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Testimonies for the Church Volume 3
have grasped their earthly treasure in their arms and say, “I must
take care of these things; I must not neglect the things of this life;
these things are mine.” Thus the hearts of these men have become as
unimpressible as the beaten highway. They close the door of their
hearts to the heavenly messenger, who says, “Come; for all things are
now ready,” and throw it open, inviting the entrance of the world’s
burden and business cares, and Jesus knocks in vain for admittance.
Their hearts are so overgrown with thorns and with the cares of
this life that heavenly things can find no place in them. Jesus invites
the weary and heavy-laden with promises of rest if they will come
to Him. He invites them to exchange the galling yoke of selfishness
and covetousness, which makes them slaves to mammon, for His
yoke, which He declares is easy, and His burden, which is light. He
says: “Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls.” He would have them lay aside the heavy
burdens of worldly care and perplexity, and take His yoke, which is
self-denial and sacrifice for others. This burden will prove to be light.
Those who refuse to accept the relief which Christ offers them, and
continue to wear the galling yoke of selfishness, tasking their souls to
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the utmost in plans to accumulate money for selfish gratification, have
not experienced the peace and rest found in bearing the yoke of Christ
and lifting the burdens of self-denial and disinterested benevolence
which Christ has borne in their behalf.
When the love of the world takes possession of the heart and
becomes a ruling passion, there is no room left for adoration to God;
for the higher powers of the mind submit to the slavery of mammon,
and cannot retain thoughts of God and of heaven. The mind loses its
remembrance of God and is narrowed and dwarfed to the accumulation
of money.
Because of selfishness and love of the world, these men have been
passing on with less and less sense of the magnitude of the work for
these last days. They have not educated their minds to make a business
of serving God. They have not an experience in that direction. Their
property has absorbed their affections and eclipsed the magnitude of
the plan of salvation. While they are improving and enlarging their
worldly plans, they see no necessity for the enlargement and extension
of the work of God. They invest their means in temporal but not in
eternal things. Their hearts are ambitious for more means. God has