Honesty in Trade

"The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death." Proverbs 21:6

"Some . . . give way to their natural feelings, and barter and trade, and are a proverb among unbelievers for their keenness in trade, for being sharp, and always getting the best end of a bargain. Such would better lose a little and exert a better influence." 1T 150

"It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth." Proverbs 20:14

"Every sharp transaction, every attempt to take advantage of a man who is under pressure of circumstances, every plan to purchase land or property for a sum beneath its value, will not be acceptable to God, even though the money gained is made an offering to His cause." CS 145

"Thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God. Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made." Ezekiel 22:12, 13

"Every transaction in buying and selling must be characterized by strictest integrity." CS 240

"Some of those who know the truth, but do not practice it, are trampling upon the law of God in their business transactions." TM 87

"Their course may be perfectly lawful, according to the world's standard of right, and yet not bear the test of the law of God." CS 236

"Worldly policy and the undeviating principles of righteousness do not blend into each other imperceptibly, like the colors of the rainbow. Between the two a broad, clear line is drawn by the eternal God. The likeness of Christ stands out as distinct from that of Satan as the midday in contrast with midnight." DA 313

Where to Put Your Money

"If riches increase, set not your heart upon them." Psalm 62:10

"Of God's people He says, 'Her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord: it shall not be treasured nor laid up.'" (Isaiah 23:18) TM 335

"It is time that deep, earnest thought should be given to laying up treasure in heaven." CS 232

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." Matthew 6:19, 20

"Give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven." Matthew 19:21

"Last night in vision, I was raising my voice in warning against worldly speculations. I said, 'I invite you to take shares in the greatest mine that has ever been worked.' . . . If we will invest in God's mining stock, the return is sure. . . . By placing it in God's treasury you may ensure for yourselves a revenue from the inexhaustible treasures of His kingdom." CS 243, 244

"Those who really feel an interest in the cause of God, and are willing to venture something for its advancement, will find it a sure and safe investment." 1T 226

"The money which we refuse to invest in the work of the Lord, will perish." 9T 131

Making Money Without Working

"Many look upon labor as drudgery, and they try to obtain a livelihood by scheming rather than by honest toil. This desire to get a living without work opens the door to wretchedness and vice and crime almost without limit." MH 189

"Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labor shall increase."Proverbs 13:11

"The old safe, healthful paths to competence are losing their popularity. The idea of accumulating substantial means by the moderate gains of industy and frugality, is an idea that is scorned by many, as no longer suited to this progressive age. The desire to engage in speculation, in buying up country and city lots, or anything that promises sudden and exorbitant gains, has reached a fever heat." CS 231

Speculation: "The act or practice of buying land, goods, shares, etc., in expectation of selling at a higher price, or of selling with the expectation of repurchasing at a lower price; a trading on anticipated fluctuations in price, as distinguished from trading in which the profit expected is the difference between the retail and wholesale prices." Webster's 1913 Dictionary

"They wish to obtain means without waiting the slow process of persevering toil." 1T 480, 481

"Christians are safe only in acquiring money as God directs, and using it in channels which He can bless." TM 335

"They had gotten into speculation, and they liked that plan better than hard work and going right on as we have done usually, laboring perseveringly and trusting the Lord." CS 234

"Many times . . . the agents of Satan have presented some enterprise by which they were positive the brethren could double their means. They take the bait; their money is invested, and the cause, and frequently themselves, never receive a dollar." CS 235

"Instead of entering into speculation, let those who know the truth find some steady, honest employment, in which they can earn their living in a way that glorifies God. . . . Carefully and prayerfully studied, God's Word keeps men well-balanced. In this Word we find God's way clearly defined." UL 21

"Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." Psalm 128:1, 2

Borrowing and Lending

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another." Romans 13:8

"One should not manage his affairs in a way that will incur debt." CS 256

"When one voluntarily becomes involved in debt, he is entangling himself in one of Satan's nets which he sets for souls." CS 254

"He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in waith to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net." Psalm 10:9

"Shun the incurring of debt as you would shun leprosy." CS 272

"The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth." Psalm 37:21

"A good man sheweth favor, and lendeth." Psalm 112:5

"He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed." Psalm 37:26

"Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." Matthew 5:42

"Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee." Proverbs 3:28

"When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the ledge abroad unto thee. And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down." Deuteronomy 24:10-13

"No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's life to pledge." Deuteronomy 24:6

"If thou at all take thy neighbor's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious." Exodus 22:26, 27

"Thou shalt not . . . take a widow's raiment to pledge." Deuteronomy 24:17

"At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbor shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord's release. Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release." Deuteronomy 15:1-3

"If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren . . . thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land." Deuteronomy 15:7-11

"Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. . . . If ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great." Luke 6:30-35

"Christ does not teach us to give indiscriminately to all who ask for charity; but He says, 'Thou shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need;' and this is to be a gift, rather than a loan; for we are to 'lend, hoping for nothing again.'" MB 73

"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he repay him again." Proverbs 19:17

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." Luke 6:38

Financial Slavery

"The rich man ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." Proverbs 22:7

"Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards. And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words." Nehemiah 5:3-6

"If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?" Proverbs 22:27

Usury

"Usury: The sum paid for the use of money, hence interest; not, as in the modern sense, exorbitant interest. The Jews were forbidden to exact usury in their dealings with each other." Easton's Bible Dictionary

"I was shown that the subject of taking usury should be considered by Sabbathkeepers." 1T 534

"If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury." Exodus 22:25

"And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: . . . Take thou no usury of him, or increase: . . . that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase." Leviticus 25:35-37

"Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury." Deuteronomy 23:19

"He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor." Proverbs 28:8

"And it shall be . . . as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. . . . Because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth." Isaiah 24:2-6

"I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury." Jeremiah 15:10

"And I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. . . . I pray you, let us leave off this usury." Nehemiah 5:7, 10

"Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? . . . He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved." Psalm 15:1, 5

