p. 4 | WHY USEFUL MEN DIE by S. S. Times

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 1, 1900

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 26, No. 31.

WHY USEFUL MEN DIE.

By S. S. Times

It is as instrumentalities that God uses men for the accomplishment of His purpose. No man can escape this by lowering his standards, or his character, or even by disowning God. Ahasuerus and Haman play their part in God's providence as well as do Esther and Mordecai. We often wonder why God suddenly calls away a faithful servant from this world when he appears to be working so effectively. But if there were no other reason, it is reason enough that God's work depends upon no one man alone. Our vision is so circumscribed that the removals by death astonish us. If our view were larger, we should see that the divine plan is too all-embracing to rest upon one life for its continuance. If a "useful man" were sure to live on indefinitely because of his usefulness, how much smaller our views of God and eternity would become! And then how much smaller we too should become!—S. S. Times.