True Benevolence
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brother’s eye while there is a beam obstructing your own vision. God
does not wish you to make your conscience a criterion for others. You
have a duty to perform, which is to make yourself cheerful, and to
cultivate unselfishness in your feelings until it will be your greatest
pleasure to make all around you happy.
Both of you need to soften your hearts and be imbued with the
Spirit of Christ, that you may, while living in an atmosphere of cheer-
fulness and benevolence, help those about you to be healthy and happy
also. You have imagined that cheerfulness was not in accordance with
the religion of Christ. This is a mistake. We may have true Christian
dignity and at the same time be cheerful and pleasant in our deport-
ment. Cheerfulness without levity is one of the Christian graces. You
should guard against taking narrow views of religion, or you will limit
your influence and become an unfaithful steward of God.
Forbear reprimanding and censuring. You are not adapted to re-
prove. Your words only wound and sadden; they do not cure and
reform. You should overcome the habit of picking at little things that
you think amiss. Be broad, be generous and charitable in your judg-
ment of people and things. Open your hearts to the light. Remember
that Duty has a twin sister, Love; these united can accomplish almost
everything, but separated, neither is capable of good.
It is right that you should both cherish integrity and be true to
your sense of right. The straight path of duty should be yours from
choice. The love of property, the love of pleasure and friendship,
should never influence you to sacrifice one principle of right. You
should be firm in following the dictates of an enlightened conscience,
and your convictions of duty; but you should guard against bigotry and
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prejudice. Do not run into a pharisaical spirit.
You are now sowing seed in the great field of life, and that which
you now sow you will one day reap. Every thought of your mind,
every emotion of your soul, every word of your tongue, every act you
perform, is seed that will bear fruit for good or evil. The reaping time
is not far distant. All our works are passing in review before God. All
our actions and the motives which prompted them are to be open for
the inspection of angels and of God.
As far as possible, you should come into harmony with your
brethren and sisters. You should surrender yourselves to God and
cease to manifest sternness and a disposition to find fault. You should