Fruits of Conversion

Sermon by Ellen G. White

(Sabbath morning sermon, Healdsburg, California, Camp Meeting, Sept. 19th, 1891.)

"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them" (John 17:9, 10). {1SAT 194.1}

Mark the words. It is Jesus Christ that is praying to His Father, "and all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them." {1SAT 194.2}

Is it truth? Are we Bible believers? Is Christ glorified in us? I want you to consider this. He is speaking of the oneness and that unity that shall exist with Christ and His disciples. In that unity, in that oneness, Christ is glorified in us. Now I would have you consider how very light a matter many of us make of seeking to preserve this unity. Why, this unity with believers in and through Christ is the great strength of the church! The oneness, the love which through their faith and unity exists with God's people through faith in Christ, is a power. {1SAT 194.3}

How earnest, how decided, how determined should be our efforts to answer the prayer of Christ that we may have that harmony one with another for which Christ died to perfect; that we may be one with Christ; for, unless we are constantly laboring for this harmony and this unity, we shall certainly fail of answering the prayer of being one with Christ as He was one with the Father.

(You will see I have contracted a severe cold on this journey. It is very difficult for me to speak at this time, but perhaps I can make you hear. I hope I can.) {1SAT 195.1}

In this oneness God is glorified. In division and dissension and differences and pulling apart Satan is glorified, and all heaven looks with astonishment upon those who claim to be children of God. Have [they] not served the enemy long enough in this line? "And now," prayed Christ, "I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves" [verses 11-13]. {1SAT 195.2}

Who? Believers in Jesus Christ. That they might have the joy of Christ fulfilled in us through love and unity as His disciples. What is that joy? Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despised the shame, and is forever set down at the right hand of God. What was the joy? Was it the joy that we feel when we think that we are in a very important position in this life? Is that the joy? No. What was the joy? In seeing sons and daughters brought to Jesus Christ because they have given their life to the service of Christ, of soul saving. {1SAT 195.3}

That is the joy that Christ had. That is our joy. And when we possess this joy we shall love souls and work for souls for whom Christ has died. You will not be in the position that you will think, "My way is right, and I will carry this through on my line"; and thus you dishonor your Creator, because Christ's prayer is against you, and you are against the prayer. Therefore how can you have His joy fulfilled in you when you have a spirit of self-exaltation and you are not at oneness with Jesus Christ? {1SAT 195.4}

What we want today is to be constantly studying the life of Christ and working every day of our life to answer the prayer of Christ that you may be one in His love, and work for unity. The prayer that He offered to His Father is to exercise interest and love for souls. You want in every work, in your spirit, in your thoughts, in your actions, to be cherishing the love of Christ which He has prayed might exist. You want that faith that works out your salvation after the divine similitude. Why, you tell us that by our works we are not saved! Nevertheless, you are not saved by any evil works; but you have that faith that works out a character after the divine similitude. It is a faith that works out a unity of action, brother with brother, and every hour of your life if you are standing in living connection with God. You manifest His love. It works in your home life. {1SAT 196.1}

There is no fretfulness seen in the home if Christ is the peace principle exercised in your soul. There is no uncourteousness there. There is no roughness or sharp speech there. Why? Because we believe and act out that we are members of the Royal Family, children of the Heavenly King, bound to Jesus Christ by the strongest tie of love--that love which works by faith and purifies the soul.

You love Jesus and you are constantly at work to overcome all selfishness and be a blessing and comfort and strength and a support to the souls He has purchased with His blood. I cannot see why we should not the more earnestly try to bring the peace of Christ right into our family, than to labor for those that have no living connection with us; but if we have religion in the home, it will extend outside of the home. You will have it everywhere. You will carry it with you to the church. You can carry it with you when you go out to your work. It will be with you wherever you shall be. What we want is religion in the home. What we need is the peace principle which shall control our spirit and our life and character after the Christlife. He has given us His example. God help us that we may walk and work intelligently to this end. {1SAT 197.1}

There is no virtue in your prayers to God when you get right up from your prayers and begin to speak sharp words and make yourself disagreeable in your family. When you get up from your prayers and begin to fret and to find fault with everything and with God Himself--for this has been done--your prayers don't go any higher than your head. Shall we now have that faith that works by love and purifies the soul here where this reformation means so much? Well, that is what we want; because the latter rain is coming, and we want the vessel all cleansed from its work of impurity. We want the vessel to be a vessel unto honor, fit for the Master's use. There are vessels to dishonor, and there are vessels to honor. Now we want to make our choice, and reveal we choose to be a vessel unto honor.

