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Testimonies for the Church Volume 7
God, but we are never, never to unite with them in counsel regarding
the vital interests of His work. Putting our trust in God, we are to
move steadily forward, doing His work with unselfishness, in humble
dependence upon Him, committing to His providence ourselves and
all that concerns our present and future, holding the beginning of
our confidence firm unto the end, remembering that we receive the
blessings of heaven, not because of our worthiness, but because of
Christ’s worthiness and our acceptance, through faith in Him, of God’s
abounding grace.
I pray that my brethren may realize that the third angel’s message
means much to us and that the observance of the true Sabbath is to be
the sign that distinguishes those who serve God from those who serve
Him not. Let those who have become sleepy and indifferent awake.
We are called to be holy, and we should carefully avoid giving the
impression that it is of little consequence whether or not we retain the
peculiar features of our faith. Upon us rests the solemn obligation of
taking a more decided stand for truth and righteousness than we have
taken in the past. The line of demarcation between those who keep
the commandments of God and those who do not is to be revealed
with unmistakable clearness. We are conscientiously to honor God,
diligently using every means of keeping in covenant relation with Him,
that we may receive His blessings, the blessings so essential for the
people who are to be so severely tried. To give the impression that our
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faith, our religion, is not a dominating power in our lives is greatly to
dishonor God. Thus we turn from His commandments, which are our
life, denying that He is our God and that we are His people.
* * * * *
We are to invite everyone—the high and the low, the rich and the
poor, all sects and classes—to share the benefits of our medical insti-
tutions. We receive into our institutions people of all denominations.
But as for ourselves we are strictly denominational; we are sacredly
denominated by God and are under His theocracy. But we are not
unwisely to press upon anyone the peculiar points of our faith.
* * * * *