p. 59 | To the Honest-Hearted by W. S. Foote

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 19, 1864

To the Honest-Hearted.

By W. S. Foote

As we believe that there are such persons, not connected with us in church capacity, I wish to ask such a few questions relative to a subject of profound importance to both of us.

In the first place, are you so anxious to get at the truth that you are willing to lay aside all your "isms," that you may understand what is the mind and will of the Lord? Are you willing to sacrifice all that you are, and have in this world, for the truth?

It may seem superfluous to put such questions to the honest-hearted. I do it because some may think they are so, but are not. Friendly reader: if you and I get ready for the coming of our Lord, and unite with all the sanctified in singing the song of redeeming love, we must dig down deep into our hearts, and throw out all that the world, the flesh and the Devil have buried there. Our bodies must be the temple of the Holy Ghost. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Rom. viii, 9.

Are you leading a watchful and prayerful life? In Prov. xxviii, 9, it is said, "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." And in Ps. lxvi, 18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." What is iniquity? Is it not sin? Is not sin a "transgression of the law?" Are you at any loss about what is meant by the law of God? In Ex. xxiv, 12, God said to Moses, "I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written." With these remarks I will leave you to find the place in the Bible where we are told that the Sabbath of the Lord has ceased to exist, or where the Sabbath, or Lord's day has been changed by divine authority from the seventh to the first day of the week; or the place, where we are informed that the law of ten commandments has been abrogated by the law-giver. Surely you cannot refer to the language of our Saviour, "I came not to destroy the law," or to Rom. ii, 13: "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified;" or to Rom. iii, 31: "Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid; Yea we establish the law."

Now, dear friend, I would advise you not to place yourself in a position, where the Lord will not hear you, when you attempt to address a throne of grace, but fear God and keep his commandments." If you are "justified by faith," you will love God, love his holy law, delight in obeying all its holy requirements. The Sabbath will not be to you a yoke of bondage, but you will "call it a delight, holy unto the Lord, honorable." Isa. lviii, 13. You will be willing to leave all your errors, and your conformity to the fashions and maxims of the world.

You will also incur the displeasure of the world, and especially of false professors. They will call you a Jew, a fanatic, an infidel, &c. It costs something to be a Christian. You will find the language of the Bible all true. You will find that "they who will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution." But as a reward of faithfulness here, you will know from happy experience, that "great peace have they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." Ps. cxix, 165. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. xxii, 14.

Reader, men's hearts are now failing them for fear of those things which are coming upon the earth; while there is a company who are lifting up their heads, knowing that their redemption draweth nigh. A storm of wrath is already gathering, soon to overtake a guilty world, and sweep into destruction those who fear not God, and keep not his commandments. Escape for thy life.

W. S. FOOTE.

Pendleton, O.