There is not a quarreling man--no matter if your profession is as high as heaven--nor a quarreling woman; not one that loves to talk and berate and wound and injure the souls and reputation of God's people, that will ever enter the portals of the city of God. Why? Because there would be a second rebellion in heaven. What we need now is to be students, to learn in the school of Christ to perfect a Christlike character. {1SAT 198.1}

"Come," says Jesus. "Come," says Christ your Saviour, "learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart." His arm is extended, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He has told you where to go. "Come unto Me," every one of you, "and I will give you rest." Do you believe it? Do we believe the word of God today? Do we believe just what He tells us? What is the matter with us, that we do not have more freedom, and that Christ is not glorified in us? It is because we don't believe Him. Every soul will act out all the faith that he has. {1SAT 198.2}

If we are weary, if we are heavy laden, why, then, come right to the great Burden Bearer. Say, "Here, Lord, I come just as I am. I come because I am sinful. I come because I am needy. I come because I am wholly dependent, and I want to drink in this life of the waters of life. I want to drink of the streams of salvation which flow from the throne of God." {1SAT 198.3}

Well, then, if you drink, how shall we know that you have been drinking? How will anyone know that you have been drinking? Will you go out and begin to kick and scold your cattle, and beat them, and bruise them? They are God's dumb animals and cannot retaliate. He made them. You must respect your cattle.

Will you rise from prayer and begin to scold and fret at your children, and at the circumstances and things that transpire in your house? Will you do it? Well, what shall we think of you? We will think you are an agent of the devil, that is what; we think the thoughts that such a course of action produces. Whatever your profession, however high it may be, if the truth you profess does not have influence enough on you to change your natural heart, to convert you to be kind and courteous, and to give you a new heart and a new mind, seek the true character now. {1SAT 198.4}

Now what does every man and woman need? A conversion to God. That is what he needs. Then what? Why, we begin to cherish this love which Christ had. We are converted. We love one another. We see that every individual has his own individual trials. We see that every soul that we are brought into connection with knows what it is to battle with the powers of darkness if they ever overcome. "We," saith the True Teacher, "fight not against flesh and blood," but we fight "against spiritual wickedness in high places." {1SAT 199.1}

Well, we know Satan is against us; we know the whole confederacy of evil is united and works with the evil men and women. Satan and his angels and evil men are there manifested to attempt to deceive, to allure, and to make our lives uncomfortable and unhappy and wretched by words and actions, and is it not very poor policy for professed Christians to open the door of their house and say to the devil, come in? Many are doing this. Is it not the most wretched policy for you to give place to the devil, and then you judge [that] everybody is your enemy, and you are the enemy of everybody, and thus you talk and thus you act.

Is the joy of Christ in you? Is Christ glorified, or God glorified in you? Verily, verily, I say unto you, unless you are born again you never can see the kingdom of heaven. [See John 3:3] You may have addicted yourself to fretting and to scolding for a long while, but it has not perfected your Christian character. Now suppose you change the order of things and you begin, when Satan begins to put in the word of complaint, to find fault, you begin to sing a song, if it is the simple hymn, "I will follow Thee, my Saviour, Wheresoe'er my lot may be." Just begin to sing. Do you think that will please the devil and the confederacy of evil angels? No; they will get out of your presence as soon as possible. You have garrisoned the soul against them. {1SAT 200.1}

Well then, what shall we do? We shall pray more in the spirit and understanding also. We shall talk more comfortable words because the heart is converted. We will lift up the weights that are upon the souls, knowing that they are tempted of the devil and, in our turn, we will not make ourselves tempters. Now that is what we will do when converted. You try it, and you will see what that will do for you, and you will see that you are exercising a faith that works--that works by love, which purifies the soul. {1SAT 200.2}

And then I will tell you what else to do. Keep the praise of God on your lips. You have had so little of it that it is a strange song. Now, we want to learn that song because in heaven the angels are constantly offering praise and thanksgiving and glory to the God of heaven. Therefore we want to catch the strain here, and heaven is much nearer to earth than we think, and we are much nearer to heaven than we imagine, because the heavenly intelligences are all through such an assembly as this.

