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32 - Snares of Satan - The Great Controversy · Philosophy and Faith

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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty two, Snares of Satan. The great controversy between
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  Speaker 1: Christ and Satan that has been carried forward for nearly
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  Speaker 1: six thousand years is soon to close, and the wicked
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  Speaker 1: one redoubles his efforts to defeat the work of Christ
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  Speaker 1: in man's behalf, and to fasten souls in his snares,
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  Speaker 1: to hold the people in darkness and impenitence till the
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  Speaker 1: Saviour's mediation is ended and there is no longer a sacrifice.
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  Speaker 1: For sin is the object which he seeks to accomplish
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  Speaker 1: when there is no special effort made to resist his power.
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  Speaker 1: When indifference prevails in the Church and the world, Satan
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  Speaker 1: is not concerned, for he is in no danger of
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  Speaker 1: losing those whom he is leading captive at his will.
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  Speaker 1: But when the attention is called to eternal things and
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  Speaker 1: souls are inquiring what must I do to be saved,
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  Speaker 1: he is on the ground, seeking to match his power
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  Speaker 1: against the power of Christ and to counteract the influence
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  Speaker 1: of the Holy Spirit. The scriptures declare that upon one occasion,
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  Speaker 1: when the angels of God came to present themselves before
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  Speaker 1: the Lord, Satan came also among them, not to bow
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  Speaker 1: before the eternal King, but to further his own malicious
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  Speaker 1: designs against the righteous. With the same object, he is
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  Speaker 1: in attendance when men assemble for the worship of God.
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  Speaker 1: Though hidden from sight, he is working with all diligence
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  Speaker 1: to control the minds of the worshippers. Like a skillful general.
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  Speaker 1: He lays his plans beforehand. As he sees the messenger
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  Speaker 1: of God searching the scriptures, he takes note of the
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  Speaker 1: subject to be presented to the people. Then he employs
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  Speaker 1: all his cunning and shrewdness so to control circumstances that
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  Speaker 1: the message may not reach those whom he is deceiving.
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  Speaker 1: On that very point, the one who most needs the
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  Speaker 1: warning will be urged into some business transaction which requires
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  Speaker 1: his presence, or will by some other means, be prevented
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  Speaker 1: from hearing the words that might prove to him a
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  Speaker 1: savor of life unto life. Again, Satan sees the Lord's
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  Speaker 1: servants burdened because of the spiritual darkness that enshrouds the people.
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  Speaker 1: He hears their earnest prayers for divine grace and power
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  Speaker 1: to break the spell of indifference, carelessness, and indolence. Then,
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  Speaker 1: with renewed zeal, he plies his arts, he tempts men
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  Speaker 1: to the indulgence of appetite or to some other form
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  Speaker 1: of self gratification, and thus benumbs their sensibilities, so that
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  Speaker 1: they fail to hear the very things which they most
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  Speaker 1: need to learn. Satan well knows that all whom he
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  Speaker 1: can lead to neglect prayer and the searching of the
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  Speaker 1: scriptures will be overcome by his attacks. Therefore he invents
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  Speaker 1: every possible device to engross the mind. There has ever
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  Speaker 1: been a class professing godliness who, instead of following on
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  Speaker 1: to know the truth, make it their religion to seek
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  Speaker 1: some fault of character or error of faith in those
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  Speaker 1: with whom they do not agree. Such are Satan's right
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  Speaker 1: hand helpers. Accusers of the brethren are not few, and
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  Speaker 1: they are always active. When God is at work and
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  Speaker 1: his servants are rendering him true homage, they will put
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  Speaker 1: a false coloring upon the words and acts of those
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  Speaker 1: who love and obey the truth. They will represent the
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  Speaker 1: most earnest, zealous, self denying servants of Christ as deceived
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  Speaker 1: or deceivers. It is their work to misrepresent the motives
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  Speaker 1: of every true and noble deed, to circulate insinuations and
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  Speaker 1: arouse suspicion in the minds of the inexperienced. In every
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  Speaker 1: conceivable manner, they will seek to cause that which is
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  Speaker 1: pure and righteous to be regarded as foul and deceptive.
