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Testimonies for the Church Volume 2
hatred, jealousy, evil surmisings, and every hateful and abominable
sin.
I have tried in the fear of God to set before His people their
danger and their sins, and have endeavored, to the best of my feeble
powers, to arouse them. I have stated startling things, which, if they
had believed, would have caused them distress and terror, and led
them to zeal in repenting of their sins and iniquities. I have stated
before them that, from what was shown me, but a small number
of those now professing to believe the truth would eventually be
saved—not because they could not be saved, but because they would
not be saved in God’s own appointed way. The way marked out by
our divine Lord is too narrow and the gate too strait to admit them
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while grasping the world or while cherishing selfishness or sin of
any kind. There is no room for these things; and yet there are but few
who will consent to part with them, that they may pass the narrow
way and enter the strait gate.
The words of Christ are plain: “Strive [agonize] to enter in at the
strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall
not be able.” Not all professed Christians are Christians at heart.
There are sinners in Zion now, as there were anciently. Isaiah speaks
of them in referring to the day of God: “The sinners in Zion are
afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us
shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with
everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh
uprightly, he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his
hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of
blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high:
his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be
given him; his waters shall be sure.”
There are hypocrites now who will tremble when they obtain a
view of themselves. Their own vileness will terrify them in that day
which is soon to come upon us, a day when “the Lord cometh out
of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.”
Oh, that terror might now lay hold upon them, that they might have
a vivid sense of their condition and arouse while there is mercy and
hope, confess their sins, and humble their souls greatly before God,
that He might pardon their transgressions and heal their backslidings!
The people of God are unready for the fearful, trying scenes before