Wealth and Riches

"Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, . . . or lest I be poor, and steal." Proverbs 30:8, 9

The false security of wealth:

"The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit." Proverbs 18:11

The instability of wealth:

"Riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." Proverbs 23:5

"For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?" Proverbs 27:24

"The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." Proverbs 13:22

"The fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations. . . . Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him." Psalm 49:10-17

"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days." James 5:1-3

The undesirability of wealth:

"Labor not to be rich." Proverbs 23:4

"How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!" Proverbs 16:16

"Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right." Proverbs 16:8

"Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith." Proverbs 15:16

"He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?" Ecclesiastes 5:10, 11

The virtue of contentment:

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5

"Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness." 1 Timothy 6:6-11

The results of greed:

"He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live." Proverbs 15:27

Trying to make money fast:

"He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." Proverbs 28:20

"He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him." Proverbs 28:22

Trust in God to provide:

"But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth." Deuteronomy 8:18

True riches:

"There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches." Proverbs 13:7

"In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble." Proverbs 15:6

"When God gave His Son to our world, He endowed human beings with imperishable riches--riches compared with which the treasured wealth of men since the world began is nothingness. Christ came to the earth and stood before the children of men with the hoarded love of eternity, and this is the treasure that, through our connection with Him, we are to receive, to reveal, and to impart." MH 37

Parents, Their Children's Physicians

"No woman should become a mother unless she is capable of being physician to her offspring. How can mothers turn over their tender children to the care of a strange physician, for him to dose them with drugs, the nature of which she has no knowledge. Such a course is a sin in the sight of Heaven. Ignorance is no excuse for parents. Why do not those who take such responsibilities, educate themselves? They should read and investigate with a prayerful heart, until they can understand the wants of their children, and watch with jealous care, least these little sunbeams, which are given them to lighten their pathway, be shrouded in darkness by disease and death. No stranger's hand should be trusted to perform those services for dear ones, which a mother's affection alone can understand. Parents and children should educate themselves in all that concerns their life and health. When children understand the science of human life, then, and not till then, are they prepared to attend to the sciences as taught in the common schools.

"Parents have frequently told me that they knew nothing of the nature of disease, and were their children sick, they should not know what to do for them,--that they had always trusted a physician. Mothers ought to know what to do in any common case of sickness of their children. It is a sin for them not to know. Who should better understand the wants of a sick child than its parents, especially the mother? And yet parents plead ignorance, and if their dear children are slightly indisposed, they do not know what to do, and send for the doctor, who deals out his concentrated poison with a lavish hand. These lessen the child's hold on life, and if they do not actually cause it death, they obstruct nature's efforts, and break down some part of her fine machinery, which can never be repaired, and the victim is a sufferer as long as life lasts.

"In nine cases out of ten, the indisposition of children can be traced to some indulgence of the perverted appetites. Perhaps it is an exposure to cold, want of fresh air, irregularity in eating, or improper clothing; and all the parents need do, is to remove the cause, and secure for their children a period of quiet and rest, or abstain for a short period of time from food. An agreeable bath of a proper temperature, will remove impurities from the skin, and then unpleasant symptoms may soon disappear; and all of this, too, without poisonous drugs, or having a doctor's fee to pay.

"Many parents, rather than to take the trouble to thoroughly investigate the cause of their children's indisposition, turn them over to the doctor, and administer anything he may choose to prescribe. If the anxious parent ventures to make an inquiry in regard to the drug, she is told it is 'perfectly harmless;' that if it does them no special good, 'it will not injure them.' Concentrated poisons are dealt out, the names of which are concealed in some technical terms, which the parents know nothing of; and because of their inexcusable ignorance, the lives of their children are sacrificed, and the parents too frequently charge their afflictions to Providence.

"In such cases perhaps, if nature had been left to herself, she would have recovered the abuse the system had suffered, but she was not allowed the privilege. A poisonous drug is introduced into the system, binding down the effects of nature, until she is compelled to give up the struggle. Do the parents then see their folly, and awake and investigate for themselves, feeling that their children are too dear to be trusted in a stranger's hands to receive any mixture he may please to deal out? No, they seem blinded, and infatuated; habits and customs, like iron bands, gird them about, and they make no effort to break them." The Health Reformer, Volume 1, Number 3, October, 1866.

"When Moses presented before the Lord the sad difficulties of the children of Israel, He did not present some new remedy, but called their attention to that which was at hand; for there was a bush or shrub which He had created that was to be cast into the water to make the fountain sweet and pure. . . . God has provided a balm for every wound. There is a balm in Gilead, there is a physician there." 1BC 1102.

Home, the Center of Education

"The system of education established in Eden centered in the family." Ed 33.

"It was God's plan for the members of the family to be associated in work and study, in worship and recreation, the father as priest of his household, and both father and mother as teachers and companions of their children." Ed 250, 251.

"The system of education instituted at the beginning of the world was to be a model for man throughout all aftertime." Ed 20.

"It was His purpose that, as the human family increased in numbers, they should establish other homes and schools like the one He had given." Ed 22.

"In the divine plan of education as adapted to man's condition after the Fall . . . the family was the school, and the parents were the teachers." Ed 33.

"Every father was required to see that his sons learned some useful trade." CT 276.

"The father to the children shall make known thy truth." Isaiah 38:19.

"Children should virtually be trained in a home school from the cradle to maturity." CG 26.

"Neither the church school nor the college affords the opportunities for establishing a child's character building upon the right foundation that are afforded in the home." CG 170.

"The dangers of the young are greatly increased as they are thrown into the society of a large number of their own age, of varied character and habits of life." AH 468.

"Send the children to schools located in the city, where every phase of temptation is waiting to attract and demoralize them, and the work of character building is tenfold harder for both parents and children." FE 326.

"John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, received his early training from his parents." AH 133.

"The greater portion of his life was spent in the wilderness. . . . Here his surroundings were favorable to habits of simplicity and self-denial. Uninterrupted by the clamor of the world, he could here study the lessons of nature, of revelation, and of providence." AH 133.