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  Speaker 1: But none need be deceived. Concerning them, it may be
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  Speaker 1: readily seen whose children they are, whose example they follow,
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  Speaker 1: and whose work they do. Ye shall know them by
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  Speaker 1: their fruits. Their course resembles that of Satan, the envenomed slanderer,
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  Speaker 1: the accuser of our brethren. The great Deceiver has many
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  Speaker 1: agents ready to present any and every kind of error
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  Speaker 1: to ensnare souls, heresies prepared to suit the varied tastes
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  Speaker 1: and capacities of those whom he would ruin. It is
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  Speaker 1: his plan to bring into the church insincere, unregenerate elements
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  Speaker 1: that will encourage doubt and unbelief, and hinder all who
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  Speaker 1: desire to see the work of God advance and to
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  Speaker 1: advance with it. Many who have no real faith in
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  Speaker 1: God or in his word assent to some principles of
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  Speaker 1: truth and passes Christians, and thus they are enabled to
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  Speaker 1: introduce their errors as scriptural doctrines. The position that it
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  Speaker 1: is of no consequence what men believe is one of
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  Speaker 1: Satan's most successful deceptions. He knows that the truth received
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  Speaker 1: in the love of it sanctifies the soul of the receiver. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: he is constantly seeking to substitute false theories, fables another gospel.
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  Speaker 1: From the beginning, the servants of God have contended against
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  Speaker 1: false teachers, not merely as vicious men, but as inculcators
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  Speaker 1: of falsehoods that were fatal to the soul. Elijah, Jeremiah,
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  Speaker 1: Paul firmly and fearlessly oppose those who were turning men
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  Speaker 1: from the word of God. That liberality, which regards a
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  Speaker 1: correct religious faith as unimportant, found no favor with these
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  Speaker 1: holy defenders of the truth. The vague and fanciful interpretations
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  Speaker 1: of scripture and the many conflicting theories concerning religious faith
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  Speaker 1: that are found in the Christian world are the work
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  Speaker 1: of our great adversary to confuse minds so that they
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  Speaker 1: shall not discern the truth. And the discord and division
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  Speaker 1: which exist among the churches of Christendom are in a
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  Speaker 1: great measure due to the prevailing custom of resting the
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  Speaker 1: scriptures to support a favorite theory, instead of carefully studying
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  Speaker 1: God's word with humility of heart to obtain a knowledge
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  Speaker 1: of His will, Many seek only to discover something odd
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  Speaker 1: or original in order to sustain erroneous doctrines or unchristian practices.
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  Speaker 1: Some will seize upon passages of scripture separated from the context,
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  Speaker 1: perhaps quoting half of a single verse as proving their point,
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  Speaker 1: when the remaining portion would show the meaning to be
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  Speaker 1: quite the opposite. With the cunning of the serpent, they
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  Speaker 1: entrench themselves behind disconnected utterances construed to suit their carnal desires.
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  Speaker 1: Thus do many willfully pervert the word of God. Others
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  Speaker 1: who have an active imagination seize upon the figures and
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  Speaker 1: symbols of holy writ, interpret them to suit their fancy,
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  Speaker 1: with little regard to the testimony of scripture as its
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  Speaker 1: own interpreter, and then they present their vagaries as the
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  Speaker 1: teachings of the Bible. Whenever the study of the Scriptures
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  Speaker 1: is entered upon without a prayerful, humble, teachable spirit, the
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  Speaker 1: plainest and simplest, as well as the most difficult passages,
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  Speaker 1: will be wrested from their true meaning. The papal leaders
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  Speaker 1: select such portions of Scripture as best serve their purpose,
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  Speaker 1: interpret to suit themselves, and then present these to the people.
