Tract Societies
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they shall harmonize and form a valuable character, we have a work
which no one but ourselves can do.
Those who have sharp, rough traits of character are guilty before
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God if they do not, by training, repress and root out all the bitterness
of their nature. The man who yields to impatience is serving Satan.
“To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are
to whom ye obey.” A good character is more precious in God’s sight
than the gold of Ophir. The Lord would have men act for time and for
eternity. We have received good and bad as a legacy, and by cultivation
we may make the bad worse or the good better. Shall the bad gain the
ascendancy, as with Judas, or shall the evil be purged from our souls
and the good predominate?
Principle, right, honesty, should ever be cherished. Honesty will
not tarry where policy is harbored. They will never agree; one is of
Baal, the other of God. The Master requires His servants to be honor-
able in motive and action. All greed and avarice must be overcome.
Those who choose honesty as their companion will embody it in all
their acts. To a large class, these men are not pleasing, but to God they
are beautiful.
Satan is working to crowd himself in everywhere. He would put
asunder very friends. There are men who are ever talking and gossiping
and bearing false witness, who sow the seeds of discord and engender
strife. Heaven looks upon this class as Satan’s most efficient servants.
But the man who is injured is in a far less dangerous position than
when fawned upon and extolled for a few of his efforts which appear
successful. The commendation of apparent friends is more dangerous
than reproach.
Every man who praises himself brushes the luster from his best
efforts. A truly noble character will not stoop to resent the false accusa-
tions of enemies; every word spoken falls harmless, for it strengthens
that which it cannot overthrow. The Lord would have His people
closely united with Himself, the God of patience and love. All should
manifest in their lives the love of Christ. Let none venture to belittle
the reputation or the position of another; this is egotism. It is saying:
“I am so much better and more capable than you that God gives me
the preference. You are not of much account.”
Our ministers in responsible places are men whom God has ac-
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cepted. No matter what their origin, no matter what their former