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Testimonies for the Church Volume 4
Heaven, forming each on other to depend,
A master, or a servant, or a friend,
Bids each on other for assistance call,
Till one man’s weakness grows the strength of all.
It is through the social relations that Christianity comes in contact
with the world. Every man or woman who has tasted of the love
of Christ, and has received into the heart the divine illumination, is
required of God to shed light on the dark pathway of those who are
unacquainted with the better way. Every worker in that sanitarium
should become a witness for Jesus. Social power, sanctified by the
Spirit of Christ, must be improved to win souls to the Saviour.
He who has to deal with persons differing so widely in charac-
ter, disposition, and temperament will have trials, perplexities, and
collisions, even when he does his best. He may be disgusted with
the ignorance, pride, and independence which he will meet; but this
should not discourage him. He should stand where he will sway, rather
than be swayed. Firm as a rock to principle, with an intelligent faith,
he should stand uncorrupted by surrounding influences. The people of
God should not be transformed by the various influences to which they
must necessarily be exposed, but they must stand up for Jesus and by
the aid of His Spirit exert a transforming power upon minds deformed
by false habits and defiled by sin.
Christ is not to be hid away in the heart and locked in as a coveted
treasure, sacred and sweet, to be enjoyed solely by the possessor. We
are to have Christ in our hearts as a well of water, springing up into
everlasting life, refreshing all who come in contact with us. We must
confess Christ openly and bravely, exhibiting in our characters His
meekness, humility, and love, till men shall be charmed by the beauty
of holiness. It is not the best way to preserve our religion as we bottle
perfumes lest the fragrance should escape.
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The very conflicts and rebuffs we meet are to make us stronger and
give stability to our faith. We are not to be swayed, like a reed in the
wind, by every passing influence. Our souls, warmed and invigorated
by the truths of the gospel, and refreshed by divine grace, are to open
and expand, and shed their fragrance upon others. Clad in the whole
armor of righteousness, we can meet any influence and our purity
remain untarnished.