Nature and Influence of the “Testimonies”
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and they seemed to be burdened. They were importuning the Lord
for special light. A few seemed to be in agony of spirit; their feelings
were intense; with tears they were crying aloud for help and light. Our
most prominent brethren were engaged in this most impressive scene.
Brother A was prostrated upon the floor, apparently in deep distress.
His wife was sitting among a company of indifferent scorners. She
looked as though she desired all to understand that she scorned those
who were thus humiliating themselves.
“I dreamed that the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and I arose
amid cries and prayers, and said: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon
me. I feel urged to say to you that you must commence to work
individually for yourselves. You are looking to God and desiring Him
to do the work for you which He has left for you to do. If you will do
the work for yourselves which you know that you ought to do, then
God will help you when you need help. You have left undone the very
things which God has left for you to do. You have been calling upon
God to do your work. Had you followed the light which He has given
you, then He would cause more light to shine upon you; but while you
neglect the counsels, warnings, and reproofs that have been given, how
can you expect God to give you more light and blessings to neglect
and despise? God is not as man; He will not be trifled with.
“I took the precious Bible and surrounded it with the several Tes-
timonies for the Church, given for the people of God. Here, said I,
the cases of nearly all are met. The sins they are to shun are pointed
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out. The counsel that they desire can be found here, given for other
cases situated similarly to themselves. God has been pleased to give
you line upon line and precept upon precept. But there are not many
of you that really know what is contained in the Testimonies. You are
not familiar with the Scriptures. If you had made God’s word your
study, with a desire to reach the Bible standard and attain to Christian
perfection, you would not have needed the Testimonies. It is because
you have neglected to acquaint yourselves with God’s inspired Book
that He has sought to reach you by simple, direct testimonies, calling
your attention to the words of inspiration which you had neglected to
obey, and urging you to fashion your lives in accordance with its pure
and elevated teachings.
“The Lord designs to warn you, to reprove, to counsel, through
the testimonies given, and to impress your minds with the importance