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  Speaker 1: While they deny them the privilege of studying the Bible
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  Speaker 1: and understanding its sacred truths for themselves. The whole Bible
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  Speaker 1: should be given to the people just as it reads.
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  Speaker 1: It would be better for them not to have Bible
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  Speaker 1: instruction at all than to have the teaching of the
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  Speaker 1: scriptures thus grossly misrepresented. The Bible was designed to be
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  Speaker 1: a guide to all who wished to become acquainted with
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  Speaker 1: the will of their maker. God gave to men the
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  Speaker 1: sure word of prophecy, angels, and even Christ himself came
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  Speaker 1: to make known to Daniel and John the things that
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  Speaker 1: must shortly come to pass. Those important matters that concern
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  Speaker 1: our salvation were not left involved in mystery. They were
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  Speaker 1: not revealed in such a way as to perplex and
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  Speaker 1: mislead the honest seeker. After truth set the Lord by
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  Speaker 1: the prophet Habacchac write the vision and make it plain,
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  Speaker 1: that he may run that readeth it. The word of
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  Speaker 1: God is plain to all who study it with a
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  Speaker 1: prayerful heart. Every truly honest soul will come to the
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  Speaker 1: light of truth. Light is sown for the righteous, and
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  Speaker 1: no church can advance in holiness unless its members are
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  Speaker 1: earnestly seeking for truth as for his treasure. By the
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  Speaker 1: cry liberality, men are blinded to the devices of their adversary,
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  Speaker 1: while he is all the time working steadily for the
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  Speaker 1: accomplishment of his object. As he succeeds in supplanting the
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  Speaker 1: Bible by human speculations, the law of God is set aside,
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  Speaker 1: and the churches are under the bondage of sin while
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  Speaker 1: they claim to be free. To many, scientific research has
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  Speaker 1: become a curse. God has permitted a flood of light
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  Speaker 1: to be poured upon the world in discoveries in science
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  Speaker 1: and art. But even the greatest minds, if not guided
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  Speaker 1: by the word of God in their research, become bewildered
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  Speaker 1: in their attempts to investigate the relations of science and revelation.
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  Speaker 1: Human knowledge of both material and spiritual things is partial
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  Speaker 1: and imperfect. Therefore, many are unable to harmonize their views
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  Speaker 1: of science with scripture statements. Many accept mere theories and
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  Speaker 1: speculations as scientific facts, and they think that God's word
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  Speaker 1: is to be tested by the teachings of science. Falsely
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  Speaker 1: so called the Creator and his works are beyond their
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  Speaker 1: comfort gprehension, and because they cannot explain these by natural laws.
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  Speaker 1: Bible history is regarded as unreliable. Those who doubt the
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  Speaker 1: reliability of the records of the Old and New Testaments
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  Speaker 1: too often go a step further and out the existence
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  Speaker 1: of God and attribute infinite power to nature. Having let
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  Speaker 1: go their anchor, they are left to beat about upon
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  Speaker 1: the rocks of infidelity. Thus many err from the faith
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  Speaker 1: and are seduced by the devil. Men have endeavored to
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  Speaker 1: be wiser than their creator. Human philosophy has attempted to
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  Speaker 1: search out and explain mysteries which will never be revealed
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  Speaker 1: through the eternal ages. If men would but search and
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  Speaker 1: understand what God has made known of himself and his purposes,
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  Speaker 1: they would obtain such a view of the glory, majesty,
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  Speaker 1: and power of Jehovah that they would realize their own
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  Speaker 1: littleness and would be content with that which has been
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  Speaker 1: revealed for themselves and their children. It is a masterpiece
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  Speaker 1: of Satan's deceptions to keep the minds of men searching
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  Speaker 1: and conjecturing in regard to that which God has not
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  Speaker 1: made known, and which he does not intend that we
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  Speaker 1: shall understand. It was thus that Lucifer lost his place
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  Speaker 1: in heaven. He became dissatisfied because all the secrets of
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  Speaker 1: God's purposes were not confided to him, and he entirely
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  Speaker 1: disregarded that which was revealed concerning his own work in
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  Speaker 1: the lofty position assigned him. By arousing the same discontent
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  Speaker 1: in the angels under his command, he caused their fall.
