Signs of the Times, Book 1 - Ellen G. White

every influence that can be commanded. Give the people something to do.
See that none are idling about, seeing, hearing, and telling some new thing.
The Lord calls upon his people to repent and to do their first works. He
admonishes them to examine themselves, whether they are in the faith,
whether their hopes are well founded, whether they are not petting and
excusing defects of character, when they should be going on to perfection.
The worldliness in the church, which is the great cause of spiritual death, is
attributable to the influence of selfish, ease-loving members. The progress of
this deadly malady must be checked. The surgeon's knife cuts deep when it is
necessary to remove festering, pestilent matter; so the word of God, sharper
than any two-edged sword, must be made to cut to the heart, or the evil will
never be removed. When the plain testimony is given, some will say, My
hope is gone; I have no religion; I give it all up. Those who really want to be
Christ's will receive reproof, put away their sins, and take their stand on the
side of Jesus. If any have no real desire for the truth, because it must purify
the soul, their withdrawal is not to be regretted. The fewer we have of such
the better.
What we need, what we cannot do without, is the Spirit of God to work
with our efforts. All pampering of self must be at an end. There must be an
earnest longing, a soul-hunger, for the presence of the Lord. "Blessed are
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."
It is a case of life or death with us. We have been stricken with spiritual
paralysis, and every one needs the help of the great Physician. He alone can
reach our case. He is only waiting to be invited by us with earnest heart, with
sincere desire, If any at the close of the convocation meeting still feel that
they are not blessed, the fault is with themselves. God is no respecter of
persons or of places. It cannot be because of any reluctance on the part of the
great Physician that they are passed by. They did not prepare the way for
him. Perhaps they neglected to make humble confessions to those whom they
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