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Testimonies for the Church Volume 5
Hence the difficulty of giving wise counsel. What may appear to us to
be appropriate, may, in reality, be quite the reverse.
Brother-----has been an earnest seeker after knowledge. He has
sought to impress upon the students that they are responsible for their
time, their talents, their opportunities. It is impossible for a man
to have so much care, and carry so heavy responsibilities, without
becoming hurried, weary, and nervous. Those who refuse to accept
burdens which will tax their strength to the utmost know nothing of
the pressure brought to bear upon those who must bear these burdens.
There are some in the college who have looked only for what has
been unfortunate and disagreeable in their acquaintance with Brother--
---. These persons have not that noble, Christlike spirit that thinketh
no evil. They have made the most of every inconsiderate word or act,
and have recalled these at a time when envy, prejudice, and jealousy
were active in unchristian hearts.
A writer has said that “envy’s memory is nothing but a row of
hooks to hang up grudges on.” There are many in the world who
consider it an evidence of superiority to recount the things and persons
that they “cannot bear,” rather than the things and persons that they
are attracted to. Not so did the great apostle. He exhorts his brethren:
“Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
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things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of
good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things.”
Envy is not merely a perverseness of temper, but a distemper,
which disorders all the faculties. It began with Satan. He desired to be
first in heaven, and because he could not have all the power and glory
he sought, he rebelled against the government of God. He envied our
first parents and tempted them to sin and thus ruined them and all the
human race.
The envious man shuts his eyes to the good qualities and noble
deeds of others. He is always ready to disparage and misrepresent that
which is excellent. Men often confess and forsake other faults, but
there is little to be hoped for from the envious man. Since to envy
a person is to admit that he is a superior, pride will not permit any
concession. If an attempt be made to convince the envious person of
his sin, he becomes even more bitter against the object of his passion,
and too often he remains incurable.