Is that all? No. The heavenly helpers are with you in your family. Those angels want that family [to be] a sample of the family in heaven. Those angels are at work to mold, to fashion, and to make every family after the divine family. Well then, would it not be very poor policy to speak and act like sinners, to awaken an element in your family which will set them all at variance, and make them unhappy and miserable? But this work is done daily by unconverted men and women who claim to be followers of Christ. But God help us to be converted, that we may show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. {1SAT 201.1}

Well then, how shall we know that we have been drinking of the living streams of salvation? How shall we understand this? Oh, the heart is changed; out of it are the issues of life. The good man bringeth out of the treasure of his heart good things. Now we are to learn and are to know by their words and works who are converted. The evil man bringeth out of the treasure of his heart evil things, showing he is under the control of Satan. Every word is a seed. We are scattering it in words and actions--sowing seed--and then what will the harvest be? God help us that we may sow unto life eternal, that we may reap the precious grain in this life, and then the good works will cause souls to be converted. {1SAT 201.2}

I want to tell you that you have every reason to rejoice today. Christ says, "Come, come unto Me, and I will give you rest." What have we to rejoice in? That Christ is not in Joseph's new tomb, and a great stone rolled before it. Where is He? Where is Jesus? He has arisen; He has risen from the dead;

He has ascended on high. He is our Advocate, and He pleads in our behalf before the Father. We have a Friend at court. Thank God, we have a Friend at court! Then offer up your petitions. The righteousness of Christ is there. The perfection of Christ is there. {1SAT 201.3}

You may look up and say, "Oh, I am discouraged; I am in despair; I feel so terrible," and all this! What have your feelings to do with the matter? Do tell me. What have your feelings to do with these matters? Are they stronger than the word, the immutable word of Jehovah? Which is stronger? Is not the word of God a solid basis? Is it not the Rock of ages? Well now, what will you do? Hide in that Rock. Let your heart go out to Jesus who has bought you as His own property with the price of His sacred life-blood. {1SAT 202.1}

There are thousands that have been addicted to complaining; they are chronic grumblers. But all such will never enter heaven. How can you be cured? Christ tells you: "A new heart will I give you." Do they profess to believe the truth? I shall know it when there is a change in that unruly member, the tongue. "A new heart will I give thee." We shall find in the place of a stirring up by the leaven of disaffection, we shall find there are words that cement; there are words that bind together. They will not see something in everyone around them to find fault with but themselves, and expatiate upon other's evil. But they are beginning to look and say, Am I right? Have I that love, that faith that works by love and purifies the heart for the second, the latter, rain, the descent of the Holy Spirit of God? {1SAT 202.2}

Now, some will tell you, and they will begin to reckon, and reckon, and reckon when the latter rain is coming. I would rather that you would reckon right now whether you have brought eternity into your reckoning concerning your individual self. Consider whether you have brought eternity daily to view. If you are right with God today, you are ready if Christ should come today. What we need is Christ formed within, the hope of glory. We want that you should have a deep and earnest longing for the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Your old, tattered garments of self-righteousness will not give you an entrance into the kingdom of God, but that garment that is woven in the loom of heaven--the righteousness of Jesus Christ--will. It will give you an inheritance among the sanctified. That is what we want. It is worth more than all the worldly gain; it is worth more than all your farms; it is worth more than all the honor that finite beings can bestow upon you. {1SAT 202.3}

What we want to know is, Are you individually, daily preparing that you can unite with the family of heaven? Are you quarrelsome here? Are you finding fault with your household here? If your are, you will find fault with them in heaven. Your character is being tested and proved in this life, whether you will make a peaceable subject of God's kingdom in heaven. {1SAT 203.1}

Now let the parents go to work for their children. Don't let them hear a fretful word spoken in the house. Tell them angels are there watching over them and they must enter into no sinful practice. Tell them the heavenly intelligences are looking upon them, and don't allow a word to be spoken from your lips to educate your children in words to dishonor God. Ah, there are scores here that need to be converted on this line, and unless they are converted, they never will know what the love and joy of Christ is in the heart, and can never be translated to live with the heavenly family.

