What Saith the Scripture?
By J. B. Merritt
It saith that all flesh is grass, and the glory of man as the flower of grass. It saith that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It saith that the end of all things is at hand. It saith that all souls are mine, and the soul that sinneth it shall die. It says that except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish. And while Jesus says, Come unto me all ye ends of the earth and be saved, can it be possible that any rational person can sport upon the brink of everlasting death, and reject the counsels of God against themselves? Yet it is so. Atheists mock his long delay. Skeptics and infidels say, Where is the promise of his coming? And even the professed followers of the meek and lowly Jesus make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth nor in righteousness, while they offer the lame and blind in sacrifice, and polluted bread upon his altar, and are gone away from his ordinances and have not kept them. O, ye that fear the Lord and tremble at his word! is it not time that the Spirit of the Lord lift up a standard when the enemy appears to be coming in like a flood? Has not the time come when violence has arisen into a rod of wickedness, and pride budded? Has not the time come when some have departed from the faith, and are giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils? If so, is it not time that we should trim our lamps, and see that our armor is on and rightly adjusted, that we may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, which we may expect ere long to be hurled at us? For the time has come that good desires and good wishes are not enough; but they must be accompanied with good actions. It is not enough that we have the doctrine in our heads, but obedience must be rendered from the heart. It is not enough to believe that God is, and that he will reward, but he must be diligently sought. Therefore let all those that look for the soon coming of the Son of man on the white cloud, be careful to depart from all iniquity; for God is not mocked, but will bring every work into judgment, whether it be good or evil. "How careful then ought we to live,
With what religious fear,
Who such a strict account must give
For our behaviour here." J. B. Merritt.
Gilboa, Ohio, Aug. 13th, 1858.