E. S. BROOKS by E. S. Brooks

Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · May 3, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 18.

E. S. BROOKS

By E. S. Brooks

LOVE AND HATRED. No. 1.

"GOD is love." Every true child of God is actuated by the spirit of love. The God of love causes the sun to shine on the good and the evil, and the rain to descend upon the just and the unjust. Every one who is godly, or godlike, loves both the just and the unjust. The child of the heavenly Father will not allow hatred to reign in his heart. He heeds the words of his Redeemer: "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." But brute-like human nature says, "This is a hard thing to do." Really it is. The unconverted can not do it. Saul of Tarsus was a hater and a persecutor ere his conversion. But when the Spirit of the God of love entered his heart, all his hatred vanished like darkness dying at the approach of light. His heart was then so full of love that there was no room for hatred. From that time forward he could imperil his life in carrying the precious truth to his enemies and persecutors.

Sabbath-keepers are sometimes accused of hating Roman Catholics and Romanized Protestants. But nothing could be farther from the fact. Such an unjust charge could be also brought against many genuine Christians at heart who lived in the past, and, from time to time, discovered this truth and that truth which had been hidden and kept out of the sight of the people by the great apostasy.

Sabbath-keepers are indeed carrying forward the work that the God of love has called them to do. They go forth with the Spirit of love to warn their beloved but erring fellow-beings that in Sunday-keeping they are giving their homage to another beside the God of the true Sabbath. For this cause, and that alone, the Sabbath-keepers are accused of hating Roman Catholics and Romanized Protestants. As well accuse a physician of hating his patients because they are sick. The physician is not warring against the patient, he is warring against the disease. To oppose one's errors is an evidence of love for the person, and of a desire to show him the precious truth. If we offer a needy man gold, would he accuse us of hating him? Why, then, should he accuse us of hating him because we offer him truth far more precious than gold?

To accuse us of being haters will never check us from persuading our beloved fellow-beings to throw away their filthy rags of error and to put on the garments of truth and love.