But we hope this meeting will be a time when you will surrender to God. We hope it will be a time when you will place yourself fully in Christ's love. He is coming in a little while, and when we think of it every one of you may look back and consider what your life has been. Consider how you have had the truth. Summer after summer line upon line, testimony after testimony, has come from heaven to you, and the Word, the precious Word of God--and yet, where is your reform? Where is the cleansing of the soul temple? Where is the fitting up for the finishing touch of immortality? What are you doing? Have you that faith that works, or have you that faith which does not do anything for you? {1SAT 204.1}

The truth of a heavenly origin converts the soul. The truth from heaven has an influence upon the human life and upon the human character that is elevating, ennobling, sanctifying, refining--making us more and more like Jesus; and thus we are changed through the sanctification of the truth from glory to glory. What is the glory? It is the character--"From character to character." And we are fitting for heaven in this life, that we may see Jesus and that we may be like Him; that we may reflect His image, and from character to character marching, marching right straight along; step by step you keep with the Leader, and He is leading you. Who is it? The Light of the world, the Truth, the Life.--all these combined, and He is leading in straight paths. You are never left without angels' care. Do you respond and seek to perfect a true righteous character? Will you be led? That is the question, the whole question of your salvation today. Will you be led? {1SAT 204.2}

I want to read still more. The last I read was, "And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them." Is it so? Is God glorified in you? Are you a gossiper? Are you a faultfinder? Are you suspicious? Are you jealous? Is God glorified in you? No, indeed! The devil is glorified in you, and he is wonderfully pleased with you. But what we want is to change that order by being converted to God right here and not to wait until we get off of this tent ground. What we want is to be clad with the robes of Christ's righteousness. We want to be built up in the most holy faith. We want to rejoice in Jesus Christ. {1SAT 204.3}

Now I read some verses further than this: "And now come I to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have"--what?--"My joy fulfilled in themselves." Well now, this is the privilege of every individual soul. The joy of Christ fulfilled in themselves. Think that this can be done; believe that it can be done. Act it; and you will find that you are brought into a purer atmosphere; you are breathing the atmosphere of heaven--not the atmosphere of hell, but the atmosphere of heaven--and when you breathe in that atmosphere, and this atmosphere surrounds the soul, all that come within the sphere of your influence are benefited and blessed. {1SAT 205.1}

The "joy fulfilled in themselves." What does it mean? Why, I get up in the morning, [and] I don't feel any particular joy. When I wake up, I don't feel that wonderful joy; perhaps some days, sometimes I do. But then what? Looking unto Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, I begin to look up to Jesus for His presence, His light, and His love. A very simple thing. I thank God that He has kept me through the night. I am so thankful that He is a living Saviour. I am so grateful that He lives to make intercession for me; that He is not in Joseph's new tomb. He is a living Saviour and ready to bless me. Well then, I believe that He means I shall be blessed. He died for me that I might be blessed, and that His joy might remain in me, therefore I keep my mind in that channel. I educate it; I train my tongue; I train my thoughts; I train all that there is of me that I may fasten it upon Jesus Christ. {1SAT 205.2}

Oh, evil things come in between me and the Saviour. It is the hellish shadow of Satan. I see that shadow and darkness; shall I fall under it? Well, when I was coming in the cars in the evening and in the night season I looked at the moon, there was a whole bank of clouds it went into. Now, I thought, we will see what that moon does. I kept my eyes upon it, and soon I began to see that there was a bright, brightness coming into the cloud. The darkness of the cloud did not put out the moon nor its light, but the light kept shining. The moon in its brightness began to scatter and lighten and brighten the darkness until it rolled back and revealed the glory and light of the moon, and then its glory lighted up the clouds all around us. There is what we want to be. {1SAT 206.1}

Satan is not dead by any means. He is working to bring the shadow of death over your souls. Will you let him do it? Will you let him make you look at the darkness, and talk of the darkness? We are just to be like that moon. Light up all our way by faith. Through the shadow of darkness and of death Thou art the light of heaven. We are to talk of heaven and of heavenly things. We are to become more and more heavenly-minded. Now all the faith that you profess--we shall know something about it. You need not think that you can shut it up in a box like a nice perfume, and keep it there or in a bottle. But we shall know just the measure of your faith. How? By your works. By the fruits that you bear. If you have Christ abiding in your heart, you will talk Christ. {1SAT 206.2}