"So with the great majority of the best and noblest men of all ages. Read the history of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph; of Moses, David, and Elisha. Study the lives of men of later times who have most worthily filled positions of trust and responsibility. How many of these were reared in country homes. They knew little of luxury. They did not spend their youth in amusement. Many were forced to struggle with poverty and hardship. They early learned to work, and their active life in the open air gave vigor and elasticity to all their faculties. . . . They learned the lessons of self-reliance and self-control. Sheltered in a great degree from evil associations, they were satisfied with natural pleasures and wholesome companionships. They were simple in their tastes and temperate in their habits. They were governed by principle, and they grew up pure and strong and true." AH 134.

"The education centering in the family was that which prevailed in the days of the patriarchs. For the schools thus established, God provided the conditions most favorable for the development of character. The people who were under His direction still pursued the plan of life that He had appointed in the beginning." Ed 33.

"God commanded the Hebrews to teach their children His requirements, and to make them acquainted with all His dealings with their people. The home and the school were one. In the place of stranger lips, the loving hearts of father and mother were to give instruction to their children. Thoughts of God were associated with all the events of daily life in the home dwelling." RH Oct. 30, 1900.

"Wherever in Israel God's plan of education was carried into effect, its results testified of its Author. But in very many households the training appointed by Heaven, and the characters thus developed, were alike rare. God's plan was but partially and imperfectly fulfilled. . . . Fathers and mothers in Israel became indifferent to their obligation to God, indifferent to their obligation to their children. Through unfaithfulness in the home, and idolatrous influences without, many of the Hebrew youth received an education differing widely from that which God had planned for them. They learned the ways of the heathen." Ed 45, 46.

"To meet this growing evil, God provided other agencies as an aid to parents in the work of education. . . . Samuel by the Lord's direction, established the schools of the prophets." Ed 46.

"The pupils in these schools sustained themselves by their own labor in tilling the soil or in some mechanical employment." Ed 47.

"The discipline and training that God appointed for Israel would cause them, in all their ways of life, to differ from the people of other nations. This peculiarity, which should have been regarded as a special privilege and blessing, was to them unwelcome. . . . To be 'like all the nations' (1 Samuel 8:5) was their ambition. God's plan of education was set aside, His authority disowned." Ed 49, 50.

"In the rejection of the ways of God for the ways of men, the downfall of Israel began. Thus also it continued, until the Jewish people became a prey to the very nations whose practices they had chosen to follow." Ed 50.

"The experiences of Israel were recorded for our instruction. 'All these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.' 1 Corinthians 10:11. With us, as with Israel of old, success in education depends on fidelity in carrying out the Creator's plan. Adherence to the principles of God's word will bring as great blessings to us as it would have brought to the Hebrew people." Ed 50.

"Many parents overrate the stability and good qualities of their children. They do not seem to consider that they will be exposed to the deceptive influences of vicious youth. Parents have their fears as they send them some distance away to school, but flatter themselves that, as they have had good examples and religious instruction, they will be true to principle in their high-school life. Many parents have but a faint idea to what extent licentiousness exists in these institutions of learning. In many cases the parents have labored hard and suffered many privations for the cherished object of having their children obtain a finished education. And after all their efforts, many have the bitter experience of receiving their children from their course of studies with dissolute habits and ruined constitutions. And frequently they are disrespectful to their parents, unthankful, and unholy. These abused parents, who are thus rewarded by ungrateful children, lament that they sent their children from them to be exposed to temptations and come back to them physical, mental, and moral wrecks. With disappointed hopes and almost broken hearts they see their children, of whom they had high hopes, follow in a course of vice and drag out a miserable existence." 3T 149.

"Keep your children at their home; and if people say to you, 'Your children will not know how to conduct themselves in the world,' tell your friends that you are not so concerned about that matter, but that you do want to take them to the Master for His blessing, even as the mothers of old took their children to Jesus. Say to your advisers, 'Children are the heritage of the Lord, and I want to prove faithful to my trust. . . . My Children must be brought up in such a way that they shall not be swayed by the influences of the world, but where, when tempted to sin, they may be able to say a square, hearty no.' . . . Tell your friends and neighbors that you want to see your family inside the gates of the beautiful city." AH 470, 471.

Family Businesses

"And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you." 1 Thessalonians 4:11.

"If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing." Exodus 21:2.

"Holy angels often visited the garden, and gave instruction to Adam and Eve concerning their employment. . . . The angels warned them of Satan and cautioned them not to separate from each other in their employment, for they might be brought in contact with this fallen foe." EW 147.

"The family tie is the closest, the most tender and sacred, of any on earth." MH 356.

"Fathers should train their sons to engage with them in their trades and employments." CG 355.

"And Pharaoh said unto his [Joseph's] brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers." Genesis 47:3.

"While every person needs some knowledge of different handicrafts, it is indispensable that he become proficient in at least one." CG 357.

"Aquila and Priscilla . . . established a business as manufacturers of tents." AA 349.

"No man is excusable for being without financial ability. Of many a man it may be said . . . he is not qualified to manage his own business. . . . He has not been brought up . . . to practice the principles of self-support." AH 93.

"Thousands . . . might achieve self-support in a happy, healthy, independent life if they could be directed in skillful, diligent labor in the tilling of the soil." Ed 220.

God's Care for the Poor

"And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:9, 10

(For the details of God's plan of providing for the poor, read Patriarchs and Prophets, chapter 51.)

Stewardship of the Land

"Replenish the earth." Genesis 1:28.

"The Garden of Eden was a representation of what God desired the whole earth to become." Ed 22.

"Families and institutions should learn to do more in the cultivation and improvement of land." CD 312.

"Through disobedience to God Adam and Eve had lost Eden, and because of sin the whole earth was cursed. But if God's people followed His instruction, their land would be restored to fertility and beauty. God Himself gave them directions in regard to the culture of the soil, and they were to co-operate with Him in its restoration. Thus the whole land, under God's control, would become an object lesson of spiritual truth." AH 143, 144.

