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be guided into all truth. God does not promise, by the masterly acts
of His providence, to irresistibly bring men to the knowledge of His
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truth, when they do not seek for truth and have no desire to know the
truth. Men have the power to quench the Spirit of God; the power of
choosing is left with them. They are allowed freedom of action. They
may be obedient through the name and grace of our Redeemer, or they
may be disobedient, and realize the consequences. Man is responsible
for receiving or rejecting sacred and eternal truth. The Spirit of God is
continually convicting, and souls are deciding for or against the truth.
The deportment, the words, the actions, of the minister of Christ may
balance a soul for or against the truth. How important that every act
of the life be such that it need not be repented of. Especially is this
important among the ambassadors of Christ, who are acting in the
place of Christ.
The Authority of the Church
The world’s Redeemer has invested great power with His church.
He states the rules to be applied in cases of trial with its members.
After He has given explicit directions as to the course to be pursued,
He says: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever [in church discipline] ye
shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Thus even the heavenly
authority ratifies the discipline of the church in regard to its members
when the Bible rule has been followed.
The word of God does not give license for one man to set up his
judgment in opposition to the judgment of the church, neither is he
allowed to urge his opinions against the opinions of the church. If there
were no church discipline and government, the church would go to
fragments; it could not hold together as a body. There have ever been
individuals of independent minds who have claimed that they were
right, that God had especially taught, impressed, and led them. Each
has a theory of his own, views peculiar to himself, and each claims
that his views are in accordance with the word of God. Each one has
a different theory and faith, yet each claims special light from God.
These draw away from the body, and each one is a separate church of
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himself. All these cannot be right, yet they all claim to be led of the