If you have Christ abiding there, you cannot fret or scold. You cannot make others unhappy and wretched and miserable. No. Because Christ is there, His joy is there, His peace is there. You want everybody to have peace; you want them to have comfort; you want them to have good hope; you want them to have courage, and you keep talking of Jesus and His love--what He has done for me. Now we lose sight of this; we lose sight of it. You look and see what Christ has done for you again and again, and the precious victories He has given you, and then as you look at things you talk of these. Don't you see, every trial sinks into insignificance in comparison with this? {1SAT 207.1}

Paul looked at it, and now let us hear his language--just listen to it--"I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" [Rom. 8:18]. When? At that time. "Revealed in us." Now let us make the reckoning. "I reckon," he says, Well, then, let us begin to reckon. We have reckoned long enough that the darkness is worthy to be dwelt upon. Now we reckon that the trials of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory. Well then, let us talk of the glory. Let us talk of what Christ is to you, what Christ is to [me]. Just talk in that way. What is He to you? A present Saviour; and if He is not a present Saviour He is not worth anything to you. You need not think He will be of any advantage to you.

Is He my Saviour? Can I lay hold upon His merits this very hour? Can I commit the keeping of my soul to Jesus Christ today? Yes. How? What assurance have I? I point you to Christ of Calvary. Can you stand under the shadow of the cross and there talk your crosses, your darkness, your wicked feelings? Can you do it? Dare you do it? You never dare to do it when standing under the shadow of the cross, because all that infinite sacrifice was made to make me love God. It was made that I might reflect the image of God in Jesus Christ. Well then, when all this sacrifice has been made for me, shall I let everybody know that it amounts to something? Shall I let the world know that Jesus, the precious Saviour, has made all this infinite sacrifice that He might be formed within, the hope of glory, and that I might rejoice in His love? {1SAT 208.1}

Well then, why talk darkness? Why talk rebelliousness? Why not lift yourself up in the holier, purer atmosphere? Why talk all the time that you don't feel as you want to feel? Take hold of Jesus Christ. As you feel after His hand, He takes that hand. He puts it in His; He lifts you up. Well then, be lifted up. Don't let your body, like the body of death, [remain] in darkness, [so] that nothing can lift it. Come where the light is, and let it reveal its glory--glorious beams that come from Jesus Christ through you. Talk hope; talk courage. Cease your faultfinding, and let us talk of heaven and heavenly things. {1SAT 208.2}

The more you do, you are shaped into the same image. Talk doubt, and you will find plenty of doubt. Talk darkness and you will find plenty of darkness and, more than that, you will have a terrible harvest to garner. You cannot afford it. Time is too precious. Every moment is golden. Every word is to be a treasure of life. Every word is to be of value to help somebody; and if you cannot, don't speak. Silence is excellent. Keep still, and, if you speak, let the law of kindness be on your lips. By thy words shalt thou be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" [Matt. 12:37], because by your words you show whether Satan is abiding in the heart or whether Jesus Christ is abiding there. {1SAT 208.3}

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" [Rev. 3:20]. Let us answer the knock. Let us open the door. That is our part of the business, and then the glory of God shall pervade our souls. What then? We shall be one in Christ Jesus. "I have given them Thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." Well, shall we be engaged in hating one another? The world, He says, hated them. But shall we be working to annoy and make unhappy and hate one another? Is that our business? God forbid. "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil." {1SAT 209.1}

Now, we want to be kept from the evil. "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth. . . . As thou hast sent Me into the world, even so" I also send them into the world. [It is] just as much your work to act out right in the world as it was the work of Christ to redeem. He sent you into the world. You are to be the light of the world. You are to show the distinction between the spirit of Christianity and the spirit of the worldling. You are to show the controlling influence of the power of God upon the human heart. God help us that we may be sanctified through the truth; and that sanctification shall have its influence to leaven those that are around us. Not the leaven of malice; not the leaven of jealousy; not the leaven of evil surmisings, but it is the leaven of the spirit of Jesus Christ, which is sent down from heaven, called the Holy Ghost, and that Spirit affects the heart and the character. {1SAT 209.2}

Now, God wants His converting power to come on this occasion. There are some that come to our meetings--they will sit all through the meetings; they have borne a few words of testimony now and then; they have gone home and done just exactly [the same as], if not worse than, before. Why? Because they had not the new heart. What is the new heart? It is the new mind. What is the mind? It is the will. Where is your will? It is either on Satan's side or Christ's side. Now it is up to you. Will you put your will today on Christ's side of the question? That is the new heart. It is the new will, a new mind. "A new heart will I give thee." Then let us begin right here. {1SAT 210.1}

Conversion is simple, very simple. Let us commence right here to come into the kingdom of heaven. How? As a little child. Just as simple as simple can be. You may get all your mysteries of the new birth, and you cannot make anybody understand it, or understand it yourself. But the best way for you is to give your mind to Jesus Christ. And the mind is the will to put it on, and do just as Matthew did.