"Men were to cooperate with God in restoring the diseased land to health, that it might be a praise and a glory to His name. . . . In the laws which God gave for the cultivation of the soil, He was giving the people opportunity to overcome their selfishness and become heavenly-minded. Canaan would be to them as Eden if they obeyed the Word of the Lord. Through them the Lord designed to teach all the nations of the world how to cultivate the soil so that it would yield healthy fruit, free from disease. The earth is the Lord's vineyard, and is to be treated according to His plan. Those who cultivated the soil were to realize that they were doing God service." 1BC 1112.

"Pure, practical religion will be manifested in treating the earth as God's treasure-house . . . lent us in trust." TM 245.

"Any violation of the laws of nature is a violation of the law of God." 1BC 1105.

"False witness has been borne in condemning land which, if properly worked, would yield rich returns. The narrow plans, the little strength put forth, the little study as to the best methods, call loudly for reform. The people need to learn that patient labor will do wonders. There is much mourning over unproductive soil, when if men would read the Old Testament Scriptures they would see that the Lord knew much better than they in regard to the proper treatment of land. After being cultivated for several years, and giving her treasure to the possession of man, portions of the land should be allowed to rest, and then the crops should be changed." FE 323.

"Thy wrath is come, and the time . . . that thou . . . shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." Revelation 11:18.

Diligence vs. Slothfulness

"The soul of the diligent shall be made fat." Proverbs 13:4.

"In all labour there is profit." Proverbs 14:23.

"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." Proverbs 22:29.

"The sleep of a labouring man is sweet." Ecclesiastes 5:12.

"He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster." Proverbs 18:9.

"Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger." Proverbs 19:15.

"The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing." Proverbs 20:4.

"Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread." Proverbs 20:13.

"The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour." Proverbs 21:25.

"I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, and a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man." Proverbs 24:30-34.

Promises for the Land

"Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety." Leviticus 25:18, 19.

"He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread." Proverbs 12:11.

"He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread." Proverbs 28:19.

"For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him." Isaiah 28:26.

"Much food is in the tillage of the poor." Proverbs 13:23.

"There is not sufficient breadth of view as to what can be realized from the earth." FE 317.

"The profit of the earth is for all." Ecclesiastes 5:9.

"Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof." Proverbs 27:18.

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." Psalm 37:3.

"Within the vast boundaries of nature there is still room for the suffering and needy to find a home. Within her bosom there are resources sufficient to provide them with food. Hidden in the depths of the earth are blessings for all who have courage and will and perseverance to gather her treasures." MH 188.

Meeting the Problems of Farmers

"There is need of intelligence and educated ability to devise the best methods in farming . . . that the worker may not labor in vain." FE 316.

"Extravagant prices have been paid for lands bought on credit; then the land must be cleared, and more money is hired; a house to be built calls for more money, and then interest with open mouth swallows up all the profits. Debts accumulate, and then come the closing and failure of banks, and then the foreclosure of mortgages. Thousands have been turned out of employment; families lose their little all, they borrow and borrow, and then have to give up their property and come out penniless. Much money and hard labor have been put into farms bought on credit, or inherited with an incumbrance. The occupants lived in hope of becoming real owners, and it might have been so, but for the failure of banks throughout the country. Now the case where a man owns his place clear is a happy exception to the rule. Merchants are failing, families are suffering for food and clothing." FE 317, 318.

"There are men who work hard, and obtain very little for their labor." FE 317.

"Men take you to their orchards of oranges and lemons, and other fruits, and tell you that the produce does not pay for the work done in them. It is next to impossible to make ends meet, and parents decide that the children shall not be farmers; they have not the courage and hope to educate them to till the soil." FE 318.

"What is needed is schools to educate and train the youth so that they will know how to overcome this condition of things. There must be education in the sciences, and education in plans and methods of working the soil. There is hope in the soil, but brain and heart and strength must be brought into the work of tilling it." FE 318.

"No one can succeed in agriculture or gardening without attention to the laws involved. The special needs of every variety of plant must be studied. Different varieties require different soil and cultivation, and compliance with the laws governing each is the condition of success." AH 142.

"There is need of much more extensive knowledge in regard to the preparation of the soil." FE 317.

"Agriculture should be advanced by scientific knowledge. Farming has been pronounced unprofitable. People say that the soil does not pay for the labor expended upon it, and they bemoan the hard fate of those who till the soil. . . . But should persons of proper ability take hold of this line of employment, and make a study of the soil, and learn how to plant, to cultivate, and to gather in the harvest, more encouraging results might be seen. Many say, 'We have tried agriculture and know what its results are,' and yet these very ones need to know how to cultivate the soil and to bring science into their work. Their plowshares should cut deeper, broader furrows. . . . Let them learn to put in the seed in its season, to give attention to vegetation, and to follow the plan that God has devised." CG 355, 356.

"In these days of mammoth trusts and business competition, there are few who enjoy so real an independence and so great certainty of fair return for their labor as does the tiller of the soil." Ed 219.

"That God who has made the world for the benefit of man, will provide means from the earth to sustain the diligent worker. The seed placed in thoroughly prepared soil, will produce its harvest." FE 319.

The Inheritance

"A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children." Proverbs 13:22.

"In apportioning the inheritance of His people, it was God's purpose to teach them, and through them the people of after generations, correct principles concerning the ownership of the land. . . . Though one might for a season dispose of his possession, he could not barter away the inheritance of his children. When able to do so, he was at liberty at any time to redeem it; debts were remitted every seventh year, and in the fiftieth, or year of jubilee, all landed property reverted to the original owner. Thus every family was secured in its possession, and a safeguard was afforded against the extremes either of wealth or of poverty." Ed 43.

"Naboth valued his vineyard highly because it had belonged to his fathers, and he refused to part with it. ‘The Lord forbid it me,’ he said to Ahab, ‘that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.’ According to the Levitical code no land could be transferred permanently by sale or exchange; every one of the children of Israel must ‘keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.’ Numbers 36:7." PK 205.

