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Spiritual Gifts, Volume 4b
between themselves and their brethren to remove. Others have evil
tempers, selfish covetousness, to remove, before they can open the
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door. Others have rolled the world before the door of their heart, which
bars the door. All this rubbish must be taken away from the door, and
then can they open the door, and welcome the Saviour in.
Oh, how precious was this promise, as it was shown to me in
vision. “I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.” Oh,
the love, the wondrous love of God. After all our lukewarmness and
sins, he says, “Return unto me, and I will return unto thee, and will
heal all thy backslidings.” This was repeated by the angel a number of
times. “Return unto me, and I will return unto thee, and heal all thy
backslidings.”
Some, I saw, would gladly return. Others will not let this message
to the Laodicean church have its weight upon them. They will glide
along, much after the same manner they have, and will be spued out
of the mouth of the Lord. Those only who zealously repent will have
favor with God.
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his
throne.” We can overcome. Yes, fully, entirely. Jesus died to make a
way of escape for us, that we may overcome every evil temper, every
sin, every temptation, and sit down at last with him.
I saw that it was our privilege to have faith, and salvation. The
power of God has not decreased. His power, I saw, would be just as
freely bestowed now as formerly. It is the church of God that have
lost their faith to claim, their energy to wrestle, as did Jacob, and cry,
“I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” Enduring faith has been
dying away. It must be revived in the hearts of God’s people. There
must be a claiming of the blessing of God. Faith, living faith, always
bears upward to God and glory. Unbelief, downward to darkness and
death.
I saw that there have been some peculiar temperaments, who have
had their notions by which to measure their brethren. And if they did
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not exactly agree with them, there was trouble in the camp at once.
Some have strained at a gnat, and swallowed a camel.
These set notions have been humored and indulged altogether too
long. There has been a picking at straws. And when there were no real
difficulties in the church, trials have been manufactured. The minds