THE third angel’s message, that mighty threefold message of the everlasting gospel (Revelation 14:6-12), is the only salvation for men that there is in this world. That is the only thing that can save men from the evil tide, which, under the very profession of Christianity, is against Christianity,—which, under the profession of Protestantism, is against Protestantism,—the evil tide that is sweeping the world into the vortex of wickedness and weakness, where, knowing their wickedness, they are so unmanned that they have not the ability to stand up and oppose their own wickedness, but depend upon a figment to save them.BEST June 27, 1898, page 201.1

The third angel’s message is to be given with a loud voice to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people in the world, to convey to them the only genuine principle of manliness that there is, and to “establish Christianity upon an eternal basis.” It is to persuade men everywhere to accept that principle of manliness, and by it to stand up in the midst of the wickedness of the world, and conquer it, however deeply they may have gone into it themselves. It is to bring to men this principle of Christian manliness that will cause them to stand up face to face with themselves, and put underfoot the weakness that is in themselves, and make them strong, manly man. That is what the third angel’s message is put into the world to do, and that is what it will do.BEST June 27, 1898, page 201.2

Now, this third angel’s message, this message of Christianity for this day, which is needed in this day, and which alone can meet the issue in this day, is to be preached to just this kind of people,—to people who have been taught to look to, and to trust in, a figment. Of course when the everlasting gospel is preached to them, many of them will see the principle involved, they will see the tide that is running the wrong way, and what it is doing for themselves and everybody who has paid any attention to it, and they will accept this call to Christianity, and will turn away from that evil thing.BEST June 27, 1898, page 202.1

Then when they have accepted this call to Christianity, it is essential that they be taught to allow that principle of Christianity to be their life all the way that they are to go. They must be taught to depend upon Jesus Christ, that manliest of men, to make, and to keep, them manly men. They must not be babied nor allowed to become weaklings, but must be taught to depend upon God alone. It is just as essential to teach them this after they have turned away from the other, as it is to teach them the true principle to get them to turn away from the other; because people whose lives and minds have been molded upon that false model must, when they turn away from it, be built up, educated, and caused to grow according to the right Model. If this is not done, they will become formal Christians; they will be Seventh-day Adventists by name and profession, but will be just as babyish Seventh-day Adventists as they ever were any other kind of people. If this true Christianity, this true Christian manliness, is taught to them in the beginning, and kept before them all the way along, so that this shall be the only kind of Christianity they will adopt, they will develop into real Christian, manly men. They will despise the very idea of depending upon anything or anybody but Christ, and he will be in themselves the hope of glory.BEST June 27, 1898, page 202.2

Now nine tenths of the brethren of the ministry, if not all, will recognize as the truth what I am going to tell you,—that many times—not every time—when the third angel’s message is first preached to the people, and they are convinced by it of what they should do, about the first thing they say it: “I know that I ought to serve the Lord; I ought to be a Christian; I ought to keep the Sabbath. But if I do, I shall lose my place; I shall be thrown out of work. If I shut up shop on the Sabbath, I shall lose my business. Do you know of any place where I can get a position, or a place for my business, so that I can be a Christian, and keep the Sabbath?” You know this is so. And the answer to it is, and always should be: “No; there is no place in this world where you can get a position so you can be a Christian. You are to be a Christian, anyhow. Your Christianity is not to depend upon position, but upon Christ. Your Christianity is not to depend upon your position; your position is to depend upon your Christianity. And what I mean by Christianity is Sabbath-keeping Christianity. Your Sabbath-keeping is not to depend upon position nor upon work, but upon Christ. Your Sabbath-keeping must not depend upon position; but your position must depend upon Sabbath-keeping. If you cannot be a Christian where you are, you cannot be a Christian anywhere else.”BEST June 27, 1898, page 202.3

I am not saying that when people do lose their situations,—as many times they do when they accept the third angel’s message,—no care should ever be taken to put them in the way of work, if it is possible to do so; but I am saying that until they have Christian manliness enough to be Christians, work or no work, position or no position, they are not manly enough to be Christians when they have work, upon that issue. In that case their Christianity—their Sabbath-keeping—depends upon their having work, and then when their work is gone, their Christianity is gone. Therefore, the only answer we can make to these persons—these weaklings—is: “No; there is no place in this world where you can secure work so that you can be a Christian. Be a Christian, and keep the Sabbath; then there will be plenty of work for you. And if somebody else does not furnish it, you yourself will make it.”BEST June 27, 1898, page 202.4

It is Christianity itself—it is the very property, and power of life, of Christianity itself—to take people who are unable to make a living in this world, and make them such independent, free, manly, Christian men that they will make a living right along anywhere. We are not to judge Christianity by the people who profess it: we are to measure the people who profess it by Christianity. There are many people who cannot make a living any better after they have accepted Christianity than they did before; but this shows that with them Christianity is only a profession. But any profession of Christianity that does not make a man more than he was before he made it, is a fraud. He may have it professionally, but he has not the real thing. What he has is a fraud, by which he is deceiving, not others, but himself. I know this is so. Christianity, when a man really gets it, is able to take him and make him such a manly man in the world that he can make his way in spite of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Such a Christian never goes around complaining that he cannot get work. If he cannot get it, he will bestir himself and make it. That is Christianity.BEST June 27, 1898, page 202.5

“But stop,” says one; “have you considered this point? Does not the Bible say that the gospel is to be preached to the poor?”—Of course it does; but it does not say that they shall forever remain poor. Listen: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” It is equally true, though, that while they will never be poor as the world regards poverty, they will never be rich as the world regards riches.BEST June 27, 1898, page 202.6

Yes, Christianity is preached to the poor,—to those who are in poverty because they have been so weakened and unmanned by the evil tendencies and teachings of the world that they have not been able to hold their own against the world. And because of their unfortunate position, the Lord singles them out first; he looks upon them in pity, and says, “Join yourselves to me, and win against the world.” And there is nobody who has any respect for God or Christianity, who will for a moment think that when such a one joins himself to God, he is not stronger than ever he was before, and stronger than he ever could be without joining himself to God. If I have been robbed of my manliness, so that I cannot hold my own against the world, and my children are in want, and I am in absolute need of help from others, I want to know what kind of God that would be who would call me to himself, and yet give me no more than I had before. No, sir; I will not disgrace the Lord by any such way of thinking.BEST June 27, 1898, page 202.7

God has chosen the poor of this world, that is true. He sees them beaten back, and cast off, and unable to make their way; and in his loving manliness he wants them to have a chance. He therefore calls them to join him. And he does so for a purpose. That purpose is that he may implant and cultivate in them that genuine principle and power of manliness that will enable them to go through the world dependent upon no man, but depending altogether upon God.BEST June 27, 1898, page 202.8

Understand, again, that this is not to say that all poverty will be done away with,—that there will be no such thing as a poor man any longer, among Christians. No; for constantly the gospel will be preached to the poor, and they will be coming in. But it is to say that after the poor who have joined themselves to Christ have learned how to make a living for themselves, they will help others who are still coming in to do as they have done. All will be constantly growing from helplessness to helpfulness. Whether you believe that or not, it is everlastingly true. It is a basic principle of Christianity. A. T. JONES.BEST June 27, 1898, page 202.9

June 13, 1898

July 4, 1898