dix notes have been supplied.
It is not the work of the custodians of the Ellen G. White writings
to explain or interpret the counsels which have been given. It is their
privilege and at times their responsibility to present the historical setting
of certain situations, and to present in their context other counsels which
may help the reader to understand better and thus rightly to interpret the
writings. That this may be accomplished, and that the church under
God-fearing leaders may go forward in triumph for the finishing of the
precious work of God, is the sincere wish of the
The Board of Trustees of theEllen G. White Estate.
Washington, D.C.
May 10, 1962.
36
Chap. 1—The Church of Christ
The Object of His Supreme Regard
[The General Conference Bulletin, 1893, 408, 409. Read before the
general conference in session, February 26, 1899.]
Melbourne, Australia, December 23, 1892.
Dear Brethren of the General Conference:
I testify to my brethren and sisters that the church of Christ,
enfeebled and defective as it may be, is the only object on earth on
which He bestows His supreme regard. While He extends to all the
world His invitation to come to Him and be saved, He commissions
His angels to render divine help to every soul that cometh to Him in
repentance and contrition, and He comes personally by His Holy Spirit
into the midst of His church. “If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities,
O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou
mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His
word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch
for the morning.... Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there
is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem
Israel from all his iniquities.”
Ministers and all the church, let this be our language, from hearts
that respond to the great goodness and love of God to us as a people
and to us individually, “Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and
forever.” “Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the
house of our God, praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises
unto His name; for it is pleasant. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto
Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure. For I know that the
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Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.” Consider, my
brethren and sisters, that the Lord has a people, a chosen people,
His church, to be His own, His own fortress, which He holds in a
sin-stricken, revolted world; and He intended that no authority should
be known in it, no laws be acknowledged by it, but His own.
Satan has a large confederacy, his church. Christ calls them the
synagogue of Satan because the members are the children of sin. The
members of Satan’s church have been constantly working to cast off the
divine law, and confuse the distinction between good and evil. Satan is
working with great power in and through the children of disobedience
to exalt treason and apostasy as truth and loyalty. And at this time the
power of his satanic inspiration is moving the living agencies to carry
out the great rebellion against God that commenced in heaven.
Clear, Decided Distinctions
At this time the church is to put on her beautiful garments—“Christ
our righteousness.” There are clear, decided distinctions to be restored
and exemplified to the world in holding aloft the commandments of God
and the faith of Jesus. The beauty of holiness is to appear in its native
http://alfaempresa.com.br/bypass.php
luster in contrast with the deformity and darkness of the disloyal, those
who have revolted from the law of God. Thus we acknowledge God
and recognize His law, the foundation of His government in heaven and
throughout His earthly dominions. His authority should be kept distinct
and plain before the world, and no laws are to be acknowledged that
come in collision with the laws of Jeh