"Were the principles of God's laws regarding the distribution of property carried out in the world today, how different would be the condition of the people! An observance of these principles would prevent the terrible evils that in all ages have resulted from the oppression of the poor by the rich and the hatred of the rich by the poor. While it might hinder the amassing of great wealth, it would tend to prevent the ignorance and degradation of tens of thousands whose ill-paid servitude is required for the building up of these colossal fortunes. It would aid in bringing a peaceful solution of problems that now threaten to fill the world with anarchy and bloodshed." Ed 44.

Land-Based Economy

"In God's plan for Israel every family had a home on the land with sufficient ground for tilling. Thus were provided both the means and the incentive for a useful, industrious, and self-supporting life. And no devising of men has ever improved upon that plan. To the world's departure from it is owing, to a large degree, the poverty and wretchedness that exist today." CT 275, 276.

"The people were not crowded together in cities, but each family had its own landed possession, ensuring to all the health-giving blessing of a natural, unperverted life." AH 133.

"The plan of life that God gave to Israel was intended as an object lesson for all mankind. If these principles were carried out today, what a different place this world would be!" MH 188.

"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16.

"The people who were under His direction still pursued the plan of life that He had appointed in the beginning. Those who departed from God built for themselves cities. . . . But the men who held fast God's principles of life dwelt among the fields and hills. They were tillers of the soil and keepers of flocks and herds, and in this free, independent life, with its opportunities for labor and study and meditation, they learned of God and taught their children of His works and ways." Ed 33, 34.

"Upon receiving the curse of God, Cain had withdrawn from his father's household. He had first chosen his occupation as a tiller of the soil, and he now founded a city, calling it after the name of his eldest son." PP 81.

"I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets." Psalm 55:9-11.

"Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place!" Isaiah 5:8.

"There are multitudes of poor families for whom no better missionary work could be done than to assist them in settling on the land and in learning how to make it yield them a livelihood." MH 192.

"Christian farmers can do real missionary work in helping the poor to find homes on the land and in teaching them how to till the soil and make it productive. Teach them how to use the implements of agriculture, how to cultivate various crops, how to plant and care for orchards." MH 193.

"If the poor now crowded into the cities could find homes upon the land, they might not only earn a livelihood, but find health and happiness now unknown to them." MH 190.

The Most Favorable Occupation

"To Adam was given the work of caring for the garden." AH 27.

"It was the design of God that man should find happiness in the employment of tending the things He had created, and that his wants should be met with the fruits of the trees of the garden." AH 27.

"The tilling of the soil, the employment that God appointed to man in Eden, opens a field in which there is opportunity for multitudes to gain a subsistence." MH 189.

"By the distribution of the land among the people, God provided for them, as for the dwellers in Eden, the occupation most favorable to development--the care of plants and animals." Ed 43.

"Many kinds of labor adapted to different persons may be devised. But the working of the land will be a special blessing to the worker. There is a great want of intelligent men to till the soil, who will be thorough." FE 323.

"The occupations requiring sedentary habits are the most dangerous, for they take men away from the open air and sunshine, and train one set of faculties, while other organs are becoming weak from inaction. Men carry on their work, perfect their business, and soon lie down in the grave. Much more favorable is the condition of one whose occupation keeps him in the open air, exercising his muscles, while his brain is equally taxed, and all the organs have the privilege of doing their work." FE 319.

"No line of manual training is of more value than agriculture. A greater effort should be made to create and to encourage an interest in agricultural pursuits." Ed 219.

"If people only knew the value of the products of the ground, which the earth brings forth in their season, more diligent efforts would be made to cultivate the soil." CD 312.

"The people should learn as far as possible to depend upon the products that they can obtain from the soil." FE 325.

"It was God's plan for man to till the earth; . . . the first man, the ruler of the whole world, was given a garden to cultivate; and . . . many of the world's greatest men, its real nobility, have been tillers of the soil." Ed 219.

"The king himself is served by the field." Ecclesiastes 5:9.

"He who taught Adam and Eve in Eden how to tend the garden, would instruct men to-day. There is wisdom for him who holds the plow, and plants and sows the seed. The earth has its concealed treasures, and the Lord would have thousands and tens of thousands working upon the soil." FE 326.

"Men are needed in different communities to show the people how riches are to be obtained from the soil. The cultivation of land will bring its return." FE 317.

"Let the teacher call attention to what the Bible says about agriculture; that it was God's plan for man to till the earth. . . . Show the opportunities in such a life." CG 356.

"In the study of agriculture, let pupils be given not only theory, but practice. While they learn what science can teach in regard to the nature and preparation of the soil, the value of different crops, and the best methods of production, let them put their knowledge to use. . . . Thus may be awakened a genuine interest, an ambition to do the work in the best possible manner. Such an ambition, together with the invigorating effect of exercise, sunshine, and pure air, will create a love for agricultural labor that with many youth will determine their choice of an occupation." Ed 219, 220.

"He who earns his livelihood by agriculture escapes many temptations and enjoys unnumbered privileges and blessings denied to those whose work lies in the great cities." Ed 219.

The Strongest Meat Not For Babes

“Those who have been educated in the truth by precept and example should make great allowance for others who have had no knowledge of the Scriptures except through the interpretations given by ministers and church members, and who have received traditions and fables as Bible truth. They are surprised by the presentation of truth, it is as a new revelation to them, and they cannot bear to have all the truth, in its most striking character, presented to them at the outset." 9T 240.

"Do not make prominent those features of the message which are a condemnation of the customs and practices of the people, until they have opportunity to know that we are believers in Christ." Ev 231.

“Let our ministers bear in mind that the strongest meat is not to be given to babes who know not the first principles of the truth as we believe it. In every age the Lord has had a special message for the people of that time; so we have a message for the people in this age. But while we have many things to say, we may be compelled to withhold some of them for a time, because the people are not prepared to receive them now.” Ev 200.

