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Evangelism
and union in the church. This takes from the courage and strength of
God’s servants and unfits them for the work He has for them to do in
saving perishing souls from ruin. God will reward these troublers of
Zion according to their works.
The ministers of Christ should take their position, and not be hin-
dered in their work by these agents of Satan. There will be enough of
these to question, and quibble, and criticize, to keep the ministers of
God constantly busy, if they will allow themselves to be detained from
the great work of giving the last saving message of warning to the
world. If the church has no strength to stand against the unsanctified,
rebellious feelings of church grumblers, it is better to let church and
grumblers go overboard together than lose the opportunity of saving
hundreds who would make better churches, and have the elements
existing within themselves of strength and union and power.
The very best way for ministers and churches is to let this fault-
finding, crooked class fall back into their own element, and pull away
from the shore, launch out into the deep, and cast out the gospel net
again for fish that may pay for the labor bestowed upon them. Satan
exults when men and women embrace the truth who are naturally
faultfinding and who will throw all the darkness and hindrance they
can against the advancement of the work of God. Ministers cannot
now in this important period of the work be detained to prop up men
and women who see and have felt once the force of the truth. They
[372]
should fasten believing Christians on Christ, who is able to hold them
up and preserve them blameless unto His appearing, while they go
forth to new fields of labor.—
The True Missionary, February, 1874
.