(790) It is necessary for every one of us to come into sacred dearness to God. Our meetings are drawing to a close; these precious opportunities will soon be in the past, and day by day our record—the record of our course of action and our standing before God—is going up the heaven. We need, every one of us, to know what there is in us of sin. We do not ask you to fasten your minds upon yourselves, and look to your feelings; but we implore you for Christ’s sake, and for your soul’s sake, to closely examine yourselves that you may see yourselves as you are, and understand what you must do in order to meet the requirements of God.EA 204.2

From the light that God has given me, there is iniquity in our midst, and God cannot bless our youth. Many of you who (791) hear my words this morning are practicing sin, and you know that you are doing so. How can you expect to enjoy the liberty of the children of God while you do this? The Son of God has given his life for you; he has paid the price of His own blood that you may have eternal life. What are you doing for yourselves? Are not many of you living a false life? God wants all the strength and youth you have. He wants you to keep that brain in a health condition. He desires that every practice of yours shall tend to preserve your health and vitality, so that you can give to God that which he has purchased with His own blood.EA 204.3

We are living in a very solemn period of this earth’s history. The Lord is coming; the end of all things is at hand. Parents, if you have neglected prayer in your family, and failed to seek God for His grace, you need now to call your children about you, tell them you have neglected a God-given responsibility, and ask them to forgive you. If you have been harsh and overbearing in your family, seek the forgiveness of God, and the forgiveness of your children. The children who know what is right, and are practicing iniquity, need to confess their sins (792) to God. Is not today a day when we should seek God earnestly? I ask the youth to come to Jesus just as you are, sinful and polluted with the fall, give yourselves to God, and let Him take away your sins. You cannot be a child of God, and practice sin. You cannot unite with Christ, and continue to do the things you know to be wrong.EA 204.4

Our understanding needs to be keener and sharper than it has been. Parents and children need to reach a higher standard. We have been contented to be altogether too cheap and common; and yet we claim to be Christians, sons and daughters of God. Christian, what is the definition of the word? It means to be Christlike. God calls upon us to reach a higher standard. Are there not those here whose conscience tells them that we have the truth, but who have not surrendered their heart to God. “Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price, even the precious blood of the Son of God. Bought with a price! Have you been robbing God all the years of your life? Some have nominally professed to have the faith of their parents; but are you converted children? Have you earnestly sought the Lord until you found Him?EA 204.5

(793) When I was about eleven years old, my health was such that I would go to bed at night fearful that I should not live till the morning. The physician said I was liable to bleed at the lungs at any time, and then my life would go out. Night after night I would plead with God in fear. When my twin sister would be sleeping, I would be kneeling on the floor in prayer. O, how I pleaded with God to save my soul. How I tried to get something like faith. I did not have an intelligent knowledge of faith as we now have. God seemed so wonderful and great, so high and lifted up. The train of His glory filled the temple of my mind, and I could not see his graciousness, his compassion, His tenderness, His goodness and love. I could only discern an angry God. I did not know God then; I did not know Christ. Then the Lord revealed Himself to me. Never, never shall I forget that experience. I can never lose the impression I then received of the value of a Saviour. Language is inadequate when I attempt to tell it. Then I ventured to offer to God the prayer of faith, and light came to me that seemed to fill my whole being. I seemed to be another person. Sin then seemed to a terrible thing. The things I once had hated, I now loved; (794) and that which I had lived, I now hated.EA 204.6

Here is a child. The parents in their mistaken love for it indulge their child, and gratify all its desires. In a little while Satan has a hold on the child. Instead of showing love and reverence for its parents, and rendering the obedience to their wishes, it reveals the attributes of Satan. It is unhappy and miserable, thinking that everything the parents require of it is meant for a denial of good, a warfare, and a hurt. It is just so with the child of God who does not surrender heart and soul to God to do his will at any cost. A thing is not God’s will because you want to do it. You are to do God’s will because Christ abides within. If you love God, you will surrender heart and mind and soul to do his will, you will grasp his promises by living faith, and will come to Him in full assurance. Then you can reveal Christ to others.EA 205.1

There is a greater work to be done on this campground for our youth. We want to see the deep movings of the Spirit of God on minds and characters. There is too much surface work, too much teaching the truth with the ends of the fingers, as it were, and it is not brought into the soul temple. (795) When truth is in the heart it cleanses the soul temple. There are some here, as there are everywhere in our world, who are indulging some favorite habit which is hurting mind and soul and body. There are youth here who are permitting themselves to be bound to Satan’s chariot car. Is there not power in God, dear friends, to break loose? Is there not power to place you wholly on the Lord’s side. Were you going to wait until the seal of death is placed upon you before you awake to your situation.EA 205.2

Suppose you had been on that steamer, the Wairarapa, that has just gone down with its fright of human life. Had you been there struggling in the waters of the great deep, what thought you would have had of your past life! Would you have felt prepared to go down into the grave. Just as you go down into the grave, so you will come up. There will be no change of character in the resurrection. Those who go down into the grave stained and polluted with sin will rise in the same likeness. One of the souls who went down in this steamer, was my stewardess on my voyage to New Zealand. My heart was drawn out to this woman, and I pleaded with her to accept the Saviour. “How (796) can I make a profession of religion” she asked, “while I remain in this employment? I have three children, and this is the only way in which I can support them. Look at the society I am thrown into on this boat, look at the drinking, the card-playing, the swearing. Tell me how I can serve God, and remain here.”EA 205.3

“You can love and serve God,” I replied, “even in these surroundings. If you are obliged to be here, God can give you grace to raise the standard here.”EA 205.4

