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Testimonies for the Church Volume 1
all their efforts encourage order, discipline, and union of action, and
then the angels of God can co-operate with them. But never, never will
these heavenly messengers place their endorsement upon irregularity,
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disorganization, and disorder. All these evils are the result of Satan’s
efforts to weaken our forces, to destroy courage, and prevent successful
action.
Satan well knows that success can only attend order and harmo-
nious action. He well knows that everything connected with heaven
is in perfect order, that subjection and thorough discipline mark the
movements of the angelic host. It is his studied effort to lead professed
Christians just as far from heaven’s arrangement as he can; therefore
he deceives even the professed people of God and makes them believe
that order and discipline are enemies to spirituality, that the only safety
for them is to let each pursue his own course, and to remain especially
distinct from bodies of Christians who are united and are laboring
to establish discipline and harmony of action. All the efforts made
to establish order are considered dangerous, a restriction of rightful
liberty, and hence are feared as popery. These deceived souls consider
it a virtue to boast of their freedom to think and act independently.
They will not take any man’s say-so. They are amenable to no man. I
was shown that it is Satan’s special work to lead men to feel that it is
in God’s order for them to strike out for themselves and choose their
own course, independent of their brethren.
I was pointed back to the children of Israel. Very soon after leaving
Egypt they were organized and most thoroughly disciplined. God had
in His special providence qualified Moses to stand at the head of the
armies of Israel. He had been a mighty warrior to lead the armies
of the Egyptians, and in generalship he could not be surpassed by
any man. The Lord did not leave His holy tabernacle to be borne
indiscriminately by any tribe that might choose. He was so particular
as to specify the order He would have observed in bearing the sacred
ark and to designate a special family of the tribe of the Levites to bear
it. When it was for the good of the people and for the glory of God
that they should pitch their tents in a certain place, God signified His
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will to them by causing the pillar of cloud to rest directly over the
tabernacle, where it remained until He would have them journey again.
In all their journeyings they were required to observe perfect order.
Every tribe bore a standard with the sign of their father’s house upon