The offering of Cain was an offense to God, because it was a Christless offering. The burden of our message is not only the commandments of God, but the faith of Jesus. A bright light shines upon our pathway to-day, and it leads to increased faith in Jesus. We must receive every ray of light, and walk in it, that it may not be our condemnation in the judgment. Our duties and obligations become more important as we obtain more distinct views of truth. Light makes manifest and reproves the errors that were concealed in darkness; and as light comes, the life and character of men must change correspondingly, to be in harmony with it. Sins that were once sins of ignorance, because of the blindness of the mind, can no more be indulged in without incurring guilt. AS INCREASED LIGHT IS GIVEN, men MUST be REFORMED, ELEVATED, AND REFINED BY IT, OR THEY WILL BE MORE PERVERSE AND STUBBORN THAN BEFORE THE LIGHT CAME.

I saw that it is even so: "From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." Said the angel: "Take the word of God, read it, understand, and ye cannot err. Read carefully, and ye shall there find what even is, and when it I asked the angel if the frown of God had been upon His people for commencing the Sabbath as they had. I was directed back to the first rise of the Sabbath, and followed the people of God up to this time, but did not see that the Lord was displeased, or frowned upon them. I inquired why it had been thus, that at this late day we must change the time of commencing the Sabbath. Said the angel: "Ye shall understand, but not yet, not yet." Said the angel: "IF LIGHT COME, AND THAT LIGHT IS SET ASIDE OR REJECTED, THEN COMES CONDEMNATION AND THE FROWN OF GOD; but before the light comes, there is no sin, for there is no light for them to reject."

When light comes to the soul through God's appointed agencies, and it is not received and acted upon, there is manifest a contempt of God, and stubborn resistance increases as additional light comes to convince of error, and manifest truth. The case of Pharaoh stands forth in Bible history to warn men off the ground that he took. He set himself in stubborn resistance against the messages and warnings God sent. Every ray of light that comes from heaven to men, when resisted by the ungodly, increases their power of resistance, and FINALLY SETS THE HEART IN REBELLION AGAINST GOD. He who sows rebellion reaps rebellion.

It is not God that blinds the eyes of men or hardens their hearts. He sends them light to correct their errors, and to lead them in safe paths; IT IS BY THE REJECTION OF THIS LIGHT THAT THE EYES ARE BLINDED AND THE HEART HARDENED. Often the process is gradual, and almost imperceptible. Light comes to the soul through God's word, through His servants, or by the direct agency of His Spirit; but when ONE RAY OF LIGHT is disregarded, there is a partial benumbing of the spiritual perceptions, and the second revealing of light is less clearly discerned. So the darkness increases, until it is night in the soul.

Let us not refuse to enter the strait gate because we can not see the whole of the path to the Paradise of God. He who receives the first ray of light sent him, and walks in it, bringing his actions into harmony with God's Word, WILL RECEIVE MORE LIGHT. He who walks in the light as it comes, not waiting to have every doubt removed, every mystery solved, will follow on to know the Lord. For him the light will shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. His path will be illuminated as he advances. God's Word will be a lamp to his feet and a light to his path.

He who will follow Jesus through evil as well as good report, knows something of what is truth. He who will walk in the light as it comes, not waiting to have every mystery solved and every chance of doubt removed, will know of the doctrine, and will understand what are the advantages of entering in at the strait gate, and of walking in the narrow way. But he who would carry the world with him, will never enter in at the strait gate. There is no room for one to walk the narrow way and yet carry along evil surmisings, doubts, criticisms, jealousies, and unkindness. Such a one will refuse to enter in at the strait gate because he can not see the whole path to the paradise of God. He has many obstacles to present, many difficulties to bring to view, and Satan is ready to supply the soul with excuses for not entering in at the strait gate. REFUSING TO WALK IN THE FIRST RAYS OF LIGHT, HE FAILS TO SEE THE LIGHT that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. IF HE WOULD WALK WHILE HE HAS THE LIGHT, THE PATH WOULD BE ILLUMINATED AS HE ADVANCED, and all would be made plain.

Fathers and mothers who are convinced of the precious truth revealed in the oracles of God, hesitate not for a moment, but decide to OBEY GOD, even if it be at the sacrifice of every idol. Let your children and your neighbors see that you consider nothing too dear to give up for the truth. Do not in a single instance encourage selfishness and pride in your children. Let the work of reformation go on in your own hearts, and by precept and example educate your children to give all to Jesus, to die to pride, to overcome, day by day, every temptation. Let all who are convicted by the light of the truth, CHERISH EVERY RAY OF LIGHT WHICH COMES FROM THE SOURCE OF ALL LIGHT. Do not hesitate to DECIDE FROM THE WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE. Do not enlist on the side of error, but wholly and entirely on the side of truth.
 

