Chapter 121—Simplicity in Dress
“Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting
the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel, but let it
be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even
the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God
of great price.”
Human reasoning has ever sought to evade or set aside the simple,
direct instructions of the word of God. In every age, a majority of the
professed followers of Christ have disregarded those precepts which
enjoin self-denial and humility, which require modesty and simplicity
of conversation, deportment, and apparel. The result has ever been
the same,—departure from the teachings of the gospel leads to the
adoption of the fashions, customs, and principles of the world. Vital
godliness gives place to a dead formalism. The presence and power
of God, withdrawn from those world-loving circles, are found with
a class of humbler worshipers, who are willing to obey the teachings
of the Sacred Word. Through successive generations, this course has
been pursued. One after another, different denominations have risen
and, yielding their simplicity, have lost, in a great measure, their early
power.
A Snare to God’s People
As we see the love of fashion and display among those who profess
to believe present truth, we sadly ask, Will the people of God learn
nothing from the history of the past? There are few who understand
[355]
their own hearts. The vain and trifling lovers of fashion may claim
to be followers of Christ; but their dress and conversation show what
occupies the mind and engages the affections. Their lives betray their
friendship for the world, and it claims them as its own.
How can one that has ever tasted the love of Christ be satisfied with
the frivolities of fashion? My heart is pained to see those who profess
to be followers of the meek and lowly Saviour, so eagerly seeking
309