It was a
beautiful thing to sit with a man under whose ministry 75 lepers had
been
healed! Some were without noses others without fingers, or toes, or
ears.
But I am
going to tell you another leper story. Until about seven weeks ago,
a man by
the name of Young was quarantined in the State of Nebraska.
Correspondence
with him was made possible through a senator, another
leper.
Reared as
a Roman Catholic, Young believed in the power of faith. God told
him He
was going to move in behalf of this deliverance.
Officers
of the institution discovered that he had been sending and receiving
letters,
contrary to instructions.
When
confronted, Young said, "Yes, I have been corresponding with people
who pray
the prayer of faith that I shall not die like a dog or pig."
The officers
asked to see the letters. In a few days they came back to him
and said,
"If you think you can get healed, we will turn you loose on your
pledge
that you will go directly to Spokane to these people who heal."
So he
started for Spokane with their pledge to furnish him 'With the
necessary
funds.
The day
before I left Spokane, I sat down with that man and he dictated the
story of
his healing by the power of God. He joined his wife and children in
Key West.
My Lord
is not dead! But I'll tell you, dear hearts, we have been satisfied to
live in
Christ in our babyhood, to perpetuate our babyhood, and to go on
shouting
like a lot of babies, instead of entering into the secrets of the heart
of Jesus
Christ by the grace of God and claiming from Heaven the divine
flames of
God upon our souls.
When that
takes place, then we shall stand amazed at the action of God in
our own
and others' lives.
A Mrs.
McDonald was brought to the Healing Rooms so emaciated by
tuberculosis
that she weighed only 70 pounds. Her condition improved so
rapidly
that she put on flesh at the rate of one pound per day.
She
attended our Divine Healing Meeting and gave public testimony to her
healing.
An hour
later she called us on the telephone, exclaiming, "I am so happy I
just had
to tell somebody. I have walked all the way home, kindled the fire in
two
stoves, and am preparing supper. A thing I have not been able to do for
over a
year."
A 12 year
old boy suffering from tuberculosis of the spine, so extreme that
he was
compelled to wear a steel jacket both day and night, was brought to
the
healing Rooms a few days for prayer.
In less
than ten days, his condition was so improved that he discarded the
jacket
entirely. His shoulders had straightened; the vertebrae remained fixed;
and the
boy returned to his home at Rosalia, praising God that He had
proven in
our own city in March 1919, that Jesus Christ is still the Healer.
At
Cookhouse, Cape Colony, there were ten brothers by the name of
Watson.
Men who had been saved and baptized in the Holy Ghost.
As I was
conducting a meeting at the home of one of them, the Spirit fell
upon the
youngest of the family. He arose and we observed that he was
giving
the arrangements for a drama. He was perfectly under the power of
the
Spirit. He had no consciousness in the natural of what was taking place.
All at
once, the Spirit fell upon another of the brothers, then another and
another
until all ten became actors in the same drama.
We sat
there amazed for hours, observing a perfect five act drama. A
presentation
of God's dealings with the race of man throughout the history of
the
world.
I left
that night with the awe of God on my soul so deep that, for weeks
afterwards,
I felt as if I wanted to walk very softly.
The life
of the Christian without the indwelling power of the Spirit in the
heart is
a weariness to the flesh. It is an obedience to commandments and an
endeavor
to walk according to a pattern which you have not power to follow.
But,
bless God, the Christian life that is lived by, the impulse of the Spirit of
Christ
within your soul becomes a joy, a power, and a glory.
When
preaching at Bloom fawn tain, Orange Free State, a man by the name
of
Johnson, an epileptic for twelve years, attended the meetings. He had been
suffering
12 to 15 seizures a day.
After the
service, a group of us were in an attitude of prayer and communion
with God
preparatory to going out for an open air meeting.
Someone
turned and asked this young man if he would like to be a Christian.
He said,
"Well, I guess not. I would do the same things tomorrow I have
done
today if I were."
