jul 4, 1878

"I Am Satisfied."

By William M. Healey

We have often been pained to hear expressions like the above. The pupil when urged by his teacher to strive to master his studies, too often fails to heed the good advice, because he feels quite well satisfied; he does not see the need of more effort, but his listlessness troubles his instructor.

How many a young wife has been pained and made sad as she has observed him, who is most dear to her, beginning to frequent the drinking saloon for his morning dram, and when she remonstrates with him, finds he is insensible of danger and only laughs at her fears. He is satisfied; there is no need of alarm in his case. Oh, no! he will never be a drunkard, and in this very feeling of safety lies his greatest danger.

The mother often finds her children associating with those whose moral character she knows is bad, she warns them that if they keep such company, they will surely be ruined; but how frequently she finds they feel satisfied, and so refuse her warnings, and go on blindly pursuing a course that ends in destruction.

And so the faithful watchman on Zion's walls may sound the alarm of danger to a careless church and wicked world, but they only reply, "You need not fear for us, we feel quite well satisfied." We have heard those who profess to be followers of Jesus, when shown that they were not living and hoping according to the word of the Lord, carelessly reply, "Well I am a member of ------ church and I do not care to change, I feel quite well satisfied." Oh, that these slumbering souls would be aroused, and test their faith and works by God's word, and not by their own inclinations! Truly, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Prov. 14 : 12.

But says one, "I do not understand the Bible as you do; you understand the seventh day to be the Sabbath; I understand the first day is the day we are to keep. You understand Christ is coming in this generation; I understand that he may come any day, and he may not come for a thousand years; I think likely it will be a thousand years; in short we cannot tell anything about it, I feel quite well satisfied, I do not care to read or hear anything about the matter."

But stop, my friend. What does the Bible say about the Sabbath? "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Ex. 20 : 10. Does it anywhere say the first day is the Sabbath of the Lord, or does it in any place speak of that day as a sacred, or holy, day? Does not Christ teach us that certain events and signs were to come to mark his appearing? see Matt. 24. Does not Paul when speaking of that appearing which was to be as the coming of a thief tell us, "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." 1 Thess. 5 : 4? How could this be if they, like the sleepy world, know nothing about the times and seasons. The reply is, "I do not care to study the matter, I am not able to argue the question, but I feel very well satisfied." Many were in just this condition in Christ's time, and he said of them: "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." Matt. 13 : 15.

May God help us, that we awake from our self-satisfied condition and seek for the ways of the God of Israel, that we may walk therein. W. M. HEALEY.