Preface
In presenting this, my third little volume, to the public, I am
comforted with the conviction that the Lord has made me his humble
instrument in shedding some rays of precious light upon the past.
Sacred History, relating to holy men of old, is brief. Inspiration has
dealt sparingly in praise of the noble deeds and holy lives of the faithful.
For example, the life of righteous Enoch is summed up in these words:
“And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”
On the other hand, the errors, sins, and vile apostasies of some,
who had been the consecrated and favored servants of God, are dwelt
upon in Sacred History at length, as a warning to after generations.
Infidelity has seized upon the sad history of apostasy, which oc-
cupies so large space in the Old Testament, and has deceived many
with the base insinuation that the men of the Bible, without distinction,
were bad men, and has even blasphemously asserted that the Sacred
Scriptures sanction crime.
Since the great facts of faith, connected with the history of holy
men of old, have been opened to me in vision; also, the important fact
that God has nowhere lightly regarded the sin of the apostate, I have
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been more than ever convinced that ignorance as to these facts, and
the wily advantage taken of this ignorance by some who know better,
are the grand bulwarks of infidelity. If what I have written upon these
points shall help any mind, let God be praised.
When I commenced writing, I hoped to bring all into this volume,
but am obliged to close the history of the Hebrews, take up the cases
of Saul, David, Solomon, and others, and treat upon the subject of
Health, in another volume.
E. G. W.
Battle Creek,
July, 1864.
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