Like a
flash out of the blue, the Spirit of God fell upon him and he fell
prostrate
upon the floor, remaining there until 10 o'clock the next morning.
Before
morning, that fellow who had been having about 15 seizures a day
was not
only saved, but also healed. He went forth at 10 o'clock, baptized in
the Holy
Ghost.
One day
our minister at Bloom fawn tain was going out to conduct a meeting
for
Basuto natives. He could not speak enough Basuto to preach to them, so
it was
necessary for him to have an interpreter. Johnson was with him.
The
interpreter did not arrive. But when time came for the meeting to begin,
the power
of God came upon Johnson. To the amazement of all, he stood and
spoke
forth the Word to those native people in the purest Basuto!
One
evening as I was preaching, the Spirit of the Lord descended upon a
man in
the front row, a minister from London, England.
He
remained in a sitting posture, but began rising from the chair. Gradually,
he came
down on the chair; then gradually, he began to rise again, somewhat
higher.
This was repeated three times.
Was it a
reversal of the law of gravitation?
I think
not.
My own
conception is that his soul became so united with the Spirit of God
that the
attractive power of God was so intense it drew him up.
One day I
stood at the railway station in Logansport, Indiana, waiting for my
train and
observing a group of Italian men, apparently laborers, sitting on a
bench.
They were going somewhere to work.
As I
walked up and down the platform, I said, "Oh, God, how much I would
like to
be able to talk to these men about the living Christ and His power to
save!
"
The
Spirit said, "You can."
I stepped
over to them; and as I preached, I observed myself beginning to
speak in
some foreign language.
I
addressed one of the group, and he instantly answered me in Italian. I asked
where he
was from, and he replied, "Naples."
For
fifteen minutes God let me tell the truths of Christ and the power of God
to that
group of laborers in Italian, a language of which I had no knowledge.
That was
a little flash, a gleam but one day, bless God, there will come from
Heaven a
shower that will so anoint the souls of men that they will speak in
every
language man speaks by the power of God.
And this
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness
unto all nations; and then shall the end come Matthew 24 14.
While I
was in Africa, the Church of England sent a three man delegation to
Johannesburg
for a year to report back to England concerning our work in
South
Africa.
The
result was a great conference of Church of England preachers was called
and I was
asked to preach at the conference.
It
resulted in the establishment of healing societies in the Church of England.
We were
blessed recently in this country with one of their "healers," Mr.
Hicks,
who held meetings in the various Episcopal churches all around the
land.
I have
just come from Portland, where the streets were filled for ten blocks
around
the church with automobiles carrying the sick to his meetings.
Mr. Clark
Mitchell was in a logging accident ten years ago in which his left
side was
severely injured the knee and left shoulder were crushed.
For ten
years he experienced great suffering. His knee developed a tumor so
large
that it filled his pant leg.
He told
me there were occasions when he was able to walk perhaps a single
block,
but with great suffering. Other periods he was compelled to be
confined
to his home and his chair.
One day
as I was hurrying down Pacific Avenue on the way to my meeting
at the
Free Methodist Church, I passed Mr. Mitchell's home and his
daughter,
waved to me.
She had
seen me coming and said to her father, "I see Mr. Lake, and I am
going to
call him in."
Mr.
Mitchell replied, "No, don't do it. I don't take any stock in that kind of
stuff."
Though I
knew nothing of these circumstances, I would have paid no
attention
if I had. I am Scotch.
When I
entered their home, I said, "Mr. Mitchell, I have no time to talk to
you."
I threw
off my overcoat and hat, and knelt to pray. He indicated it was his
knee, so
I laid my hands on his knee and began to pray. As I did, I was
conscious
that he was healed.
I said,
"Mr. Mitchell, stick out your leg." He did.
"Get
up and walk." He did. As he walked, he kept saying, "I don't
understand.
I don't understand." He came back and sat down, still saying, "I
don't
understand. What is it you do not understand, brother?"
