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Sketch of Experience
17
I had a testimony that she lacked discretion and caution, and did not
[15]
fully control her words and actions, came in with her husband and
manifested feelings of great unreconciliation and agitation. She com-
menced to talk and to weep. She murmured a little, and confessed a
little, and justified self considerably. She had a wrong idea of many
things I had stated to her. Her pride was touched as I brought out her
faults in so public a manner. Here was evidently the main difficulty.
But why should she feel thus? The brethren and sisters knew these
things were so, therefore I was not informing them of anything new.
But I doubt not that it was new to the sister herself. She did not
know herself, and could not properly judge of her own words and
acts. This is in a degree true of nearly all, hence the necessity of
faithful reproofs in the church and the cultivation by all its members
of love for the plain testimony.
Her husband seemed to feel unreconciled to my bringing out her
faults before the church and stated that if Sister White had followed
the directions of our Lord in
Matthew 18:15-17
he should not have
felt hurt: “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go
and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear
thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then
take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect
to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the
church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”
My husband then stated that he should understand that these
words of our Lord had reference to cases of personal trespass, and
could not be applied in the case of this sister. She had not trespassed
against Sister White. But that which had been reproved publicly was
public wrongs which threatened the prosperity of the church and
the cause. Here, said my husband, is a text applicable to the case:
1 Timothy 5:20
: “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also
may fear.”
[16]
The brother acknowledged his error like a Christian and seemed
reconciled to the matter. It was evident that since the meeting of
Sabbath afternoon they had got many things about the matter won-
derfully magnified and wrong. It was therefore proposed that the
written testimony be read. When this was done, the sister who
was reproved by it, inquired: “Is that what you stated yesterday?” I