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  Speaker 1: Now he seeks to imbue the minds of men with
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  Speaker 1: the same spirit, and to lead them also to disregard
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  Speaker 1: the direct commands of God. Those who are unwilling to
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  Speaker 1: accept the plain, cutting truths of the Bible are continually
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  Speaker 1: seeking for pleasing fables that will quiet the conscience. The
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  Speaker 1: less spiritual self denying and humiliating the doctrines presented, the
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  Speaker 1: greater the favor with which they are received. These persons
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  Speaker 1: degrade the intellectual powers to serve their carnal desires. Too
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  Speaker 1: wise in their own conceit to search the scriptures with
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  Speaker 1: contrition of soul and earnest prayer for divine guidance, they
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  Speaker 1: have no shield from delusion. Satan is ready to supply
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  Speaker 1: the heart's desire, and he palms off his deceptions in
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  Speaker 1: the place of truth. It was thus that the papacy
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  Speaker 1: gained its power over the minds of men, and by
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  Speaker 1: rejection of the truth because it involves across Protestants are
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  Speaker 1: following the same path. All who neglect the word of
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  Speaker 1: God to study convenience and policy, that they may not
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  Speaker 1: be at variance with the world, will be left to
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  Speaker 1: receive damnable heresy for religious truth. Every conceivable form of
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  Speaker 1: error will be accepted by those who wilfully reject the truth.
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  Speaker 1: He who looks with horror upon one deception will readily
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  Speaker 1: receive another. The Apostle Paul, speaking of a class who
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  Speaker 1: received not the love of the Truth that they might
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  Speaker 1: be saved, declares for this cause God shall send them
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  Speaker 1: strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they
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  Speaker 1: all might be damned to believe not the truth, but
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  Speaker 1: had pleasure in unrighteousness. With such a warning before us,
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  Speaker 1: it behooves us to be on our guard as to
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  Speaker 1: what doctrines we receive. Among the most successful agencies of
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  Speaker 1: the Great Deceiver are the delusive teachings and lying wonders
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  Speaker 1: of spiritualism. Disguised as an angel of light, he spreads
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  Speaker 1: his nets where least suspected. If men would but study
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  Speaker 1: the Book of God with earnest prayer that they might
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  Speaker 1: understand it, they would not be left in darkness to
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  Speaker 1: receive false doctrines, but as they reject the truth, they
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  Speaker 1: fall a prey to deception. Another dangerous error is the
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  Speaker 1: doctrine that denies the deity of Christ, claiming that he
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  Speaker 1: had no existence before his advent to this world. This
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  Speaker 1: theory is received with favor by a large class who
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  Speaker 1: profess to believe the Bible, yet it directly contradicts the
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  Speaker 1: plainest statements of our Savior concerning his relationship with the Father,
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  Speaker 1: his divine character, and his pre existence. It cannot be
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  Speaker 1: entertained without the most unwarranted resting of the scriptures. It
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  Speaker 1: not only lowers man's conceptions of the work of redemption,
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  Speaker 1: but undermines faith in the Bible as a revelation from God.
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  Speaker 1: While this renders it the more dangerous, it makes it
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  Speaker 1: also harder to meet. If men reject the testimony of
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  Speaker 1: the inspired scriptures concerning the deity of Christ, it is
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  Speaker 1: in vain to argue the point with them, for no argument,
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  Speaker 1: however conclusive, could convince them. The natural man receiveth not
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  Speaker 1: the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
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  Speaker 1: foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they
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  Speaker 1: are spiritually discerned. None who hold this error can have
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  Speaker 1: a true conception of the character or the mission of Christ,
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  Speaker 1: or of the great plan of God for man's redemption.
