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Selected Messages Book 2
dress represents, coarse, uncourteous and rough in their manners, low
in their conversation; and at the same time they regard these miserable
traits as marks of true humility and Christian life. Think you if our
Saviour was upon earth, he would point to them as being the salt
of the earth, and the light of the world? No, never! Christians are
elevated in their conversation, and although they believe it to be a
sin to condescend to foolish flattery, they are courteous, kind, and
benevolent. Their words are those of sincerity and truth. They are
faithful in their deal with their brethren, and with the world. In their
dress they avoid superfluity and display; but their clothing will be
neat, not gaudy, modest, and arranged upon the person with order and
taste. Especial care will be taken to dress in a manner that will show a
sacred regard for the holy Sabbath, and the worship of God. The line
of demarkation between such a class and the world will be too plain
to be mistaken. The influence of believers would be ten-fold greater
if men and women who embrace the truth, who have been formerly
careless and slack in their habits, would be so elevated, and sanctified
through the truth, as to observe habits of neatness, order, and good
taste in their dress. Our God is a God of order, and he is not in any
degree pleased with distraction, with filthiness, or with sin.
Christians should not take pains to make themselves gazing-stocks
by dressing differently from the world. But if, in accordance with their
faith and duty in respect to their dressing modestly and healthfully,
they find themselves out of fashion, they should not change their
dress in order to be like the world. But they should manifest a noble
independence, and moral courage to be right, if all the world differ
from them. If the world introduce a modest, convenient, and healthful
mode of dress, which is in accordance with the Bible, it will not
change our relation to God, or to the world to adopt such a style of
dress. Christians should follow Christ, and conform their dress to
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God’s word. They should shun extremes. They should humbly pursue
a straightforward course, irrespective of applause or of censure, and
should cling to the right, because of its own merits.
Women should clothe their limbs with regard to health and comfort.
They need to have their limbs and feet clad as warmly as men. The
length of the fashionable female dress is objectionable for several
reasons.