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Testimonies for the Church Volume 5
Elder M, as president of the-----Conference, you have shown by
your general management that you are unworthy of the trust reposed in
you. You have shown that you are conservative, and that your ideas are
narrow. You have not done one half what you might have done had you
had the true spirit of the work. You might have been far more capable
and experienced than you now are; you might have been far better
prepared to manage successfully this sacred and important mission—a
work which would have given you the strongest claim to the general
confidence of our people. But, like the other ministering brethren in
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your state, you have failed to advance with the opening providence of
God; you have not shown that the Holy Spirit was deeply impressing
your heart, so that God could speak through you to His people. If
in this crisis you do anything to strengthen doubt and distrust in the
churches of your state, anything that will prevent the people from
engaging heartily in this work, God will hold you responsible. Has
God given you unmistakable evidence that the brethren of your state
are excused from the responsibility of putting their arms about the city
of-----as Christ has put His arms about them? If you were standing in
the light, you would encourage this mission by your faith.
You need to drink deep of the streams of grace and salvation before
you can lead others to the Fountain of living waters. Holding the office
of president of a conference, with the experience and influence that this
office gives, instead of discouraging the people you should have urged
them to new exertion, to bear weightier responsibilities. There are
special duties devolving upon men in responsible positions; there are
laborious efforts to be made which it would be convenient to neglect.
But when the shepherds are negligent of duty, may the Lord pity the
poor sheep.
Your work, my brother, does not show that you have realized that
your obligations are sacred and weighty. I have been shown that you
are capable of doing much better work than you have done, and that
God requires more and better work at your hands. He requires integrity
and faithfulness. The work of saving souls is the highest and noblest
ever entrusted to mortal man; and you should allow nothing to come
in between you and this sacred work to absorb your mind and confuse
your judgment. One standing in the responsible position that you
occupy should make eternal interests first, and temporal matters of
secondary importance. You are an ambassador for Christ; and you