God will hold men accountable who have the plain teachings of his word, but disregard them and accept the sayings and customs of men. And yet how many are doing this! They reject the light in regard to the Sabbath, and trample upon God's holy day. Ministers and people, with the Bible open before them, show contempt for the words of God in his holy precepts, while they exalt a spurious Sabbath, which has no other foundation than the authority of the Roman Church. The claims of this spurious Sabbath are to be enforced upon the world. The Protestant churches, having received doctrines which the word of God condemns, will bring these to the front, and force them upon the consciences of men, just as the papal authorities urged their dogmas upon the advocates of truth in Luther's time. The same battle is again to be fought, and every soul will be called upon to decide upon which side of the controversy he will be found. HM November 1, 1893, par. 24When men are not willing to see the truth and receive it, because it involves a cross, they are opening the door to Satan's temptations. He will lead them, as he led Eve in Eden, to believe a lie. The truth through which they might have been sanctified is set aside for some pleasing delusion presented by the destroyer of souls. It is often the case that the most precious truth appears to lie close by the side of fatal errors. The rest that Christ promised to all who should learn of him lies close beside indifference and carnal quietude, and multitudes overlook the fact that this rest is found only in wearing Christ's yoke and bearing his burden, in possessing his meekness and lowliness. The great truth of our entire dependence upon Christ for salvation lies close to the error of presumption. Freedom in Christ is by thousands mistaken for lawlessness; and because Christ came to release us from the condemnation of the law, men declare that the law itself is done away, and that those who keep it are fallen from grace. And thus, as truth and error appear so near akin, minds that are not guided by the Holy Spirit will be led to accept the error, and in so doing place themselves under the power of Satan's deceptions. In thus leading men to receive error for truth, Satan is working to secure the homage of the Protestant world.
