Conditional Virtue

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Dec 12, 1878

Conditional Virtue.

THERE are a great many who are very correct in deportment when conditions are favorable, and then take to themselves credit for omitting the sins which it was not convenient or practicable to commit. It has been said that a thief considers himself honest when he has no opportunity to steal. The world is full of that grade of virtue. The Sword and Shield philosophises upon it in this manner:—

Our morality is too apt to be governed by our opportunities. It is never right to take what we can't get hold of, and under such circumstances, we see our duty very plainly. But when things are within reach, the ordinary conscience takes a quiet dose of morphine, and, after that does not hold itself responsible for what happens. Illustration: "Do you see any grapes, Bob?" "Yes; lots of grapes, and ripe ones, too, but there's dogs." "Big dogs?" "Yes; awful big." "Then Bob, come away; those grapes don't belong to us."