"Why,
I cannot understand God's healing me. I am not a Christian." I said,
"Is
it possible you have not yet given your heart to God?" He said, "It
is."
"Then,
brother, in the name of the Lord, let us do it now."
So he,
his dear daughter, and another lady, knelt with me and all three
yielded
their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ.
As he sat
in his chair, I told him of the healing of another man and how the
bones
would grind in his hip.
Mr.
Mitchell said, "That is like my shoulder."
This is
when I first learned he had a bad shoulder, so I called his daughter
again,
and we prayed for his shoulder.
Then I
said, "Put up your arm, brother."
When he
raised his arm, I asked him if it was perfectly free.
He
replied, "Perfectly free."
By 8:30
p.m. the tumor that had been on his knee for ten years had totally
disappeared.
The next
morning, he went to the printing office, presented himself to the
editor,
and said, "Mr. Scott, I am the man the Lord has healed." And the
newspaper
editor wrote up a statement about the man's healing.
The same
day he spaded his entire garden.
The day
after, he went to work for a plasterer where he continued work.
The day
of miracles had not passed as of this incident. March, 1922, in
Forest
Grove, Oregon.
Dominion
Now I
want to teach you something of the inner things of healing that people
are not
aware of.
There is
a conscious dominion Jesus Christ gives to the Christian soul. It was
that
thing in the soul of Peter when he met the lame man at the Beautiful
Gate.
Instead
of praying for the man's healing, Peter said, In the name of Jesus
Christ of
Nazareth rise up and walk. Acts 3:6. No prayer about it; no
intercession.
Peter
exercised the dominion that was in his soul. The divine flash of the
power of
God went forth from his soul, and the man instantly arose and went
with them
into the Temple walking and leaping, and praising God. Verse 8.
Sometimes
those who minister to the sick are aware of what takes place,
although
the individual himself is unaware of any healing. There is a
dominion
in the soul of the real man of God who is in touch with Heaven.
When the
real thing takes place when a person is saved or healed from
disease
we know what it is. We pray until we are satisfied in our souls that
the work
is complete.
In the
same building that we had our Healing Rooms, there was an X-ray
laboratory.
The technicians wanted to see what it was all about, so they
asked to
take X-rays, at no charge to us of some of our prospects for healing.
It was a
unique opportunity.
Among
those we sent to them was a man with tuberculosis. Each time after
he was
ministered to in prayer, they would take an X-ray. We could see the
progress
of the healing. Each picture showed less and less of the disease until
there was
no more evidence of it. He was completely well.
We always
prayed for a person until we were satisfied that the healing was
complete.
There was no dependence on the arm of man (flesh).
Mr. W. A.
Fay suffered from cancer of the stomach. He has been ministered
too
perhaps thirty times.
For the
first ten days there was no evidence of healing whatever or a
subsiding
of his suffering. After that, there was a gradual subsiding; then
color
began to return to his face, and he began to put on flesh.
Now he
can eat anything and everything, and as much of it as he can get!
And that
is not all, beloved. He found the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ while
the
process was going on, and he says that is the big part of it.
I guess
the Lord knows how to open doors in people's hearts. A good many
Christians
overlook the fact that Jesus Christ made the ministry of healing
just as
broad as He could make it.
Luke 10:
8-9. To the Seventy, He said.... into whatsoever city ye enter, and
they
receive you ... heal the sick that are therein. And then what did He tell
them to
do? ... Say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
I once
lived near a man who was sick unto death. Some went to him and told
him he
had to be baptized, or he would die and go to hell.
I have
always said that was a form of coercion, and Jesus Christ never used
it. He
was too much of a gentleman. He never took advantage of a man when
he was
down to grind his soul and try to influence him to be a Christian.
If the
man was sick, Jesus went and healed him by the power of God. Then,
when that
man was healed, the natural response of his loving soul led him to
Christ.