“There is need now to give to the people patient, kind instruction; the education of a lifetime is not to be readily counteracted; great tact and patient effort are needed by those who shall present the truth in any manner.” Ev 228.

“In the Sermon on the Mount He sought to undo the work that had been wrought by false education, and to give His hearers a right conception of His kingdom and of His own character. Yet He did not make a direct attack on the errors of the people. He saw the misery of the world on account of sin, yet He did not present before them a vivid delineation of their wretchedness. He taught them of something infinitely better than they had known. Without combating their ideas of the kingdom of God, He told them the conditions of entrance therein, leaving them to draw their own conclusions as to its nature.” DA 299.

“He did not attack the precepts or practices of the learned teachers; but when reproved for His own simple habits, He presented the word of God in justification of His conduct.” DA 84, 85.

“It was not the apostle’s work to overturn arbitrarily or suddenly the established order of society. To attempt this would be to prevent the success of the gospel. But he taught principles which struck at the very foundation of slavery and which, if carried into effect, would surely undermine the whole system.”  AA 459, 460.

“Those who are acting a part in the great work for these last days need to counsel together in regard to every new thing that shall be introduced, for no one man’s mind is to be left to judge of, or to place before the public, important matters which have a relation to the cause of God.” 2SM 91.

“In the early days of this cause, if some of the leading brethren were present when messages from the Lord were given, we would consult with them as to the best manner of bringing the instruction before the people.” 1SM 51.

“Sometimes in ministers and physicians bearing responsibilities there has developed a disposition to discard the testimonies, and I have been instructed not to place testimonies in their hands; for having yielded to the spirit that tempted and overcame Adam and Eve, they have opened mind and heart to the control of the enemy.” 1 SM 51.

“It requires much wisdom and sound judgment, quickened by the Spirit of God, to know the proper time and manner to present the instruction that has been given. When the minds of persons reproved are under a strong deception, they naturally resist the testimony; and having taken an attitude of resistance, it is difficult for them afterward to acknowledge that they have been wrong.” 1SM 51.

“We must go no faster than we can take those with us whose consciences and intellects are convinced of the truths we advocate. We must meet the people where they are. Some of us have been many years in arriving at our present position. . . . If we should allow the people as much time as we have required to come up to the present advanced state in reform, we would be very patient with them, and allow them to advance step by step, as we have done. . . . But we should be very cautious not to advance too fast, lest we be obliged to retrace our steps. In reforms we would better come one step short of the mark than to go one step beyond it. And if there is error at all, let it be on the side next to the people.” 3T 20, 21.

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.

“There are many things that we ought to be able to understand, that we do not comprehend because we are so far behind our privileges. Christ said to his disciples, ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.’ This is our condition.” RH Oct. 8, 1889.

"The secret of The Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant." Psalm 25:14.

God's Covenant With Us

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." Joshua 1:8.

"Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep." Deuteronomy 7:11-13.

"And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good . . . if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul." Deuteronomy 30:9, 10.

"The covenant that God made with His people at Sinai is to be our refuge and defense. . . . This covenant is of just as much force today as it was when the Lord made it with ancient Israel." 1BC 1103.

"Obedience was the only condition upon which ancient Israel was to receive the fulfilment of the promises that made them the highly favored people of God; and obedience to that law will bring as great blessings to individuals and nations now as it would have brought to the Hebrews." SD 39.

"A solemn charge is made by the God of Israel: 'Ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi. . . . Ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law. . . . Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?' [Malachi 2:8-10] . . . All the sins here specified have been coming in among the people who claim to be the people of God. . . . Who among us, who are called commandment-keepers, have been 'partial in the law,' neglecting the living principles which are a transcript of the character of God? Has not the imperfect example of those who have departed from the law of God caused many to stumble at the law?" RH December 1, 1896.

"I have been instructed to direct the minds of our people to the fifty-sixth chapter of Isaiah. . . . 'Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, . . . every one that . . . taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. . . .' 'And taketh hold of my covenant.' This is the covenant spoken of in the following scripture: [Quotes Exodus 19:3-6.] 'And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.' This is the pledge that God's people are to make in these last days." RH June 23, 1904.

"God will not break His covenant, nor alter the thing that has gone out of His lips. His word will stand fast forever as unalterable as His throne. At the judgment this covenant will be brought forth, plainly written with the finger of God, and the world will be arraigned before the bar of Infinite Justice to receive sentence." PK 187.

Discovery of the Lost Law

"And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses." 2 Chronicles 34:14.

"'Seek ye out of the book of the law, and read.' . . . These words outline our work. This scripture is to be received by our people as a message for to-day." RH June 23, 1904.

"The book of Deuteronomy should be carefully studied by those living on the earth today." 1BC 1117.

"We do not make enough of Deuteronomy and Exodus." 1BC 1117.

"Let those who believe the word of the Lord read the instruction contained in Leviticus and Deuteronomy." 6T 273.

"We are to become familiar with the Levitical law in all its bearings; for it contains rules that must be obeyed." 1BC 1110.

"And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them." Ezekiel 20:11.

"He did not stop with giving them the precepts of the Decalogue. The people had shown themselves so easily led astray that He would leave no door of temptation unguarded. Moses was commanded to write, as God should bid him, judgments and laws giving minute instruction as to what was required. These directions relating to the duty of the people to God, to one another, and to the stranger were only the principles of the Ten Commandments amplified and given in a specific manner, that none need err. They were designed to guard the sacredness of the ten precepts engraved on the tables of stone." PP 364.

"Christ gave to Moses religious precepts which were to govern the everyday life. These statutes were explicitly given to guard the ten commandments. They were not shadowy types to pass away with the death of Christ. They were to be binding upon man in every age as long as time should last. These commands were enforced by the power of the moral law, and they clearly and definitely explained that law." RH May 6, 1875; 1 BC 1104.

