Chapter 11—Labor Among the Churches
In the work done for the church at Battle Creek in the spring of
1870, there was not all that dependence upon God that the important
occasion demanded. Brethren R and S did not make God their trust,
and move in His strength and with His grace, as fully as they should.
When Brother S thinks a person is wrong, he is frequently too
severe. He fails to exercise that compassion and consideration that
he would have shown toward himself under like circumstances. He is
also in great danger of misjudging and erring in dealing with minds. It
is the nicest and most critical work ever given to mortals, to deal with
minds. Those who engage in this work should have clear discernment
and good powers of discrimination. True independence of mind is an
element entirely different from rashness. That quality of independence
which leads to a cautious, prayerful, deliberate opinion should not be
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easily yielded, not until the evidence is sufficiently strong to make
it certain that we are wrong. This independence will keep the mind
calm and unchangeable amid the multitudinous errors which prevail,
and will lead those in responsible positions to look carefully at the
evidence on every side, and not be swayed by the influence of others, or
by the surroundings, to form conclusions without intelligent, thorough
knowledge of all the circumstances.
The investigation of cases in Battle Creek was very much after the
order in which a lawyer criticizes a witness, and there was a decided
absence of the Spirit of God. There were a few united in this work who
were active and zealous. Some were self-righteous and self-sufficient,
and their testimonies were relied upon, and their influence swayed the
judgment of Brethren R and S. Because of some trivial deficiency,
Sisters T and U were not received as members of the church. Brethren
R and S should have had judgment and discrimination to see that these
objections were not of sufficient weight to keep these sisters out of the
church. Both of them had been long in the faith and had been true to
the observance of the Sabbath for eighteen or twenty years.
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