I wonder,
have you ever paid attention to the different occasions in reading
the
Scriptures when the Voice of God is mentioned?
You know,
the thing that makes the Bible the Bible is the fact that somebody
had an
interview with God! Somebody heard from Heaven before there was
any
Bible. Then the conversation or the incident was recorded, and these
became
the Word of God.
Now, the
Word of God is indestructible, because it was a real Voice, a real
experience.
God really did or said something, and the record of it is true.
It is
very simple to prove the inspiration of the Bible. Every child is taught to
"prove"
whether or not his sum in mathematics is correct.
If you
have doubts, questions, and fears concerning the Bible and its
inspiration,
we know that if one soul ever heard from Heaven, another soul
may.
If one
soul ever had an interview with God, another soul may.
If any
man ever knew his sins were forgiven at any period, another man may
know his
sins are forgiven now.
If a man
or woman ever was healed by the power of God, then men and
women can
be healed again.
The only
thing necessary is to return again in soul experience to that same
place of
intimacy where the first individual met God.
That is
the way you prove the Word of God.
That is
the reason Christians love the Word of God.
That is
the reason the Word of God becomes the thing men live by, the thing
men will
die for. The Word of God becomes a present, living reality to them
not just
a theory.
In my
church in South Africa we published a paper in 10,000 lots. We would
have the
printers send them to the church, and we would lay them out on the
front
platform in packages of 100 and 200. At the evening service I would
call
certain people from the congregation (that I knew to be in contact with
the
living God) to come and kneel around the packages and lay their hands
on them.
We asked
God to not only bless the reading matter in the paper that the
message
of Christ should come through the words printed on the paper, but
that the
paper' itself become filled with the Spirit of God, just as the
handkerchiefs
became filled with the power of God. (Acts 19:12.)
I could
show you thousands of letters from people in all parts of the world,
telling
me that the Spirit of God came upon them when they received our
paper.
Not only were they healed, but the joy of God came into their hearts
and many
were saved.
One woman
wrote from South America: "I received your paper. When I took
it into
my hands, my body began to vibrate so, I could hardly sit on the chair.
I did not
understand it. I laid the paper down, and after a while took it up
again. As
soon as I had it in my hands, I shook again. The third time I picked
up the
paper, the Spirit of God came upon me so powerfully, I was baptized
in the
Holy Ghost."
Beloved,
do you see that this message and this quality of the Spirit contains
the thing
that confuses all the philosophers and all the practice of philosophy
in the
world? It shows the clearest distinction, which characterizes the real
religion
of Jesus Christ. It is distinct from all other religions and all other
ministries.
The
ministry of Christianity is the ministry of the Spirit. It is the Spirit of
God that
inhabits the words, that speaks to the spirit of another and reveals
Christ in
and through him.
Miss K.
is a woman I term a victim of surgery operated on 26 times, then left
to die. She
was an invalid for 13 years, and was visited and ministered to by
different
physicians for 6 years.
(I know
you will pardon me if I speak with great plainness. I must in order to
let you
know what God has done in this woman's life.)
In one
operation, an incision was made connecting the rectum and the
vagina.
That wound refused to heal. Three times the wound was sewn up, but
to no
avail. Also, she was thought to be tubercular, and no doubt she was.
One day
this dear soul called Brother West wood to minister to her. We
commenced
to pray the prayer of faith on her behalf, and right away the
wounds on
her body began to heal until all the outer wounds were healed. If
you were
close enough to her, you could see scars all down her throat and
neck
where some of these 26 operations had been performed.
Now I
want you to see the power of God: When she discovered that the
rectal
incision had not healed, it became a matter of special prayer. Soon her
bowels
ceased to operate; she had no movement for 28 days. Think of it! If
such a
thing occurs in your life for three or four days, you think you are
going to
die.
Note the
purpose of God: During those 28 days when there was no
movement
whatever, the wound healed up.
