Testimonies for the Church Vol 1 - Lansing SDA Church

Two Crowns 331The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thywhole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy wholebody shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee bedarkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: [350]for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will holdto the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”Then that which I had seen was explained to me as follows: Themultitude who were so eagerly striving for the earthly crown, werethose who love this world’s treasure, and are deceived and flatteredwith its short-lived attractions. Some, I saw, who profess to be thefollowers of Jesus, are so ambitious to obtain earthly treasures thatthey lose their love for heaven, act like the world, and are accounted ofGod as of the world. They profess to be seeking an immortal crown,a treasure in the heavens; but their interest and principal study is toacquire earthly treasures. Those who have their treasures in this world,and love their riches, cannot love Jesus. They may think that theyare right, and, although they cling to their possessions with a miser’sgrasp, they cannot be made to see it, or to feel that they love moneymore than the cause of truth or the heavenly treasure.“If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is thatdarkness!” There was a point of time in the experience of such, whenthe light given them was not cherished, and it became darkness. Saidthe angel: “Ye cannot love and worship the treasures of earth, andhave the true riches.” When the young man came to Jesus and saidto Him, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may haveeternal life?” Jesus gave him his choice, to part with his possessionsand have eternal life, or retain them and lose it. His riches were ofgreater value to him than the heavenly treasure. The condition that hemust part with his treasures and give to the poor in order to become afollower of Christ and have eternal life, chilled his desire; and he wentaway sorrowful.Those who were shown me as clamorous for the earthly crown,were those who will resort to any means to acquire property. Theybecome insane upon that point. All their thoughts and energies are [351]directed to the acquirement of earthly riches. They trample upon therights of others, and oppress the poor, and the hireling in his wages. Ifthey can take advantage of those who are poorer and less shrewd than