Faithfulness in the Work of God
241
It is unsafe to cherish doubt in the heart even for a moment. The
seeds of doubt which Pharaoh sowed when he rejected the first miracle
were allowed to grow, and they produced such an abundant harvest
that all subsequent miracles could not persuade him that his position
was wrong. He continued to venture on in his own course, going from
one degree of questioning to another, and his heart became more and
more hardened until he was called to look upon the cold, dead faces of
the first-born.
God is at work, and we are not doing one half that must be done
to prepare a people to stand in the day when the Son of man shall be
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revealed. Woe be to the man that shall in the least degree seek to hinder
the work which God is doing. We must labor for others; we must try
to weaken the hold of our brethren upon their earthly treasures; for
many will sell their birthright to eternal life for worldly advantages.
How much better to encourage them to lay up their treasure in heaven
than complainingly to drop the words: “It is money, money, that these
men are continually calling for; and they are getting rich by it.” How
sweet are words like these to the world-loving professor! How they
strengthen his courage to withhold from God the proportion which
belongs to Him and which should be returned to Him in tithes and
offerings! The curse of the Lord will rest upon those who fail to render
to Him His own. Let us work in harmony with God. His servants have
a message to bear to money lovers; why should they not bear a close
testimony in regard to bringing all the tithes into the storehouse, when
the Lord Himself has set them the example?
The religion of Christ subdues the selfish spirit and transforms the
mind and the affections; it lays low the pride of men, that God alone
may be exalted. This is what Brother A wants. He needs a practical
faith in God. He needs to see and feel the glory of serving Christ; he
needs to exalt principle and elevate the Christian standard; he needs to
store his mind with the rich promises, the warnings, the counsels and
threatenings, of God’s word; he needs to see the importance of having
faith and corresponding works, that he may fairly represent, at home,
in the church, and in his business, the purity and elevated character
of religion. He should place himself in connection with Christ, that
he may have spiritual power. His connection with the world, and with
influences adverse to the spirit of truth, have greater power over him
than the Spirit of Christ. Here is his danger; and he will eventually