Miss K.
went to the south side of town to do some dressmaking; but while
working,
she became unconscious due to the gas pressing upon her heart and
lungs.
A
physician was called. In his examination, he discovered that the incision
was
perfectly healed; but during the long time that the lower end of the
rectum had
not been used, it had adhesed. Now according to the doctor, she
could
never have a movement of the bowels until she was operated on.
They were
about to carry Miss K. off to the hospital when she became
conscious
and said, "No more operations for me, even if I die. I have
committed
my body, my soul, and my spirit to God!"
So they
took her home.
She came
down to the Tabernacle to drill the children for their Christmas
entertainment.
On her way home, she fainted on the street and was carried to
the
emergency hospital. They examined her there and corroborated the
statement
of the other physician.
They were
in the act of taking her to St. Luke's when she became conscious
and said,
"No, sir! No more operations for me, even if I die."
When they
asked her what she wanted to do, she told them she was coming
to my
home. That was on Saturday, November 27th.
On Sunday
afternoon, November 28th, she was sitting in the audience. As
prayer
was being offered, she said it seemed as though a hand was laid upon
her body
(abdomen) and another hand on her head. Then a Voice said, "You
are
healed."
She left
the Audience Room and became perfectly normal, and has remained
a normal
woman ever since.
Beloved,
people who oppose this ministry and do not understand it will say,
"That
is all right. We know God does do such things as that on special
occasions,
but they are special cases. Paul had a thorn in the flesh. He prayed
three
times that it might be healed, and the Lord said, 'Paul, My grace is
sufficient
for you'. 2 Corinthians 12 9, and he was not healed."
Who said
so? Who gave you the interpretation? Did you hear the Voice of
God, or
are you repeating the old fable that has come down through theology
for 100
years?
Do you
not see, beloved, just one of the many tricks the old theological
dodgers
use to get away from the responsibility of praying the prayer of faith
that
saves the sick?
My, the
Church has had a time trying to dodge this issue of healing! They
come up
with Paul's thorn in the flesh.
Paul
said, "I wrote this large letter with my own hand" (Gal. 6:11), and
they
interpret
that to read that he had bad eyes. Who said so?
On
another occasion, the people said they loved Paul so much they would
pluck out
their eyes for him. I believe they would have cut off their leg or
their right
arm, too, if it would have done him any good, but none of these
things
argue for a moment that there was anything wrong with his leg, his
arm, or
his eyes.
Paul
prayed three times. The first two times he was not conscious of the
answer.
He prayed again, bless God, and this time God met his faith and said
to him,
"Paul, My grace is sufficient for you."
Apply it,
Paul. Dive in, Paul, and take all you want of the grace of God. It
will fix
your thorn in the flesh and everything else that is troubling you.
We went
to Lourdes, France, in the company of a group of Church of
England
people who had been appointed as a committee to visit all the
institutions
of repute along the healing lines in Europe.
We
visited a Catholic institution where healing is obtained by the waters of
Lourdes.
They maintain a board of 200 physicians whose business it is to
examine
all candidates and report on them.
We also
visited the greatest hypnotic institution for healing in the world
while at
Lourdes. This institution sent its representatives to demonstrate their
method
before the Catholic board of 200 physicians. Hearing of our
committee,
they invited us to come before this body and demonstrate healing
along our
lines.
I agreed
to take part, if I were given the final demonstration. The committee
selected
five candidates. People who had been pronounced absolutely
incurable.
The
hypnotists tried their several methods without success.
I then
had the five candidates placed in chairs in a row upon the platform, in
view of
this large audience of physicians and scientists. I then prayed over
each of
them separately and at the same time laid my hands upon them.
Three
were instantly healed, a fourth recovered in a few days, and one died.
In 1901,
I joined the Dowie Institution and moved to Zion City, Illinois, with
the
objective of becoming a student and teacher of divine healing.
