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Testimonies for the Church Volume 3
because it would not increase their possessions as much as some more
lucrative business.
There is not that talent in our office that there should be. The work
demands the choicest and most select persons to engage in it. With
the present state of things in the office my husband will still feel the
pressure that he has felt, but which he should no longer bear. It is only
by a miracle of God’s mercy that he has stood under the burden so long.
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But there are now many things to be considered. By his persevering
care and devotion to the work he has shown what may be done in the
publishing department. Men with unselfish interests combined with
sanctified judgment may make the work at the office a success. My
husband has so long borne the burden alone that it has told fearfully
upon his strength, and there is a positive necessity for a change. He
must be relieved from care to a great degree, and yet he can work in
the cause of God in speaking and writing.
When we returned from Kansas in the autumn of 1870, both of us
should have had a period of rest. Weeks of freedom from care were
necessary to bring up our exhausted energies. But when we found the
important post at Battle Creek nearly deserted, we felt compelled to
take hold of the work with double energies, and labored beyond our
strength. I was shown that my husband should stand there no longer
unless there are men who will feel the wants of the cause and bear
the burdens of the work, while he shall simply act as a counselor. He
must lay the burden down, for God has an important work for him to
do in writing and speaking the truth. Our influence in laboring in the
wide field will tell more for the upbuilding of the cause of God. There
is a great amount of prejudice in many minds. False statements have
placed us in a wrong position before the people, and this stands in
the way of many embracing the truth. If they are made to believe that
those who occupy responsible positions in the work at Battle Creek
are designing and fanatical they conclude that the entire work is wrong
and that our views of Bible truth must be incorrect, and they fear to
investigate and receive the truth. But we are not to go forth to call the
people to look to us; we are not generally to speak of ourselves and
vindicate our characters; but we are to speak the truth, exalt the truth,
speak of Jesus, exalt Jesus, and this, attended by the power of God,
will remove prejudice and disarm opposition.
Brethren R and S love to write; so does my husband. And God has
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