There are men among us who profess to understand the truth for these last days, but who will not calmly investigate advanced truth. They are determined to make no advance beyond the stakes which they have set, and will not listen to those who, they say, do not stand by the old landmarks. They are so self-sufficient that they cannot be reasoned with. They consider it a virtue to be at variance with their brethren, and close the door, that light shall not find an entrance to the people of God. It will require heavenly wisdom to know how to deal with such cases. Light WILL come to God's people, and those who have sought to close the door will either repent or be removed out of the way. The time has come when a new impetus must be given to the work. There are terrible scenes before us, and Satan is seeking to keep from our knowledge the very things that God would have us know. GOD HAS MESSENGERS AND MESSAGES FOR HIS PEOPLE. If ideas are presented that differ in some points from our former doctrines, we must not condemn them without diligent search of the Bible to see if they are true. We must fast and pray and search the Scriptures as did the noble Bereans, to see if these things are so. WE MUST ACCEPT EVERY RAY OF LIGHT THAT COMES TO US. Through earnest prayer and diligent study of God's word, dark things will be made plain to the understanding.

Oh, LET THERE BE NO CAUTIONING OF THE PEOPLE ON THE DANGER OF STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD! Let there be no concealment of truth, no measures taken to evade or ignore truth. Let no one entertain the erroneous idea that the people of this or that denomination are in need of no more light. Open the door of the heart, place yourselves in a position where you may catch new revelations of the character of God. Light comes from the very throne of God. When some familiar truth presents itself to your mind in a new aspect, when a text of Scripture suddenly bursts upon you with new meaning like a flash of light that scatters the mist, and you see the relation of other truths to some part of the plan of redemption, God is leading you, and a divine Teacher is at your side. Will you not then open the door of your heart to receive more and more of the heavenly illumination?

God did not compel Pharaoh to be lost. EVERY MAN WHO IS LOST DESTROYS HIMSELF. When a man turns from the light given of God, and refuses to walk in it, THAT LIGHT BECOMES DARKNESS TO HIM. WHEN THE LIGHT COMES BEFORE HIM AGAIN, IT IS SO DIM THAT HE SCARCELY RECOGNIZES IT. When the words of reproof come from God to the wrongdoer, there is a stirring of heart, an arousing of conscience. The hearts of the hearers are convicted and Satan trembles for his power. Individuals go from the house of God determined to resist pride, mortify lust, and overcome avarice. But they do not humble their souls before God and repent, and make right the wrongs of the past. They do not make a decided change and plead with God for help, relying on His strength, and the impression soon wears away. They feel for a time the sense of their condition, but realize not the heinous character of sin. They become indifferent and the old defects of character appear, whether it is pride and vanity, worldliness and selfishness, or petty dishonesty, overreaching in trade, sensuality, or lust for gain. They go forward as eagerly as though they had lost time during the little arousing of conscience. They may, after this relapse, listen to the denunciations against sin and the works of ungodliness, the Spirit of God may rest upon the speaker with unusual fervor, and the power of God be in every word, but they are not much moved; they have been hardened BY THE STIFLING OF THEIR CONVICTIONS.
 

It is plainly stated in the Scriptures that if the whole congregation sin through ignorance, the priests shall make an atonement for the sins when they are made apparent, and the sin of ignorance shall be forgiven. The work of Jesus is to forgive the sins of the past, but if light comes from heaven to the church, and men refuse the light because its acceptance involves a cross, then THEY STAND GUILTY BEFORE GOD; for they have made it manifest that they love the world more than they love Christ and the truth. Those who have an opportunity to hear the truth, and yet take no pains to hear or understand it, thinking that if they do not hear, they will not be accountable, WILL BE JUDGED GUILTY BEFORE GOD THE SAME AS IF THEY HAD HEARD AND REJECTED. There will be no excuse for those who choose to go in error when they might understand what is truth. In his sufferings and death Jesus has made atonement for all sins of ignorance, but there is NO PROVISION MADE FOR WILFUL BLINDNESS.

Why is it that men do not believe upon sufficient evidence?--Because they do not want to be convinced. They have no disposition to give up their own will for God's will. They are unwilling to acknowledge that they have cherished sinful unbelief in resisting the light that God has given them. They have been hunting for doubts, for pegs upon which to hang their unbelief. They have been ready to accept testimony which is weak and insufficient, testimony which God has not given them in his word, BUT WHICH PLEASES THEM BECAUSE IT AGREES WITH THEIR IDEAS, AND IS IN HARMONY WITH THEIR DISPOSITION AND WILL. These souls are in great peril. If they will bow their proud will, and put it on God's side of the question; if they will with humble, contrite hearts seek for the light, believing that there is light for them, then they will see light, because the eye is single to discern the light which comes from God. They will acknowledge the evidence of divine authority. Spiritual truths will shine forth from the divine page. But the heart must be open for the reception of light, for Satan is ever ready to obscure the precious truth which would make them wise unto salvation. If any do not receive it, it will forever remain a mystery of mysteries to them.