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  Speaker 1: Still another subtle and mischievous error is the fast spreading
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  Speaker 1: belief that Satan has no existence as a personal being,
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  Speaker 1: that the name is used in scripture merely to represent
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  Speaker 1: men's evil thoughts and desires. The teaching so widely echoed
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  Speaker 1: from popular pulpits that the second advent of Christ is
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  Speaker 1: his coming to each individual at death, is a device
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  Speaker 1: to divert the minds of men from his personal coming
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  Speaker 1: in the clouds of heaven. For years, Satan has thus
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  Speaker 1: been saying, behold, he is in the secret chambers, and
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  Speaker 1: many souls have been lost by accepting this deception. Again,
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  Speaker 1: worldly wisdom teaches that prayer is not essential. Men of
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  Speaker 1: science claim that there can be no real answer to prayer,
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  Speaker 1: that this would be a violation of law a miracle,
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  Speaker 1: and that miracles have no existence. The universe, say they
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  Speaker 1: is governed by fixed laws, and God himself does nothing
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  Speaker 1: contrary to these laws. Thus they represent God as bound
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  Speaker 1: by his own laws, as if the operation of divine
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  Speaker 1: laws could exclude divine freedom. Such teaching is opposed to
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  Speaker 1: the testimony of the scriptures. Were not miracles wrought by
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  Speaker 1: Christ and his apostles. The same compassionate Savior lives to day,
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  Speaker 1: and he is as willing to listen to the prayer
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  Speaker 1: of faith as when he walked visibly among men. The
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  Speaker 1: natural co operates with the supernatural. It is a part
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  Speaker 1: of God's plan to grant us in answer to the
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  Speaker 1: prayer of faith, that which He would not bestow. Did
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  Speaker 1: we not thus ask? Innumerable are the erroneous doctrines and
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  Speaker 1: fanciful ideas that are obtaining among the churches of Christendom.
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  Speaker 1: It is impossible to estimate the evil results of removing
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  Speaker 1: one of the landmarks fixed by the word of God.
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  Speaker 1: Few who venture to do this stop with the rejection
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  Speaker 1: of a single truth. The majority continued to set aside
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  Speaker 1: one after another of the principles of truth until they
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  Speaker 1: become actual infidels. The errors of popular theology have driven
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  Speaker 1: many a soul to skepticism who might otherwise have been
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  Speaker 1: a believer in the scriptures. It is impossible for him
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  Speaker 1: to accept doctrines which outrage his sense of justice, mercy,
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  Speaker 1: and benevolence, And since these are represented as the teaching
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  Speaker 1: of the Bible. He refuses to receive it as the
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  Speaker 1: word of God. And this is the object which Satan
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  Speaker 1: seeks to accomplish. There is nothing that he desires more
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  Speaker 1: than to destroy confidence in God and in his word.
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  Speaker 1: Satan stands at the head of the great army of doubters,
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  Speaker 1: and he works to the utmost of his power to
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  Speaker 1: beguile souls into his ranks. It is becoming fashionable to doubt.
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  Speaker 1: There is a large class by whom the Word of
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  Speaker 1: God is looked upon with distrust, for the same reason
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  Speaker 1: as was its author because it reproves and condemns sin.
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  Speaker 1: Those who are unwilling to obey its requirements endeavor to
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  Speaker 1: overthrow its authority. They read the Bible or listen to
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  Speaker 1: its teachings as presented from the sacred desk, merely to
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  Speaker 1: find fault with the scriptures or with the sermon. Not
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  Speaker 1: a few become infidels in order to justify or excuse
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  Speaker 1: themselves in neglect of duty. Others adopt skeptical principles from
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  Speaker 1: pride and indo lays too ease, loving to distinguish themselves
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  Speaker 1: by accomplishing anything worthy of honor which requires effort and
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  Speaker 1: self denial. They aim to secure reputation for superior wisdom
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  Speaker 1: by criticizing the Bible. There is much which the finite mind,
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  Speaker 1: unenlightened by divine wisdom, is powerless to comprehend, and thus
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  Speaker 1: they find occasion to criticize. There are many who seem
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  Speaker 1: to feel that it is a virtue to stand on
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  Speaker 1: the side of unbelief, skepticism, and infidelity. But underneath an
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  Speaker 1: appearance of candor, it will be found that such persons
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  Speaker 1: are actuated by self confidence and pride. Many delight in
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  Speaker 1: finding something in the scriptures to puzzle the minds of others.
