p. 133 | Untitled article by J. CLARKE

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 20, 1864

Sabbath Meditations. No. 6.

By J. CLARKE

THE work of self-examination, or the examination of one's heart, is a work of vast importance. Few practice it, consequently few are saved. This work is not peculiar to present truth, but it is a work which all God's people have performed with fidelity and impartiality, all those in the past, who have won a martyr's crown, or the precious testimony that they pleased God.

This work is not always a pleasing task; for often one will find evidence of the existence in his mind of hidden motives, and desires, and emotions, which tend as he discovers them to cast a gloom over his thoughts.

Often such a person finds within his heart that which he had supposed himself free from, and which he had condemned in others, and which he had held in disgust and hatred.

But never is heavenly consolation more sweet than to one who having divested himself of self-righteousness and vanity, calmly addresses himself to thorough heart work, with anxious care and patience, looking over not only the acts, words and thoughts of the past day, or week, or month, but rigidly scanning the past history of his life, as memory has written it. Slowly and carefully he weighs each important or trivial act, in the scales of justice. Treacherous memory often covers up hidden sins; self-love pleads for the extenuation of others; pride puts a false coloring upon motives, and sets up clamors in behalf of itself; or fanaticism entering by a secret door, unhinges all, and the victim rushing to hasty conclusions, from the terror of a guilty conscience, speeds away to open confessions of secret sins, which should only be confessed to God; or in other cases sinks dignity and self respect, in admission and confessions to the wicked scoffer, which neither principle, nor justice, nor common sense demanded.

To examination of self, one must bring a cool head, and a praying heart, that memory may faithfully perform her part; that prejudice and partiality may cease to bias the mind, that rigid fidelity and justice may sway the judgment, and most important of all, that the Holy Spirit may aid us in this work.

If one had always and daily performed this work, it would now be an easy task; but often it is yet to be begun, and often it is to be done for the first time thoroughly. Many who hope in God, are poor scholars in heart work; but let such rather rejoice that yet an opportunity occurs of this kind, rather than to dread so important a work.

Patience is a virtue here, as elsewhere; for one unused to such an exercise, will make slow progress at first. As the child in his alphabet stammers in his first efforts, let not such in their discouragement “give up the ship,” as some have done, because the subject is difficult at first, but rest assured, that there is no work which pays so well as heart work.

This work cannot be done in a hurry, nor all at once. But at times you will feel the deep pangs of a wounded spirit for some past wrong. Then is the time to settle it with God and your own soul, by fervent prayer, to view sin in its just and true light, whether it may concern the interests of a third party, and whether God can be glorified and his cause advanced by confession to such third party; and if restitution is demanded, how, and in what manner, if it is possible so to do; and often such a proceeding may be so involved in difficulty, that a good adviser is needed, and then be sure to open your mind to a trusty, faithful, judicious person, who knows and keeps the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus; one who does not pander to a depraved appetite; for such a person may be perverted in his understanding. In the absence of such a friend ponder well your duty, but see that your heart does not harden by procrastination; but think of Zaccheus, who came to the noble resolution of restoring four-fold.

But most of our difficulties are of a more difficult and complicated nature than open wrongs and injury of others; for we are liable to habitual sins against ourselves and against God, covetousness, vain talking and jesting, love of the world, coldness toward God and his people, manifested in neglect of privileges, neglect of the Sabbath, not in form perhaps, but in spirit; deadness in prayer, in exhortation, stupidity in reading his word; want of care for his cause and his people, want of anxiety for the salvation of our fellow men, want of interest in the stirring truths of the third message; negative sins as they are often called. Why do they exist in the soul? Here is work for self-examination.

This can not all be done in a day; but daily we may avail ourselves of this privilege; and if it is with you as with me, here you will find often the sweetest fruits of the Spirit; for while God approbates such a labor, and grants his Spirit to aid in the work, and brings home to the conscience each wrong often with pungent conviction, when one honestly and faithfully condemns self and with fervent prayer seeks for pardon for the past, and grace for the future, then do divine consolations restore the soul to peace and calmness, the better to fit it for more thorough work, and more satisfactory heart labor, when renewed again.

J. CLARKE.