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Testimonies for the Church Volume 3
shall not appreciate the things, which, above all others, are worthy of
our attention. The love of the world will exclude the love of God and
make our highest interests subordinate to worldly considerations. Thus
God will not hold so exalted a place in our affections and devotions as
do the things of the world.
Our works will show the exact extent to which earthly treasures
have our affections. The greatest care, anxiety, and labor are devoted
to worldly interests, while eternal considerations are made secondary.
Here Satan receives of man that homage which he claimed of Christ
but failed to obtain. It is the selfish love of the world which corrupts
the faith of the professed followers of Christ and makes them weak in
moral power. The more they love their earthly riches, the further they
depart from God, and the less do they partake of His divine nature that
would give them a sense of the corrupting influences in the world and
the dangers to which they are exposed.
In Satan’s temptations it is his purpose to make the world very
attractive. Through love of riches and worldly honor he has a bewitch-
ing power to gain the affections of even the professed Christian world.
A large class of professedly Christian men will make any sacrifice to
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gain riches, and the better they succeed in their object the less love
they have for precious truth and the less interest for its advancement.
They lose their love for God and act like insane men. The more they
are prospered in securing riches the poorer they feel because they have
no more, and the less will they invest in the cause of God.
The works of those men who have an insane love for riches show
that it is not possible for them to serve two masters, God and mammon.
Money is their god. They yield homage to its power. They serve the
world to all intents and purposes. Their honor, which is their birthright,
is sacrificed for worldly gain. This ruling power controls their minds,
and they will violate the law of God to serve personal interests, to
increase their earthly treasure.
Many may profess the religion of Christ who love not and heed not
the letter or principles of Christ’s teachings. They give the best of their
strength to worldly pursuits and bow down to mammon. It is alarming
that so many are deceived by Satan and their imaginations excited
by their brilliant prospects of worldly gain. They become infatuated
with the prospect of perfect happiness if they can gain their object in
acquiring honor and wealth in the world. Satan tempts them with the