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  Speaker 1: Some at first criticize and reason on the wrong side
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  Speaker 1: from a mere love of controversy. They do not realize
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  Speaker 1: that they are thus entangling themselves in the snare of
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  Speaker 1: the fowler. But having openly expressed unbelief, they feel that
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  Speaker 1: they must maintain their position. Thus they unite with the
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  Speaker 1: ungodly and close to themselves. The gates of Paradise. God
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  Speaker 1: has given in his words sufficient evidence of its divine character.
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  Speaker 1: The great truths which concern our redemption are clearly presented
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  Speaker 1: by the aid of the Holy Spirit, which is promised
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  Speaker 1: to all who seek it in sincerity. Every man may
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  Speaker 1: understand these truths for himself. God has granted to men
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  Speaker 1: a strong foundation upon which to rest their faith. Yet
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  Speaker 1: the finite minds of men are inadequate fully to comprehend
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  Speaker 1: the plans and purposes of the infinite One. We can never,
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  Speaker 1: by searching find out God. We must not attempt to
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  Speaker 1: lift with presumptuous hand the curtain behind which he veils
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  Speaker 1: his majesty. The apostle exclaims, how unsearchable are his judgments
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  Speaker 1: and his ways. Past finding out we can so far
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  Speaker 1: comprehend his dealings with us, and the motives by which
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  Speaker 1: he is actuated, that we may desern boundless love and mercy,
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  Speaker 1: united to infinite power. Our Father in Heaven orders everything
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  Speaker 1: in wisdom and righteousness, and we are not to be
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  Speaker 1: dissatisfied and distrustful, but to bow in reverent submission. He
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  Speaker 1: will reveal to us as much of his purposes as
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  Speaker 1: it is for our good to know, and beyond that
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  Speaker 1: we must trust the hand that is omnipotent, the heart
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  Speaker 1: that is full of love. While God has given ample
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  Speaker 1: evidence for faith, he will never remove all excuse for
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  Speaker 1: unbelief all who look for hooks to hang their doubts
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  Speaker 1: upon will find them, and those who refuse to accept
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  Speaker 1: and obey God's word, until every objection has been removed
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  Speaker 1: and there is no longer an opportunity for doubt, will
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  Speaker 1: never come to the light. Distrust of God is the
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  Speaker 1: natural outgrowth of the unrenewed heart, which is at enmity
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: with Him. But faith is inspired by the Holy Spirit,
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: and it will flourish only as it is cherished. No
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: man can become strong in faith without a determined effort.
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: Unbelief strengthens as it is encouraged. And if men, instead
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: of dwelling upon the evidences which God has given to
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: sustain their faith, permit themselves to question and cavil, they
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: will find their doubts constantly becoming more confirmed. But those
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: who doubt God's promises and distrust the assurance of his
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: grace are dishonoring Him, and their influence, instead of drawing
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: others to Christ, tends to repel them from him. They
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: are unproductive trees that spread their dark branches far and wide,
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: shutting away the sunlight from other plants and causing them
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: to droop and die under the chilling shadow. The life
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: work of these persons will appear as a never ceasing
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: witness against them. They are sowing seeds of doubt and
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: skepticism that will yield an unfailing harvest. There is but
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: one course for those to pursue who honestly desire to
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: be freed from doubts. Instead of questioning and caviling concerning
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: that which they do not understand, let them give heed
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: to the light which already shines upon them, and they
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: will receive greater light. Let them do every duty which
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: has been made plain to their understanding, and they will
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: be enabled to understand and perform those of which they
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: are now in doubt. Satan can present a counterfeit so
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: closely resembling the truth that it deceives those who are
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: willing to be deceived, who desire to shun the self
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: denial and sacrifice demanded by the truth. But it is
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: impossible for him to hold under his power one soul
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: who honestly desires, at whatever cost to know the truth.