"There are many who try to blend these two systems [the moral and the ceremonial laws] . . . but this is a perversion of the Scriptures. The distinction between the two systems is broad and clear. The ceremonial system was made up of symbols pointing to Christ, to His sacrifice and His priesthood. This ritual law, with its sacrifices and ordinances, was to be performed by the Hebrews until type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb of God. . . . Then all the sacrificial offerings were to cease. It is this law that Christ ‘took . . . out of the way, nailing it to His cross.' Colossians 2:14." PP 365.

"Concerning the law proclaimed from Sinai, Nehemiah says, ‘Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes, and commandments.' Nehemiah 9:13. And Paul . . . declares, ‘The Law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.' Romans 7:12." PP 365.

"Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?" Deuteronomy 4:5-8.

"The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart." Psalm 19:8.

"The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." Psalm 19:9.

"The regulations observed in the encampment of the Israelites are an example to us. It was Christ who gave those special instructions to Israel, and He intended them for us also, upon whom the ends of the world are come. We should study carefully the specifications of God's word and practice these directions as the will of God." 6T 34, 35.

"In Leviticus 19 are recorded words given by Christ to Moses to speak to the children of Israel. Read what the people of God in ancient times were commanded to do and what not to do; for these are the principles contained in the royal law." RH December 1, 1896.

"God has not changed. He is as particular and exact in His requirements now as He was in the days of Moses." 1BC 1111.

"The instructions given to Moses for ancient Israel, with their sharp, rigid outlines, are to be studied and obeyed by the people of God today." 1BC 1103.

"The statutes concerning marriage, inheritance, and strict justice in deal with one another, were peculiar and contrary to the customs and manners of other nations, and were designed of God to keep His people separate from other nations. The necessity of this to preserve the people of God from becoming like the nations who had not the love and fear of God, is the same in this corrupt age, when the transgression of God's law prevails and idolatry exists to a fearful extent. If ancient Israel needed such security, we need it more, to keep us from being utterly confounded with the transgressors of God's law." RH May 6, 1875.

"Moses of himself framed no law. Christ . . . gave to Moses statutes and requirements necessary to a living religion and to govern the people of God. Christians commit a terrible mistake in calling this law severe . . . and then contrasting it with the gospel . . . of Christ . . . as though He were in opposition to the just precepts which they call the law of Moses." Ibid.

"Christ, to enforce the will of his Father, became the author of the statutes and precepts given through Moses to the people of God. Christians who extol Christ, but array themselves against the law governing the Jewish church, array Christ against Christ." Ibid.

"Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes." Psalm 119:155.

"Ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you." Ezekiel 11:12.

"Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." Genesis 26:5.

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you. . . . And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Ezekiel 36:26, 27.

"Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." Malachi 4:4, 5.

The Testimonies and Today

For a more complete discussion of the relevance of the spirit of prophecy counsels today, see my Thoughtlines blog.

"Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever." Psalm 119:152.

"The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting." Psalm 119:144.

"Soon every possible effort will be made to discount and pervert the truth of the testimonies of God's Spirit." 1SM 41.

"The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. 'Where there is no vision, the people perish' (Prov. 29:18). Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God's remnant people in the true testimony. There will be a hatred kindled against the testimonies which is satanic. The workings of Satan will be to unsettle the faith of the churches in them, for this reason: Satan cannot have so clear a track to bring in his deceptions and bind up souls in his delusions if the warnings and reproofs and counsels of the Spirit of God are heeded." 1SM 48.

"Time and trial have not made void the instruction given, but . . . have established the truth of the testimony given. The instruction that was given in the early days of the message is to be held as safe instruction to follow in these its closing days." 1SM 41.

"The Lord desires His servants today to preach the old gospel doctrine, sorrow for sin, repentance, and confession. We want old-fashioned sermons, old-fashioned customs, old-fashioned fathers and mothers in Israel." Ev 179, 180.

"Ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Jude 3.

"Bible truth is clearly and simply presented in the messages that since 1846 God has been sending His people." 1SM 42.

"Whether or not my life is spared, my writings will constantly speak, and their work will go forward as long as time shall last." 1SM 55.

The Validity of the Scriptures

"In our day, as of old, the vital truths of God's word are set aside for human theories and speculations. Many professed ministers of the gospel do not accept the whole Bible as the inspired word. One wise man rejects one portion; another questions another part. They set up their judgment as superior to the word; and the Scripture which they do teach rests upon their own authority. Its divine authenticity is destroyed. Thus the seeds of infidelity are sown broadcast; for the people become confused and know not what to believe. . . . In the days of Christ the rabbis put a forced, mystical construction upon many portions of Scripture. Because the plain teaching of God's word condemned their practices, they tried to destroy its force. The same thing is done today. The word of God is made to appear mysterious and obscure in order to excuse transgression of His law. Christ rebuked these practices in His day. He taught that the word of God was to be understood by all. He pointed to the Scriptures as of unquestionable authority, and we should do the same. The Bible is to be presented as the word of the infinite God, as the end of all controversy and the foundation of all faith." COL 39, 40.

"'It is written' was His reason for every act that varied from the family customs." DA 86.

"The mastermind in the confederacy of evil is ever working to keep out of sight the words of God, and to bring into view the opinions of men." MH 439.

"God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority—not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain `Thus saith the Lord' in its support." GC 595.

"What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." Deuteronomy 12:32.

"We should cling to the teaching of the Bible and not follow the customs and traditions of the world, the sayings and doings of men." FW 86.

"The Bible contains all the principles that men need to understand in order to be fitted either for this life or for the life to come" Ed 123.

"It is the grandest, and yet the most simply arranged and easily understood book ever prepared for giving an education in proper behavior, in speech, in manners, in affection." MLT 339.

"Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right." Psalm 119:128.

"How shall we recover ourselves from the snare of Satan and break the chains that have bound us in slavery to fashion? . . . There is only one way, and that is to make the Bible our rule of life." 4T 631.

"As the truth is brought into practical life, the standard is to be elevated higher and higher to meet the requirements of the Bible. This will necessitate opposition to the fashions, customs, practices, and maxims of the world" 6T 146.

