Uprightness in Deal
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which was really loss. Every act of overreaching in deal will detract
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from your reward in heaven, should you gain that home. Every man
will receive his reward as his works have been.
You have no time to lose, but should make diligent efforts to
overcome the marked traits in your character, which, if indulged, will
close the doors of glory against you. You cannot afford to lose heaven.
You now need to make a decided change in your words and deeds,
to overcome your avaricious spirit, and to turn your thoughts into the
channel of sanctified truth. In short, you need to be transformed. Then
God will accept your labors in His cause. You should be a man of such
undeviating veracity that the love of gain will not seduce you and no
temptation overcome you. The Lord requires of all who profess His
name a strict adherence to truth. This will be as salt which has not
lost its savor, as a light amid the moral darkness and deception of the
world.
“Ye are the light of the world,” says Christ. Those who are truly
connected with God, by reflecting the light of heaven will have a saving
power in the church and also in the world; for the perfume of good
deeds and truthful acts will make them of good repute, even among
those who are not of our faith. Those who fear God will respect and
honor such a character; and even the enemies of our faith, as they see
the spirit and life of Christ exhibited in their daily works, will glorify
God, the source of their strength and honor.
You, my brother, should have been truly converted to the truth and
wholly given to the work of God years ago. Precious years, which
should have been rich with experience in the things of God and in
practical labor in His cause, have been lost. Whereas you should now
be able to teach others, you have failed to come to the full knowledge of
the truth yourself. You ought now to have an experimental knowledge
of the truth and be qualified to bear the message of warning to the
world. Your services have been nearly lost to the cause of God because
your mind has been divided; you have been planning and scheming,
buying and selling, serving tables.
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The mildew of the world has clouded your perception and perverted
your intellect, so that your feeble efforts have not been acceptable
offerings to God. Had you divorced yourself from your speculating
propensities, and worked in the opposite direction, you would now
be enriched with divine knowledge and would be a gainer in spiritual