Chapter 20—Love and Duty
Love has a twin sister, which is duty. Love and duty stand side
by side. Love exercised while duty is neglected will make children
headstrong, willful, perverse, selfish, and disobedient. If stern duty is
left to stand alone without love to soften and win, it will have a similar
result. Duty and love must be blended in order that children may be
properly disciplined.
Anciently, directions were given to the priests:” And they shall
teach My people the difference between the holy and profane, and
cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. And in con-
troversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according
to My judgments.” When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou
shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his
way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I
require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his
way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his
iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”
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Here the duty of God’s servants is made plain. They cannot be
excused from the faithful discharge of their duty to reprove sins and
wrongs in the people of God, although it may be a disagreeable task
and may not be received by the one who is at fault. But in most cases
the one reproved would accept the warning and heed reproof were it
not that others stand in the way. They come in as sympathizers and
pity the one reproved and feel that they must stand in his defense. They
do not see that the Lord is displeased with the wrongdoer, because the
cause of God has been wounded and His name reproached. Souls have
been turned aside from the truth and have made shipwreck of faith
as the result of the wrong course pursued by the one in fault; but the
servant of God whose discernment is clouded and whose judgment is
swayed by wrong influences would as soon take his position with the
offender whose influence has done much harm, as with the reprover
of wrong and of sin, and in so doing he virtually says to the sinner:
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