The Use and Need of the Life of Carrie A. Nation [82]
lovely, the pure, the blessed ate with sinners,
ought it not to be a privilege to follow Him. We are commanded to
"warn, rebuke, and reprove with all long suffering and doctrine." People
will work in a revival to get sinners saved, and will pass them day
after day on the street and not a word of Scripture, do they use to
remind them of God's judgements. Jesus said: "The world hateth me
because I testify that the works thereof are evil." I have had men to
swear at me, call me names and threaten to knock me down. At first
this caused me to feel mortified but that passed off. These very men
have afterward told me I was right and they were wrong. The devil
"threw some on the ground and they foamed at the mouth" before he
was cast out. I have often taken cigars and cigarettes out of men's and
boy's mouths. I wished to show them the wrong and that I was a friend.
Would you let one you love take a knife to open a vein or cut himself?
Oh! the sweetness and force of that promise: "Your LABOR is never in
vain in the Lord." This covers all cases, if you, for the love of God, do
anything. I often say to myself, after rebuking for sin: "You made a
mistake in the way you did this or that, and are you sure it was done
for the love of God and your neighbor?" "Yes." Then "your labor is
never in vain in the Lord". It is not WHAT we do that prospers, but what
God blesses.. "He that planteth is nothing and he that watereth is
nothing, but it is God that giveth the increase." And it matters not how
awkward the work, if it be done from love of God, it will prosper. Like
other things, the more you do, the better you can do.
All the Christian work I ever did seemed to meet with severe opposition
from church members. This is a great stumbling-block to some.
The church crucified our blessed Christ, that is, it was the hypocrites;
for the church is the light and salt, the body of Christ. "If I yet please
men, I should not be the servant of Christ." There is no other organization
but the church of Christ that persecutes its own followers. The
hierarchy in the church told Christ "He had a devil," but they could not
meet the argument when He said: "A kingdom divided against itself
will not stand." If I, by the spirit of Beelzebub, cast out devils, by what
kind of a spirit do your children cast them out." The devil never destroys
his own work. If the saloon is of the devil, the power that destroys it
is the opposite. If a mother should see a gun pointed at her son would
she break the law to snatch the gun and smash it? The gun was not
hers. It may have been worth a thousand dollars. The saloon is worse
than the gun which could only destroy the body.
It is a great blessing to know your mission in life. I know why
Christians are waiting with folded hands, not being able to see their
mission. They are not willing to pay the great price for their commission.
The rich young man could have been a follower of Jesus, the greatest
honor in earth or heaven, and could have had eternal treasure in heaven
for the transient gain of earth. He would not pay the price. You must
give all, to get all. The effect of smashing has always been to cause
the people to arouse themselves. The Levite that severed his dead concubine
and sent parts of her body to the different tribes of Israel was
to cause the people to "consider, take advice and speak." Then they
acted and four hundred thousand men presented themselves to redress
this wrong.
The smashing in Kansas was to arouse the people. If some ordinary
means had been used, people would have heard and forgotten, but the
"strange act" demanded an explanation and the people wanted that,
and they never will stop talking about this until the question is settled.
Let us consider the character of Moses. It is said this man disobeyed
God but once, and he was the "meekest of all men". We are first attracted
to him peculiarly because he "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter, rather suffering afflictions with the people of God than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin
ought it not to be a privilege to follow Him. We are commanded to
"warn, rebuke, and reprove with all long suffering and doctrine." People
will work in a revival to get sinners saved, and will pass them day
after day on the street and not a word of Scripture, do they use to
remind them of God's judgements. Jesus said: "The world hateth me
because I testify that the works thereof are evil." I have had men to
swear at me, call me names and threaten to knock me down. At first
this caused me to feel mortified but that passed off. These very men
have afterward told me I was right and they were wrong. The devil
"threw some on the ground and they foamed at the mouth" before he
was cast out. I have often taken cigars and cigarettes out of men's and
boy's mouths. I wished to show them the wrong and that I was a friend.
Would you let one you love take a knife to open a vein or cut himself?
Oh! the sweetness and force of that promise: "Your LABOR is never in
vain in the Lord." This covers all cases, if you, for the love of God, do
anything. I often say to myself, after rebuking for sin: "You made a
mistake in the way you did this or that, and are you sure it was done
for the love of God and your neighbor?" "Yes." Then "your labor is
never in vain in the Lord". It is not WHAT we do that prospers, but what
God blesses.. "He that planteth is nothing and he that watereth is
nothing, but it is God that giveth the increase." And it matters not how
awkward the work, if it be done from love of God, it will prosper. Like
other things, the more you do, the better you can do.
All the Christian work I ever did seemed to meet with severe opposition
from church members. This is a great stumbling-block to some.
The church crucified our blessed Christ, that is, it was the hypocrites;
for the church is the light and salt, the body of Christ. "If I yet please
men, I should not be the servant of Christ." There is no other organization
but the church of Christ that persecutes its own followers. The
hierarchy in the church told Christ "He had a devil," but they could not
meet the argument when He said: "A kingdom divided against itself
will not stand." If I, by the spirit of Beelzebub, cast out devils, by what
kind of a spirit do your children cast them out." The devil never destroys
his own work. If the saloon is of the devil, the power that destroys it
is the opposite. If a mother should see a gun pointed at her son would
she break the law to snatch the gun and smash it? The gun was not
hers. It may have been worth a thousand dollars. The saloon is worse
than the gun which could only destroy the body.
It is a great blessing to know your mission in life. I know why
Christians are waiting with folded hands, not being able to see their
mission. They are not willing to pay the great price for their commission.
The rich young man could have been a follower of Jesus, the greatest
honor in earth or heaven, and could have had eternal treasure in heaven
for the transient gain of earth. He would not pay the price. You must
give all, to get all. The effect of smashing has always been to cause
the people to arouse themselves. The Levite that severed his dead concubine
and sent parts of her body to the different tribes of Israel was
to cause the people to "consider, take advice and speak." Then they
acted and four hundred thousand men presented themselves to redress
this wrong.
The smashing in Kansas was to arouse the people. If some ordinary
means had been used, people would have heard and forgotten, but the
"strange act" demanded an explanation and the people wanted that,
and they never will stop talking about this until the question is settled.
Let us consider the character of Moses. It is said this man disobeyed
God but once, and he was the "meekest of all men". We are first attracted
to him peculiarly because he "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter, rather suffering afflictions with the people of God than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin