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was shown that God’s people must make more firm, determined efforts
to press back the incoming darkness. The close work of the Spirit of
God is needed now as never before. Stupidity must be shaken off. We
must arouse from the lethargy that will prove our destruction unless
we resist it. Satan has a powerful, controlling influence upon minds.
Preachers and people are in danger of being found upon the side of the
powers of darkness. There is no such thing now as a neutral position.
We are all decidedly for the right or decidedly with the wrong. Said
Christ: “He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth
not with Me scattereth abroad.”
There are ever to be found those who will sympathize with those
who are wrong. Satan had sympathizers in heaven, and took large
numbers of the angels with him. God and Christ and heavenly angels
were on one side, and Satan on the other. Notwithstanding the infinite
power and majesty of God and Christ, angels became disaffected. The
insinuations of Satan took effect, and they really came to believe that
the Father and the Son were their enemies and that Satan was their
benefactor. Satan has the same power and the same control over minds
now, only it has increased a hundredfold by exercise and experience.
Men and women today are deceived, blinded by his insinuations and
devices, and know it not. By giving place to doubts and unbelief in
regard to the work of God, and by cherishing feelings of distrust and
cruel jealousies, they are preparing themselves for complete deception.
They rise up with bitter feelings against the ones who dare to speak of
their errors and reprove their sins.
Those who have in the fear of God ventured out to faithfully meet
error and sin, calling sin by its right name, have discharged a disagree-
able duty with much suffering of feelings to themselves; but they get
the sympathy of but few and suffer the neglect of many. The sympa-
thizers are on the wrong side, and they carry out the purposes of Satan
to defeat the design of God.
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Reproofs always hurt human nature. Many are the souls that have
been destroyed by the unwise sympathy of their brethren; for, because
the brethren sympathized with them, they thought they must indeed
have been abused, and that the reprover was all wrong and had a bad
spirit. The only hope for sinners in Zion is to fully see and confess
their wrongs, and put them away. Those who step in to destroy the
edge of sharp reproof that God sends, saying that the reprover was