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: Christ is the truth and the light which lighteth every
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: man that cometh into the world. The spirit of Truth
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: has been sent to guide men into all truth, and
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: upon the authority of the Son of God, it is declared,
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: Seek and ye shall find. If any man will do
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: his will, he shall know of the doctrine. The followers
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: of Christ know little of the plots which Satan and
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: his hosts are forming against them. But he who sitteth
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: in the heavens will overrule all these devices for the
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: accomplishment of his deep designs. The Lord permits his people
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: to be subjected to the fiery ordeal of temptation, not
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: because he takes pleasure in their distress and affliction, but
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: because this process is essential to their final victory. He
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: could not consistently with his own glory shield them from temptation,
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: for the very object of the trial is to prepare
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: them to resist all the allurements of evil. Neither wicked
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: men nor devils can hinder the work of God or
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: shut out his presence from his people. If they will,
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: with subdued contrite hearts, confess and put away their sins,
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: and in faith claim his promises. Every temptation, every opposing influence,
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: whether open or secret, may be successfully resisted, not by
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: Lord of Hosts. The eyes of the Lord are over
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers?
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: And who is he that will harm you? If he
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: be followers of that which is good? Jhen Belamb, a lord,
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: by the promise of rich rewards, practiced enchantments against Israel,
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: and by sacrifices to the Lord, sought to invoke a
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: curse upon his people. The spirit of God forbade the
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: evil which he longed to pronounce, and Belam was forced
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: to exclaim, how shall I curse whom God hath not cursed,
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: or how shall I defy whom the Lord hath not defied?
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: Let me die the death of the righteous, and let
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: my last end be like his. When sacrifice had again
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: been offered, the ungodly prophet declared, behold, I have received
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: commandment to bless and he hath blessed, and I cannot
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: hath he seen perverseness in Israel. The Lord his God
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: is with him, and the shout of a king is
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: among them. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: is there any divination against Israel. According to this time,
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, what
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: hath God wrought Yet a third time, altars were erected,
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: and again Belamb essayed to secure a curse. But from
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: the unwilling lips of the prophet, the spirit of God
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: declared the prosperity of his chosen and rebuked the folly
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: and malice of their foes. Blessed is he that blessethe
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: and curse it is he that curseth thee. The people
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: of Israel were at this time loyal to God, and
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: so long as they continued in obedience to His law,
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: no power in earth or hell could prevail against them.
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: But the curse which Belamb had not been permitted to
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: pronounce against God's people, he finally succeeded in bringing upon
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: them by seducing them into sin when they transgressed God's commandments.
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: Then they separated themselves from Him, and they were left
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: to feel the power of the destroyer. Satan is well
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: aware that the weakest soul who abides in Christ is
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: more than a match for the hosts of darkness, and
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: that should he reveal himself openly, he would be met
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: and resisted. Therefore, he seeks to draw away the soldiers
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: of the Cross from their strong fortification while he lies
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: in ambush, with his forces ready to destroy all who
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: venture upon his ground. Only in humble reliance upon God
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: and obedience to all his commandments can we be secure.
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: No man is safe for a day or an hour
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: without prayer, especially should we entreat the Lord for wisdom
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: to understand his word. Here are revealed the wiles of
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: the tempter and the means by which he may be
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: successfully resisted. Satan is an expert in quoting scripture, placing
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: his own interpretation upon passages by which he hopes to
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: cause us to stumble. We should study the Bible with
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: humility of heart, never losing sight of our dependence upon God.
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: While we must constantly guard against the devices of Satan.
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: We should pray in faith continually lead us not into temptation.
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: End of Chapter thirty two.