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Chapter 15
6
. See
EGW comment on Jeremiah 23:1
.
9 (see
EGW comment on Matthew 5:13, 14
;
Jeremiah 8:8
).
Error as Parasites on Tree of Truth
—Satan has wrought with
deceiving power, bringing in a multiplicity of errors that obscure
truth. Error could not stand alone, and would soon become extinct,
if it did not fasten itself like a parasite upon the tree of truth. Error
draws its life from the truth of God. The traditions of men, like
floating germs, attach themselves to the truth of God, and men
[1095]
regard them as a part of the truth. Through false doctrines Satan
gains a foothold, and captivates the minds of men, causing them to
hold theories that have no foundation in truth. Men boldly teach for
doctrines the commandments of men, and as traditions pass on from
age to age, they acquire a power over the human mind. But age does
not make error truth, neither does its burdensome weight cause the
plant of truth to become a parasite. The tree of truth bears its own
genuine fruit, showing its true origin and nature. The parasite of
error also bears its own fruit, and makes manifest that its character
is diverse from the plant of heavenly origin (
Letter 43, 1895
).
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