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Testimonies for the Church Volume 5
repenteth, His joy is greater than over the ninety and nine who need
no repentance.
These lessons are for our benefit. Christ has enjoined upon His
disciples that they co-operate with Him in His work, that they love one
another as He has loved them. The agony which He endured upon the
cross testifies to the estimate He places upon the human soul. All who
accept this great salvation pledge themselves to be co-workers with
Him. None are to consider themselves special favorites of heaven and
center their interest and attention upon self. All who have enlisted in
the service of Christ are to work as He worked, and are to love those
who are in ignorance and sin, even as He loved them.
But there has been among us as a people a lack of deep, earnest,
soul-touching sympathy and love for the tempted and the erring. Many
have manifested great coldness and sinful neglect, represented by
Christ as passing by on the other side, keeping as far as possible
from those who most need help. The newly converted soul often has
fierce conflicts with established habits or with some special form of
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temptation, and, being overcome by some master passion or tendency,
he is guilty of indiscretion or actual wrong. It is then that energy, tact,
and wisdom are required of his brethren, that he may be restored to
spiritual health. In such cases the instructions of God’s word apply:
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
restore such an one in a spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest
thou also be tempted.” “We then that are strong ought to bear the
infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” But how little
of the pitying tenderness of Christ is manifested by His professed
followers! When one errs, others too often feel at liberty to make
the case appear as bad as possible. Those who perhaps are guilty of
fully as great sins in some other direction, will treat their brother with
cruel severity. Errors committed through ignorance, thoughtlessness,
or weakness are exaggerated into willful, premeditated sin. As they
see souls going astray, some fold their hands and say: “I told you so.
I knew there was no dependence to be placed upon them.” Thus they
place themselves in the attitude of Satan, exulting in spirit that their
evil surmisings have proved to be correct.
We must expect to meet and bear with great imperfections in those
who are young and inexperienced. Christ has bidden us seek to restore
such in the spirit of meekness, and He holds us responsible for pursuing