I was
made manager of Dowie's Building Department. During that year we
handled
business amounting to $1.2 million, or $100,000 per month. We
issued
1,200 building contracts.
This was
the year John Alexander Dowie made his trip from Zion City to
New York
City, taking 3,000 people with him in ten trains. We had a road
choir of
1,200 selected voices and a road processional of 100 church officers.
Dowie
rented Madison Square Garden, which holds 20,000 people. The New
York City
Police said some nights they turned away as many as 100,000
people.
The streets were congested for four blocks away.
In 1904,
when Dowie's financial affairs were entangled, I left Zion City
practically
broke, my holdings in the Dowie property having become
depreciated
at his death.
One
Saturday night in South Africa, the church was packed. All available
standing
room was occupied as men stood shoulder to shoulder. The
majority
of them were men from the Tattersall Racing Club. Most were
Jews.
They included horsemen of all classes: bookies, jockeys, stablemen,
racetrack
gamblers, etc.
I was
preaching on the power of God and, in a strong spirit, was endeavoring
to
demonstrate that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever;
that His
power is as great as it ever was; and that the only qualification for
touching
God for anything is faith in Him. The audience was greatly moved.
At this
point, I observed a gentleman and two ladies trying to squeeze
through
the people who were standing in the aisles. I asked the crowd to
separate,
if possible, to permit the ladies to come through and I tried to
arrange
seating space for them on the steps of the platform.
As they
approached, I observed that one of the ladies held her arms perfectly
stiff.
She did not move them at all. By instinct, I knew at once that she was a
rheumatic
cripple.
When she
got to the platform, I asked, "What is the reason you do not move
your
arms?"
She said,
"My shoulders are set from rheumatics."
I said,
"How long have they been like this?"
She
replied, "Ten years."
I
inquired if she had been treated by physicians.
She
replied, "I have been discharged from three hospitals as incurable."
"What
hospitals?"
She
answered, "Kimberley, Johannesburg, and Pretoria.
Then
addressing the gentleman who accompanied her, I asked, "Do you
know this
lady?"
He said,
"Yes, she is my sister in law."
I said,
"Do you know her story to be correct?"
"Absolutely,"
he said.
I asked
her what she had come for.
She
replied, "In the hope that the Lord would heal me."
I
inquired, "Do you wish me to pray for you for healing?"
"Yes,"
she said.
Addressing
the noisy crowd in the aisles and around the doors, I said, "You
men never
saw Jesus heal a person in your life. You do not know anything
about
this matter. You have never witnessed an exhibition of the power of
God, and
therefore you should be considerate enough to keep still, confess
your
ignorance of such matters, and learn.
"This
is what I want: Select two men from your group, and let them come
and see
for themselves if this woman's arms are stiff, as she states."
I waited
for them to make their selection. Finally, they put forward two men.
One was a
barber, a very intelligent gentleman. I learned afterwards he was
an
American.
They
examined the lady's arms critically and found them to be as she had
said
quite immovable.
I asked
the men, "Have you finished your examination? Are you satisfied her
condition
is as stated?"
They
said, "We are."
"Then
stand back, for I am going to pray that the Lord will heal this woman."
Placing
my hands on her shoulders, I commanded in the name of Jesus
Christ,
the Son of God, that this rheumatic devil that bound the woman be
cast out.
In Christ's name I commanded it to go, rebuking it with all the
energy of
my soul.
The power
of God flashed through me like a burning fire until perspiration
burst
from the woman's face.
Then,
taking her by the hands, I said, "In the name of Jesus Christ, put your
arms
up!"
The right
arm went up.
Then I
said, "In the name of Jesus Christ, put the other arm up, too."
She
instantly obeyed. Her arms had become free!
As I
moved her arms, making the shoulders rotate, I heard a grinding sound
in the
joints. I said to the two men from the audience, "You have never heard
a dry
joint in your life. Come put your ear to this woman's back while I make
her arms
move." As they did, I moved her arms, and the shoulder joints
ground,
because the oil had not yet returned to them.
