Chapter 58—Dangers of the Young
Brother D,
My prayers are ascending to God for you, and my love for your soul
leads me to write to you again. I feel deeply grieved over your case,
not that I look upon you as persecuted, but as a deceived, misguided
man, who has not Christ’s likeness in his soul, and who is deceiving
himself to his certain ruin.
If you had the cause of God at heart you would see that your
brethren have done only their duty in their action toward you. You
speak of going to-----and showing that you can be a man. All that is
asked of you by those in responsible places at the office is that you
show yourself a man just where you are; that you do not degrade your-
self by associating with sinners; and that you do not unite with them
in evil practices. Cease sympathizing with yourself, and remember
the world’s Redeemer. Consider the infinite sacrifice He has made
in behalf of man, and then think of His disappointment that, after
He has made such a sacrifice in man’s behalf, man should choose to
ally himself with those who hate Christ and righteousness, and should
become one with them in the indulgence of perverted appetite, thus
bringing eternal ruin to his soul.
But you have heard me say all these things; you have read them,
as I have written to you, and yet they have not affected your heart and
life. You have set your heart against good and opened it to evil. You
have placed yourself in the enemy’s way and have had no hold upon
God to enable you to resist his temptations. Suppose you do sever all
connection with-----through a revengeful spirit, because your brethren
have told you the truth; whom will it injure, you or them? You will
grieve them by so doing, but the work will go on just the same. God
is raising up workers on every hand; He is not dependent on you or
any other man to do His work. If your heart is not pure, if your hands
are not clean in His sight, He cannot work with you. He wants you to
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have truth in your heart and life, interwoven with your character.
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