344
Counsels for the Church
are nourished in the vine. The dews of heavenly grace should fall
upon them, that their hearts may be like precious plants, whose buds
open and expand and give forth a grateful fragrance, as flowers in the
garden of God. Teachers should be diligent students of the word of
God, and ever reveal the fact that they are learning daily lessons in the
school of Christ, and are able to communicate to others the light they
have received from Him who is the Great Teacher, the Light of the
world. In selecting officers from time to time, be sure that personal
preferences do not rule, but place in positions of trust those whom
you are convinced love and fear God, and who will make God their
counselor
“It Is Lawful to Do Good on the Sabbath”
Both in the home and in the church a spirit of service is to be
manifested. He who gave us six days for our temporal work has
blessed and sanctified the seventh day and set it apart for Himself.
On this day He will in a special manner bless all who consecrate
themselves to His service.
All heaven is keeping the Sabbath, but not in a listless, do-nothing
way. On this day every energy of the soul should be awake, for are we
not to meet with God and with Christ our Saviour? We may behold
Him by faith. He is longing to refresh and bless every soul
Divine mercy has directed that the sick and suffering should be
cared for; the labor required to make them comfortable is a work
of necessity, and no violation of the Sabbath. But all unnecessary
work should be avoided. Many carelessly put off till the beginning
of the Sabbath little things that should have been done on the day of
preparation. This should not be. Any work that is neglected until the
commencement of holy time should remain undone until the Sabbath
is past
While cooking upon the Sabbath should be avoided, it is not nec-
essary to eat cold food. In cold weather let the food prepared the
day before be heated. And let the meals, though simple, be palatable
480
Counsels on Sabbath School Work, 61, 41-43
481
Testimonies for the Church 6:361, 362
482
Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists, 217, 218