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The Great Controversy 1888
future. There is an emotional excitement, a mingling of the true with
the false, that is well adapted to mislead. Yet none need be deceived.
In the light of God’s Word it is not difficult to determine the nature
of these movements. Wherever men neglect the testimony of the
Bible, turning away from those plain, soul-testing truths which require
self-denial and renunciation of the world, there we may be sure that
God’s blessing is not bestowed. And by the rule which Christ himself
has given, “Ye shall know them by their fruits,” [
Matthew 7:16
.] it is
evident that these movements are not the work of the Spirit of God.
[465]
In the truths of his Word, God has given to men a revelation of
himself; and to all who accept them they are a shield against the
deceptions of Satan. It is a neglect of these truths that has opened
the door to the evils which are now becoming so widespread in the
religious world. The nature and the importance of the law of God
have been, to a great extent, lost sight of. A wrong conception of the
character, the perpetuity, and obligation of the divine law has led to
errors in relation to conversion and sanctification, and has resulted in
lowering the standard of piety in the church. Here is to be found the
secret of the lack of the Spirit and power of God in the revivals of our
time.
There are, in the various denominations, men eminent for their
piety, by whom this fact is acknowledged and deplored. Prof. Edward
Park, in setting forth the current religious perils, ably says: “One
source of danger is the neglect of the pulpit to enforce the divine law.
In former days the pulpit was an echo of the voice of conscience... Our
most illustrious preachers gave a wonderful majesty to their discourses
by following the example of the Master, and giving prominence to the
law, its precepts, and its threatenings. They repeated the two great
maxims, that the law is a transcript of the divine perfections, and that
a man who does not love the law does not love the gospel; for the
law, as well as the gospel, is a mirror reflecting the true character of
God. This peril leads to another, that of underrating the evil of sin, the
extent of it, the demerit of it. In proportion to the rightfulness of the
commandment is the wrongfulness of disobeying it.”
“Affiliated to the dangers already named is the danger of under-
estimating the justice of God. The tendency of the modern pulpit is
to strain out the divine justice from the divine benevolence, to sink
benevolence into a sentiment rather than exalt it into a principle. The