The Lord Jesus came to Matthew. He was in a very unpopular business, and all the Jews looked upon them [publicans, as people] to be despised, and Christ said to Matthew, "Matthew, follow Me." Did he say, "O Lord, when I get good enough I will follow you"? Did he say, "O Lord, when I have this agony, this awful agony for my sin, then I will come"? {1SAT 211.1}

Well, that is what many of you are saying. No, Matthew rose up and followed Him. He was walking in the light, because he could not follow Christ unless he was walking in the light. Well then, what are we to do? We are just to believe as simply as a little child. We are to take our position on the Lord's side, and we are to be Christ's children because He wants us to be, and because He died that we might be; and will we be? {1SAT 211.2}

I love Jesus. I had things trouble me before I went on the cars. I was afraid the shadow would hang over me all the way; and I could not forbear as I would wake up in the night season, saying over and over, "I love the Lord; I love the Lord; I know I love Thee; Oh, I love Jesus who gave His life for me. I love the souls of all those for whom Christ has died." And thus I feel the sweet comfort of peace and hope and light and love in my heart. Well, let us educate our minds; let us educate our thoughts. {1SAT 211.3}

Now I am not going to hold you here, but I do want that the converting power of God should be in your midst. There is a great work to be done for many souls, but they don't see it. They don't realize it enough to go to work. Why, how, you say, can I be going to work to help myself? How can I do it? God works, and all you have to do is to cooperate with Him, and let Him work. Work in harmony with God. But He never works unless the human agent wills that He shall work, and works with Him. Then, with the human and the divine combined, we can make a glorious success. We will have the victory. Will you let Christ work on your human mind? Shall this glorious opportunity in 1891 pass over and work no decided change in our ideas and feelings? Go to work, brethren; go to work, sisters. I appeal to you to go to work. {1SAT 211.4}

Christ is coming, and Christ is to be revealed in you, if you will only allow His image to be revealed in you. Fall on the Rock and be broken. What did they do to Moses? They took that atom of humanity, the heavenly intelligences, and put him in the cleft of the rock, and the hand of God over the rock. Now, what you want is to be in the cleft of the rock. You want to break in pieces before God your pride, yourself, your folly, your wickedness, your dishonesty, your corruption of heart, your licentiousness, your impurity. You want to fall on that Rock, and then if the superscription of the divine plays upon you, that the love of Christ may abide with you and Jesus be in your heart. {1SAT 212.1}

God help you to begin the work right here; not to wait for the ministers to stir you up to a wonderful excitement. God wants intelligent Christians. He wants you to count the cost of the battle. He wants you to count whether you can war against Satan and his spiritual wickedness in high places. He wants you to see the plan of the battle, of the confederacy of evil, and then He wants you to see that angels are in the army, that the Captain of our salvation is at the head. It is they that do the warring. It is they that do the work, and we cooperate, coincide, and work with them.

Now, that is our work. Will you commence the warfare here against lust? Will you commence it against wickedness? Will you commence it against impurity? Will you be fitting up for the home in heaven above? God help you right here to be converted. You want to go from this meeting with your affection lighted up with the glory of God, saying, Hear what the Lord has done for me. He has put a new song in my mouth; even praise to our God. Well now, commence to praise God. And praise Him with heart and soul and voice. The devil doesn't want you [to], because you would be a living witness to them that you had drunk of the living waters, and he doesn't want you to praise God. Still, shall we disappoint the devil? Shall we please Jesus Christ? {1SAT 213.1}

Well, let us work as intelligent Christians, and may we hear the beautiful testimony from your lips, "I love Jesus, and I know that He loves me." Then the world will see [that we] have been with Jesus and have learned of Him. This is the lesson that we want you to learn in the school of Christ. {1SAT 213.2}

[This was followed by an altar call. The response was good. See report of camp meeting in Signs, October 12, 1891.] (MR 900.38) {1SAT 213.3}
(1SAT stands for Volume One of Sermons and Talks)