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Fanaticism and Noise No Evidence of Faith, July 4
Thanks be to God, I speak in tongues more than all of you; but in the
congregation I would rather speak five words intelligibly to instruct others
than a myriad of words in a tongue.
1 Corinthians 14:18, 19
, MLB.
Error must first be rooted up, then the soil is prepared for the good seed to
spring up and bear fruit to the glory of God.
The only remedy ... is thorough discipline and organization. A spirit of fanati-
cism has ruled a certain class of Sabbathkeepers ...; they have sipped but lightly at
the fountain of truth and are unacquainted with the spirit of the message of the third
angel. Nothing can be done for this class until their fanatical views are corrected.
Some who were in the 1854 movement have brought along with them erroneous
views, such as the non-resurrection of the wicked, and the future age, and they are
seeking to unite these views and their past experience with the message of the third
angel. They cannot do this; there is no concord between Christ and Belial.
The non-resurrection of the wicked and their peculiar views of the age to come
are gross errors which Satan has worked in among the last-day heresies to serve his
own purpose to ruin souls. These errors can have no harmony with the message of
heavenly origin.
Some of these persons have exercises which they call gifts and say that the Lord
has placed them in the church. They have an unmeaning gibberish which they call
the unknown tongue, which is unknown not only by human beings but by the Lord
and all heaven. Such gifts are manufactured by men and women, aided by the great
deceiver. Fanaticism, false excitement, false talking in tongues, and noisy exercises
have been considered gifts which God has placed in the church. Some have been
deceived here. The fruits of all this have not been good. “Ye shall know them by
their fruits.”
Fanaticism and noise have been considered special evidences of faith. Some are
not satisfied with a meeting unless they have a powerful and happy time. They work
for this and get up an excitement of feeling. But the influence of such meetings is
not beneficial. When the happy flight of feeling is gone, they sink lower than before
the meeting because their happiness did not come from the right source. The most
profitable meetings for spiritual advancement are those which are characterized
with solemnity and deep searching of heart; each seeking to know themselves, and
earnestly, and in deep humility, seeking to learn of Christ.—
Testimonies for the
Church 1:411, 412
.
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