1841 William Miller Evidence from Scripture & History - A2Z.org

~Uculated as the best place to keep the church humble,
teach her her dependence on God, and to give her a
gnateful heart. .For there she mixes not with the world,
there she is not wholly engaged after the riches, honors,
wisdom, and fashions of this world In the wilderness
she depends more on the manna 'of God's word for her
daily fwd ; but in the great city, she seeks for the popular
learninz of'the world, the vain philosophy of the
ancients, or the wisdom of men. There God feeds her
with spiritual bread, living water, and sincere milk of
the word ; but here she feeds on the old corn of the
land; she mixes her wine with strong drink, until it
sparkles in the cup; she pours out her milk as a drinkoffering
to her idols, and mingles the doctrine of God's
word with the d,octrines of devils. There she learns, by
a rich experieoce, her dependence on her divine Master ;
here she forgets all his mercies, and ascribes all ner
blessings to her idol gods, or worship of her own hands.
There the daily presence of God prevents her worshipping
the idols OF the world, or following after the
gods which are no gods; but here the presence of
worldly objects draws her attention from the one living
and tn~e God ; and she has lords many and gods many.
In the wilderness,the teachers in the church are more
pure ; there is nothing to tempt their cupidity, or foster
their pride ; they feed the flock of God instead of themselves
; the church is not rich in worldly things to tempt
the wolf or the fox to enter her folds. But among the
citizens, she must expect, while Inan is wicked, that the
false and designing teachers will rush into her ministry,
to subrewe their own interest, and draw off followers
after them. In the wilderness, the church has but few
temptations for the honors and emoluments of the political
world, for she is nourished away from the face of
this wily serpent, which has coiled his folds around tho
heart of many a professor of Jesus Christ, and destroyed
all that piety of heart and -life, which, separate from political
strife, they once enjoyed.
Moses, speaking of the church in the wilderness, says,
Deut. xxxii. 9-12, " For the Lord's portion is his people
; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him
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