BELOVED BRETHREN AND SISTERS, who love to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, permit an unworthy brother to address you in the name of our great High Priest; who is standing by the mercy-seat in the second vail, pleading with his Father for you and me, that our sins may all be blotted out. O how thankful to God we ought to be that we have an advocate with the Father. Do you, dear brethren and sisters, realize that very soon Jesus will lay off his priestly garments, and be crowned King, and leave the heavenly Sanctuary and seat himself on the great white cloud? Then they who are wicked and filthy will be so still, and they that are holy will be holy still. Do you believe this will soon take place? Are you anxiously looking and watching for the glorious appearing of the Son of man? If so, you can claim the promise, “Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching. Verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and will come and serve them.” Glorious promise! “Watch therefore and pray always, that ye may be able to escape all these things that are coming to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” “The end of all things is at hand, be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer.” Do not forget the exhortation of John, [Rev. iii, 3.] “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” Again, [Chap. xvi, 15.] “Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” “Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation;” but to those who are not looking for him, and do not love his appearing, there is no salvation. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward, for ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come and will not tarry.”
Dear brethren and sisters, we have much to overcome in order to get into the kingdom; much of the carnal mind to subdue. We must be willing to suffer with Christ if we would reign with him. Then get ready, get ready, for the day of the Lord is at hand, and hasteth greatly. Jesus said to his disciples just before he went away, that if he went away he would come again and receive them to himself, that where he was they might be also; and he told them also how they might know that the time was near, even at the door. I need not repeat the signs which were to take place just previous to his coming; you have read them over and over no doubt. Be not discouraged, brethren, but be faithful unto the end, for there is a crown laid up for those in that day who are watching. May the Lord bless and prepare you to stand with the 144,000 on mount Zion, is the prayer of one looking for the Lord.