Praying for the Purity of the Church
By Cornelia Lawton
For some time past I have felt more than usual to pray for the purity of the Church. I have feared that there was not that readiness to sacrifice for God and his cause that there should be, or that deadness to the customs and fashions of the world. We profess to believe in the speedy coming of our blessed Lord, and that he is preparing a people to stand before him without spot or wrinkle. If we believe this, and expect to be the redeemed who shall stand on Mount Zion, we must be dead to the world. Our Lord has told us so plainly that we cannot mistake, that if we love the world the love of the Father is not in us. I believe we must get where we are not only willing to make sacrifices and deny self, but have a pleasure in doing so. We should not only be willing to take up the cross, but it should be a delight to bear the cross for our blessed Lord who bore it so willingly for us. O how I love the cross. There is a halo of glory surrounding it, which kindles in my heart such a flame of love that rather than shrink from it I would gladly embrace it. I rejoice that God has given us the light that is now shining out from his holy word, showing us in these last days that we not only may, but must, if we live out the truth, suffer for Christ's sake. Glory to God! I do rejoice that I am counted worthy to suffer reproach for his dear cause. What though we are set aside by those even who once fellowshiped us104as good Christians, but now look upon us as a poor, deluded people! All this for trying to live out primitive Christianity, and walking in the old paths, and heeding the teachings of God's word and Spirit, instead of the traditions of the fathers. This is a sufficient evidence that the church has fallen in regard to these truths. Now my dear brethren and sisters, let the line of distinction be drawn still closer. Let us live out in our lives what we profess. If we are looking for the soon coming Saviour, to be consistent we shall feel that all we have belongs to God, and we shall not wish to indulge in one needless thing. And here let me say a word to my dear sisters; I have always felt, since I found pardon of sins, that it was wrong to indulge in vain or costly dress, but have not always denied self. Never did I more feel the importance of cheap and plain attire. Our profession demands it. The eyes of the world are upon us, also those of a proud church, neither of which will fail to make capital of any defects or inconsistencies of those who separate themselves from them. Again, the cause of God requires all we have above absolute want. If we are free from pride and self we shall love each other. O how I long for the time when we shall see eye to eye in every thing, and when the last saint shall be sealed; when the hundred and forty-four thousand shall stand upon mount Zion. My prayer is that God will hasten his work and take his weary people home. Herkimer Co., N. Y., July 11th, 1856.