The Great Controversy Between Christ and SatanWhite, Ellen Gould Harmon
ReligionComparative
The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan
White, Ellen Gould Harmon
Good and evil; Seventh-Day Adventists -- Doctrines; Spiritual direction
In a letter addressed to his friends at Prague he said: “My brethren, ...
I am departing with a safe-conduct from the king, to meet my numerous and
mortal enemies.... I confide altogether in the all-powerful God, in my
Saviour; I trust that He will listen to your ardent prayers, that He will
infuse His prudence and His wisdom into my mouth, in order that I may
resist them; and that He will accord me His Holy Spirit to fortify me in
His truth, so that I may face with courage, temptations, prison, and if
necessary, a cruel death. Jesus Christ suffered for His well-beloved; and
therefore ought we to be astonished that He has left us His example, in
order that we may ourselves endure with patience all things for our own
salvation? He is God, and we are His creatures; He is the Lord, and we are
His servants; He is Master of the world, and we are contemptible
mortals:—yet He suffered! Why, then, should we not suffer also,
particularly when suffering is for us a purification? Therefore, beloved,
if my death ought to contribute to His glory, pray that it may come
quickly, and that He may enable me to support all my calamities with
constancy. But if it be better that I return amongst you, let us pray to
God that I may return without stain,—that is, that I may not suppress one
tittle of the truth of the gospel, in order to leave my brethren an
excellent example to follow. Probably, therefore, you will never more
behold my face at Prague: but should the will of the all-powerful God
deign to restore me to you, let us then advance with a firmer heart in the
knowledge and the love of His law.”(134)
In another letter, to a priest who had become a disciple of the gospel,
Huss spoke with deep humility of his own errors, accusing himself “of
having felt pleasure in wearing rich apparel, and of having wasted hours
in frivolous occupations.” He then added these touching admonitions: “May
the glory of God and the salvation of souls occupy thy mind, and not the
possession of benefices and estates. Beware of adorning thy house more
than thy soul; and above all, give thy care to the spiritual edifice. Be
pious and humble with the poor, and consume not thy substance in feasting.
Shouldst thou not amend thy life and refrain from superfluities, I fear
that thou wilt be severely chastened, as I am myself.... Thou knowest my
doctrine, for thou hast received my instructions from thy childhood; it is
therefore useless for me to write to thee any further. But I conjure thee,
by the mercy of our Lord, not to imitate me in any of the vanities into
which thou hast seen me fall.” On the cover of the letter he added, “I
conjure thee, my friend, not to break this seal until thou shalt have
acquired the certitude that I am dead.”(135)
On his journey, Huss everywhere beheld indications of the spread of his
doctrines, and the favor with which his cause was regarded. The people
thronged to meet him, and in some towns the magistrates attended him
through their streets.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account