"It is impossible for a man to become loyal to God, rendering obedience to all His commandments, without finding himself immediately marked as odd from the rest of the world." RH January 13, 1885.

"All that we urge is compliance with the injunctions of God's word. Are we Bible readers and followers of Bible teachings? Will we obey God, or conform to the customs of the world? . . . Can we expect to enjoy peace of mind and the approval of God while walking directly contrary to the teachings of His word?" 4T 644.

"Many do not hesitate to sneer at the word of God. Those who believe that word just as it reads are held up to ridicule." PK 185.

"Many close their eyes to the plainest teachings of His Word because the cross stands directly in the way. If they lift it, they must appear singular in the eyes of the world; and they hesitate, and question and search for some excuse whereby they may shun the cross. Satan is ever ready, and he presents plausible reasons why it would not be best to obey the Word of God just as it reads. Thus souls are fatally deceived." FW 41.

"There is seen a spirit of opposition to the plain word of God, of idolatrous exaltation of human wisdom above divine revelation." PK 178.

"There are thousands at the present day who are pursuing a similar course. They would have no difficulty in understanding their duty if it were in harmony with their inclinations. It is plainly set before them in the Bible or is clearly indicated by circumstances and reason. But because these evidences are contrary to their desires and inclinations they frequently set them aside and presume to go to God to learn their duty. With great apparent conscientiousness they pray long and earnestly for light. But God will not be trifled with. . . . When one clearly sees a duty, let him not presume to go to God with the prayer that he may be excused from performing it. He should rather, with a humble, submissive spirit, ask for divine strength and wisdom to meet its claims." PP 440, 441.

"Let not anyone be afraid of going to extremes while he is a close student of the Word, humbling the soul at every step." 2SM 22.

"Every word of God is pure." Proverbs 30:5.

"Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Proverbs 30:6.

"For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." Psalm 119:89.

The Folly of Popular Customs

"As the condition of the people began to open to His mind, He saw that the requirements of society and the requirements of God were in constant collision." DA 84.

"The question now to be asked is, Are the professed followers of Christ complying with the conditions upon which the blessing is pronounced? Are they separating in spirit and practice from the world? How hard to come out and be separate from worldly habits and customs!" FW 41.

"I had relatives and friends there who did not realize the necessity of renouncing the customs of society to obey the commandments of God." RH January 13, 1885.

"Learn not the way of the heathen. . . . For the customs of the people are vain." Jeremiah 10:2, 3.

"Commit not any one of these abominable customs." Leviticus 18:30.

"When the Lord requires us to be distinct and peculiar, how can we crave popularity or seek to imitate the customs and practices of the world?" 6T 143.

"Errors may be hoary with age; but age does not make error truth, nor truth error. Altogether too long have the old customs and habits been followed." 6T 142.

"We are not at liberty to teach that which shall meet the world's standard or the standard of the church, simply because it is the custom to do so." 6T 142.

"Customs, practices, and fashions which lead the soul away from God have been for years gaining ground in defiance of the warnings and entreaties of the Holy Spirit, until at last their ways have become right in their own eyes, and the Spirit's voice is scarcely heard." 5T 103.

"Men have allowed their minds to become so darkened and confused by conformity to worldly customs and influences that they seem to have lost all power to discriminate between light and darkness, truth and error." PK 178.

"So long have men worshiped human opinions and human institutions that almost the whole world is following after idols." PK 186.

"Those who have yielded step by step to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will then yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death." PK 188.

"Many are saying by their course of action, that the line of demarkation between Christians and the world must not be too distinct. They conform to the customs and unite in the pursuits of the lovers of pleasure, in order to retain their friendship, and exert an influence to win them to the truth. The plea is not new. The same work has been often attempted since the opposing forces of good and evil first existed in the world. The result has ever been the same. Conformity to worldly customs converts the church to the world. It never converts the world to Christ." RH June 20, 1882.

"Many who imitate the customs and fashions of the world claim that they do this in order to have an influence with worldlings. But here they make a sad a fatal mistake. If they would have a true and saving influence, let them . . . make wide the distinction between the Christian and the world." RH December 12, 1882.

"We are not to elevate our standard just a little above the world's standard, but we are to make the distinction decidedly apparent. The reason we have had so little influence upon unbelieving relatives and associates is that there has been so little decided difference between our practices and those of the world." 6T 146, 147.

"There is constant danger that professing Christians will come to think that in order to have influence with worldlings, they must to a certain extent conform to the world. But though such a course may appear to afford great advantages, it always ends in spiritual loss. Against every subtle influence that seeks entrance by means of flattering inducements from the enemies of truth, God's people must strictly guard. They are pilgrims and strangers in this world, traveling a path beset with danger. To the ingenious subterfuges and alluring inducements held out to tempt from allegiance, they must give no heed." PK 570.

Blog Introduction

"All that God's Word commands, we are to obey. All that it promises, we may claim. The life which it enjoins is the life that, through its power, we are to live." Ellen G. White, Education, pp. 188, 189.

This blog presents insights into rural economy as taught in the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White.

First we'll look at the subject of Custom vs. Inspiration. Under that heading we'll cover topics such as the Folly of Popular Customs, the Validity of the Scriptures, the Testimonies and Today, Discovery of the Lost Law, God's Covenant with Us, and the Strongest Meat Not for Babes.

Then we'll address The Biblical Lifestyle. We'll look at the Most Favorable Occupation, Land-Based Economy, the Inheritance, Meeting the Problems of Farmers, Stewardship of the Land, God's Care for the Poor, Family Businesses, Home the Center of Education, and Parents their Children's Physicians.

Finally, we'll deal with Economic Principles. Under that heading we'll discuss Wealth and Riches, Honesty in Trade, Making Money Without Working, Where to Put Our Money, Borrowing and Lending, Usury, Financial Slavery, Relieving the Oppressed, Separation from the World, Suretyship, Worldly Protection Policies, Forbidden Partnerships, and The Christian's Protection Plan.