In the
woman's delight at being healed, she threw up her hands, praised God,
and
started for the door. The crowd parted for her, and she disappeared. I did
not see
her again for some months.
John G.
Lake's Consecration Statement as A Christian.
My
Consecration as A Christian
I, this
day, consecrate my entire life to glorify my Heavenly Father by my
obedience
to the principles of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy
Spirit.
All my effort from now on will be directed in an effort to demonstrate
the
righteousness of God in whatsoever I may be engaged...
Principle
1
All the
things earthly that I possess shall not be considered my own, but
belonging
to my Heavenly Father, and shall be held in trust by me to be used
and
directed by the wisdom of the Spirit of God, as the law of love of men as
Christ
loved them may dictate.
If at any
time God should raise up men wiser than myself, I will gladly
commit my
all to their use and turn over all my possessions to them for
distribution.
If at any
time in my life I should be engaged in any earthly business and
should
employ men to aid me in conducting it, I shall reward them justly and
equally,
comparing their own energy expended with
My own
after adding a sufficient amount to my own to cover all risk that
may be
involved in the operation of my business.
I shall
consider my employees my equals with rights to the blessings of
nature
and life equal to my own. I shall not strive to elevate myself to a
position
of comfort above the rest of my employees and shall direct all my
efforts
to bring all mankind to an equal plane, where all enjoy the comforts
of life
and fellowship together.
Principle
2
I shall
not cease to cry to God and implore Him to deliver mankind from the
effects
of sin so long as sin lasts, but shall cooperate with God in the
redemption
of mankind.
I will have
seasons of prayer and fasting in behalf of mankind, weeping and
bewailing
their lost condition and imploring God to grant them repentance
unto life
as the Spirit of God may lead me.
Principle
3
I shall
live my life in meekness, never defending my own personal rights, but
shall
leave all judgment
To God who judges righteously and rewards all
according to their works. I
shall not
render evil for evil or railing for railing, but shall bless all and do
good to
enemies in return for evil. By God's grace I shall keep all hardness
and
harshness out of my life and actions, but shall be gentle and unassuming,
not
professing above what God has imparted to me, nor lifting myself above
my
brethren.
Principle
4
I shall
consider righteous acts as more necessary to life and happiness than
food and
drink, and not let myself be bribed or coerced into any unrighteous
action
for any earthly consideration.
Principle
5
By God's
grace I will always be merciful, forgiving those who have
transgressed
against me and endeavoring to correct the ills of humanity
instead
of merely punishing them for their sins.
Principle
6
I shall
not harbor any impure thoughts in my mind, but shall endeavor to
make my
every act uplifting.
I shall regard my procreative organs sacred
and holy and never use them for
any
purpose other than that which God created them for.
I shall
regard the home as sacred and always guard my actions in the
presence
of the opposite sex, so as not to cause a man and his wife to break
their
vows to one another. I shall be chaste with the opposite sex who are
married,
considering them as sisters. I shall be careful not to cause them
undue
pain by playing on their affections.
Principle
7
I will
always strive to be a peacemaker. First, by being peaceful myself and
avoiding
all unfruitful contentions, and treating all with justice and regarding
their
rights and their free agency, never trying to force any to my point of
view.
If I
should offend anyone knowingly, I shall immediately apologize.
I will
not scatter evil reports about any person and so try to defame their
character,
or repeat things that I am not certain of being true.
I will
strive to remove the curse of strife among brethren by acting as a
peacemaker.
Principle
8
I shall
not become discouraged when I am persecuted on account of the
righteousness
mentioned above nor murmur on account of any suffering I
undergo,
but shall gladly give my life rather than depart from this high
standard
of life, rejoicing because I know I have a great reward in Heaven.
I shall
strive to make the above principles the ideal of all the world and give
my life
and energy to see mankind get the power from God to practice the
same.
John G.
Lake...
The End
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