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Spiritual Gifts. Volume 1
pride of the nominal churches. God was not in their thoughts; but
their carnal minds dwell upon themselves. They decorate their poor
mortal bodies, and then look upon themselves with satisfaction and
pleasure. Jesus and the angels looked upon them in anger. Said the
angel, Their sins and pride have reached unto heaven. Their portion
is prepared. Justice and judgment have slumbered long, but will soon
awake. Vengeance is mine, and I will repay, saith the Lord. The fearful
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threatenings of the third angel are to be realized, and they will drink
the wrath of God. An innumerable host of evil angels are spreading
themselves over the whole land. The churches and religious bodies
are crowded with them. And they look upon the religious bodies with
exultation; for the cloak of religion covers the greatest crimes and
iniquity.
All heaven beholds with indignation, human beings, the work-
manship of God, reduced to the lowest depths of degradation, and
placed on a level with the brute creation by their fellow men. And
professed followers of that dear Saviour whose compassion was ever
moved as he witnessed human woe, heartily engage in this enormous
and grievous sin, and deal in slaves and souls of men. Angels have
recorded it all. It is written in the book. The tears of the pious bond-
men and bond-women, of fathers, mothers and children, brothers and
sisters, are all bottled up in heaven. Agony, human agony, is carried
from place to place, and bought and sold. God will restrain his anger
but a little longer. His anger burns against this nation, and especially
against the religious bodies who have sanctioned, and have themselves
engaged in this terrible merchandise. Such injustice, such oppression,
such sufferings, many professed followers of the meek and lowly Jesus
can witness with heartless indifference. And many of them can inflict
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with hateful satisfaction, all this indescribable agony themselves, and
yet dare to worship God. It is solemn mockery, and Satan exults over
it, and reproaches Jesus and his angels with such inconsistency, saying,
with hellish triumph, Such are Christ’s followers!
These professed Christians read of the sufferings of the martyrs,
and tears course down their cheeks. They wonder that men could
ever possess hearts so hardened as to practice such inhuman cruelties
towards their fellow-men, while at the same time they hold their fellow-
men in slavery. And this is not all. They sever the ties of nature,
and cruelly oppress from day to day their fellow-men. They can