Your ShelfYour Projects

THE EYE-SALVE

10%

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 26, 1860

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 16, No. 6.

Read the full edition

THE EYE-SALVE.

By J. CLARKE.

Its uses. To improve the sight, so that the Christian may realize his wants, his spiritual wants. He who does not realize his spiritual wants, will have no desires for such things. Of course he lies down in stupidity, and imagines himself already supplied. Like the drunken man, he thinks himself rich, in need of nothing, and knows not that he is poor, and in need of all things, wretched, and miserable, and blind, and naked." Rev. iii, 19.
The eye-salve opens his eyes to see his sinful heart, and thus lowers himself in his own eyes. He sees now that there no hope in himself. It shows him its odiousness, its hurtful nature, and the ruin it has brought upon the world, and its hatefulness in the sight of God.
Now his heart is somewhat prepared to appreciate its opposite, holiness; and the eye-salve opens his eyes to the character of God as displayed in the word of God, and he cries out in the bitterness of his soul, "Create in me a clean heart." Ps. li,
The eye-salve opens to him the beauties and excellent principles unfolded in the word of God, and he pants for greater discoveries and attainments in holiness; to be free from sin, to be reconciled more fully to God, to attain to a holy and heavenly life.
The eye-salve opens to his astonished sight the devices of Satan, who is no more to him a myth, a phantom, an apocryphal being, only feared by the weak and superstitious; but now he sees in this archenemy a fallen angel, strong, experienced, artful, persevering; and why should he affect to despise the being who for forty days tempted the Son of God; that made war in heaven; that killed the good of all ages; that crucified the Saviour; the instigator of all horrible crimes, the murderer, the liar, the thief, the sworn enemy of God's holy Sabbath, as well as the enemy of all the ten precepts, and of those who practice them; the hater of truth; he who, if it were possible, would long ago have dethroned God and set himself up chief ruler, where he would have dispensed cruelty, confusion, impurity, and every evil principle, and would have revelled in destruction.
The eye-salve so improves his sight, that he now sees his own weakness, and what points need a double watch; where he must institute more than common watchfulness; it shows him whence to draw wisdom, and discernment, how to edify and exhort, and what are the needs and virtues of his cotemporaries.
The eye-salve shows him the value of time, and the importance of improving it. It shows to him the order and beauty of prophecy, its practical utility and bearing peculiarly on the present age, and upon personal character, and the danger of closing the heart to any principle of the revelation of God's word.
The eye-salve shows him the beauty of candor and truth, the necessity of order and industry, of purity and peace, the excellence of every virtue, and the beauties of God's attributes, of justice, mercy, and truth, and he would not that God should be otherwise than he is. Rather would he fall to rise no more, than that God should surrender one iota of his perfections, or lower his standard of law in the least particular.
One peculiarity of the eye-salve is, that he who has most of it values it most highly, while he who has least, values it least. J. CLARKE.