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Testimonies for the Church Volume 1
will grow strong, and shut out the rays of the sun from the precious
plants, until they grow sickly and die.
We met your influence at-----. The division existing there would
not have been had you taken a right position, and received the word
of the Lord through His servants. But this you would not do. God’s
servants had to deal plainly with your wrong course. Had they taken
stronger ground, and been much more severe with the course you
had pursued, God would have approved them. It would have been
better had you remained entirely away from-----, for every time God’s
servants exposed that fanaticism, the reproof hit Brother G, and you
shrank, felt abused, neglected, etc. You pursued your blind course
among different families in-----; you labored for sympathy, and created
opposition of feeling against Brethren C, D, and E. You felt wrong,
felt slighted; you talked and acted out your feelings, and thus created
jealousy and distrust in many minds in regard to God’s servants whom
He had especially sent to you. Your course destroyed the force of their
testimony on some minds; but some felt thankful that light had come,
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and that Satan’s snare was broken, and they had escaped. Others felt
hard, and decided against the testimony borne, and there was a division
in the body. You can take the responsibility of this. We have had to
labor for the church in-----with distress of spirit to do away the wrong
influence and impressions you had created. You have a work to do
there.
I saw that some have been very jealous for you, fearing that you
would not be rightly dealt with, and not have justice done you by your
ministering brethren. Such should stand out of the way, and be faithful
to confess their own wrongs, and let all the censure and weight of
your wrongs rest upon your own head. God designs that they shall
rest there until you thoroughly remove them by repentance and hearty
confession. Those who have a perverted sympathy for you cannot help
you. Let them manifest zeal in repenting of their own backslidings,
and leave you to stand for yourself. You have been altogether out of
the way, and unless you make thorough work, confess your wrongs
without censuring your brethren, and are willing to be instructed, you
can have no part with God’s people.
You have stood aloof from those upon whom God has laid the
heavy burden of His work. While my husband already had the labor
and burden which three men should have shared, you have injured him