Call To Salvation
I am bidden to lift up my voice like a trumpet, and to speak plainly concerning the perils that surround our children and youth. Satan is actively at work, laying the stumbling blocks in the way of their Christian advancement. He has many schemes by which to deceive souls and to destroy the spiritual discernment that evil may be interpreted as righteousness. One of his most successful schemes is to place within their reach the foolish storybook to read, when they need the convicting power of the word of the living God to impress mind and heart.
God is constantly appealing to the human heart, bidding it to recognize His love and mercy, and accept His righteousness in the place of the principles of evil. Thus He has pleaded with mankind in all ages. In Noah's day Christ spoke to men through a human agency and preached to those who were in bondage to sin. He came to Israel enshrouded in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. He it was who educated that vast multitude in their wilderness wandering. . . .
Study the 9th chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be literally fulfilled; yet the time is passing, and the people are asleep. They refuse to humble their souls and to be converted. Not a great while longer will the Lord bear with the people who have such great and important truths revealed to them, but who refuse to bring these truths into their individual experience. The time is short. God is calling; will you hear? Will you receive His message? Will you be converted before it is too late? Soon, very soon, every case will be decided for eternity.
We may well fear and tremble for the things that shall be in the future. Many of the citizens of Oakland will be weighed in the balances and found wanting. Would you be of that company? You need now to show in life and character the sanctification of the gospel, and a belief in Christ's soon coming in power and great glory. Will you show faith by genuine faith in the signs of the Lord's second coming?
We are to bring the truth into all our works; we are to be sanctified through the truth, and show to a world dead in trespasses and sin that we are a holy nation, a peculiar people, a chosen generation, zealous of good works.
The death of Christ was accomplished to make us genuine Christians through faith in Him. We carry a message of sacred truth, and through the righteousness of Christ we are to become one in Him, separate from the world, distinguished from it by the features of our faith that make us heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. We are Christ's witnesses. By our baptismal vow we are under solemn pledge to witness for Him. Through the merits of Christ, we are to let our light shine forth to the world, that they, by seeing our good works, may glorify our Father which is in heaven.”
1MR 259-261
