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Life Sketches of Ellen G. White
with the thought that I must bear a message to our people at Battle
Creek, to warn them against a line of action that would separate God
from the publishing house.
“The eyes of the Lord were bent upon the people in sorrow mingled
with displeasure, and the words were spoken: ‘I have somewhat against
thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from
whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I
will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of
his place, except thou repent.’
Revelation 2:4, 5
.
“He who wept over impenitent Israel, noting their ignorance of
God, and of Christ their Redeemer, looked upon the heart of the work
at Battle Creek. Great peril was about the people, but some knew it
not. Unbelief and impenitence blinded their eyes, and they trusted
to human wisdom in the guidance of the most important interests of
the cause of God relating to the publishing work. In the weakness of
human judgment, men were gathering into their finite hands the lines
of control, while God’s will, God’s way and counsel, were not sought
as indispensable. Men of stubborn, iron-like will, both in and out of
the Office, were confederating together, determined to drive certain
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measures through in accordance with their own judgment.
“I said to them: ‘You cannot do this. The control of these large in-
terests cannot be vested wholly in those who make it manifest that they
have little experience in the things of God, and have not spiritual dis-
cernment. The people of God throughout our ranks must not, because
of mismanagement on the part of erring men, have their confidence
shaken in the important interests at the great heart of the work, which
have a decided influence upon our churches in the United States and
in foreign lands. If you lay your hand upon the publishing work, this
great instrumentality of God, to place your mould and superscription
upon it, you will find that it will be dangerous to your own souls, and
disastrous to the work of God. It will be as great a sin in the sight of
God as was the sin of Uzzah when he put forth his hand to steady the
ark. There are those who have entered into other men’s labors, and
all that God requires of them is to deal justly, to love mercy, and walk
humbly with God, to labor conscientiously as men employed by the
people to do work entrusted to their hands. Some have failed to do this,
as their works testify. Whatever may be their position, whatever their