In the list of those who went down with the Wairarapa, I saw this woman’s name. Did she lose eternal life? Is there no trace of her name in the Lamb’s book of life? Thank God, dear friends, that you were not on that boat. In such a case, few, I fear would have been prepared to meet death.EA 205.5

Parents, what characters are your forming for your children? What hold have you on God to keep the fort in your own home? We can point you to the foundation of life; we can tell you of the Strength of Israel, and what He can do for you; but what good will it do you to hear unless you take hold of Him in faith, and let your faith be mingled with loving obedience? (797) “Behold,” the prophet declares, “ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness.” What do your fasts amount to, to spread sackcloth and ashes under you, while you neglect the duties that God has set plainly before you. Should strong temptation come to your children, and they should let go their hold of the truth, sin will lie at your door.EA 206.1

We want to see the converting power of God in our midst. We want the angels of God to walk up and down in this encampment and solemnize the minds of parents and youth and children. The blessing is all ready to fall upon us in showers of grace, if we will prepare the way for it. It is the Sabbath of the Lord. Let us humble our hearts before God this day. Let us arise, and go to the Father. Let us seek the sheep that are wandering, and those who are keeping on the outskirts of the fold. God help us to go deeper in our religious experience than we have at this meeting. God has rich blessings for us, and we have only a little time in which to get them. And yet, in one moment you can place yourselves where, by surrendering wholly (798) your way and will and ideas, the precious influence of the Spirit of God will flow into your hearts.EA 206.2

O the noble characters that might be formed by those here before me. How my heart yearns for you. Since early morning I have been pleading with God that He would walk upon this ground, and make it a consecrated place. There are souls to be saved in this encampment. Can they go away unaffected by the preaching of the Word that they have heard on these rounds. They can never go away as they came. God has a controversy with every soul, and to those to whom he has sent the message of light, he says is saying, Will you receive the warning, accept the message, and humble your hearts before God. This does not mean to clothe yourselves in sackcloth, and abstain from food. It means to fast from our passions, to have a contrite heart before God. The tobacco devotee, who has here heard the precious truth of God, will you let it alone. There is no example in the life of Christ for such a practice. Will you cut out of your life the thing that is making it weak and worthless?EA 206.3

Brethren and sisters, God is on this campground. He (799) observing our outward works; he is looking into the inner sanctuary of the soul. The character of every soul here this morning is being faithfully daguerreotyped in the books of heaven. This is a holy convocation we are having to God. Are you going to seek God as you have never sought him before? Are you going to put away your pride, your trifling, your lightness, your vanity, your foolishness. You will not always feel happy as you strive for perfection of character. You will have to cut away many things from your life that are as dear to you as your right hand and your right eye. But better, far better be deprived of these things which you deem essential to your earthly happiness than to lose eternal life. We need to keep ourselves in the love of God, and walk closely with God—the closer, the happier we shall be.EA 206.4

Young Christians, you who claim to be followers of Christ, you can have a powerful influence for good upon your associates. Before you took your position as a Christian you may have attended places of amusement where you came in connection with those who enjoy only their own folly and cheapness and levity. How did association with these things affect your character (800) cannot now enter into these amusements and associations and obtain and retain solidity of character. “Come out from among them, and be ye separate,” saith God, “and touch not.” You are not knowingly to place yourselves where the temptations of the enemy can affect your soul. We pray, “lead us not into temptation,” when it is often our own perfected ideas that lead us there. You may think a certain amusement innocent. You love music; you want to get new ideas, more experience, a wider knowledge; and you think it not wrong to attend this concert, and that place of consort. It is by such things that Satan is laying snares for your feet. It was thus he created in Adam and Eve a desire for a knowledge that God never intended that they should have. Never place yourself in the company of unbelievers unless it I to do them good. But with this motive in your heart you can go to them, your heart filled with love for their souls, and the angels of God will be with you.EA 206.5

Young people, you have not accepted Christ as your Saviour, are you thirsting for something attractive and satisfying, and do you go into the company of unbelieving to find it. O, the invitation is given to you, If any thirst, let (801) unto me and drink.” “He that drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life.” Will you come to Him? His arms are open to receive you. I do not mean, Will you simply say, I want to be a Christian.” I mean, Will you come to the foot of the cross, and accept the Saviour who gave His life for you? He knows all about your temptations and trials, the infidel theories that Satan would implant in your minds. He can help you to overcome all these. Will you not make the decision here? Will you not change the leaders? Shall we not hear the youth who now stand under the black banner of the prince of darkness, say, I choose Christ today. I cut loose from the powers of darkness. When God sees that you are seeking to sever the chain, he will cut it by His power. God help you to decide this question here.EA 207.1

We want to see the children enjoying the love and service of God. We want to hear their happy voices telling what Christ has done for them. . Yet we do not want them to have merely a profession. They need an inward work of grace in them. (802) Make this day, I beseech of you, such a day as you have never before experienced, —a day when your sins shall be confessed and forsaken through Christ. He will give you His help if you will come to Him. Sinful and polluted though you may, be he will take you, and will wash you clean. The question is asked by the prophet, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” He cannot do this. “Neither can ye which are do good which are accustomed to do evil. The sinner cannot change his own heart; but God and Christ can take away the stained and spotted character.EA 207.2

And now I would say to you, Get ready. Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon him while he is near. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him turn unto the Lord, and he will have mercy, and to Our God, for he will abundantly pardon. My ways are not your ways, saith the Lord; neither are my thoughts your thought. . . .EA 207.3

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are may ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” You have (803) been sinners against me all your lives; you have robbed me of the service that is My due; yet I will abundantly pardon. Brethren and Sisters, youth, and children, can you resist the invitation? God grant that you may turn, and accept it while you may.EA 207.4

“Preach the Gospel to Every Creature.”

“Add to Your Faith Virtue.”