Criticism and Its Effects
225
The Envious Man Sees No Good in Others
We are not to allow our perplexities and disappointments to eat
into our souls and make us fretful and impatient. Let there be no strife,
no evil thinking or evil-speaking, lest we offend God. My brother, if
you open your heart to envy and evil surmising, the Holy Spirit cannot
abide with you. Seek for the fullness that is in Christ. Labor in His
lines. Let every thought and word and deed reveal Him. You need a
daily baptism of the love that in the days of the apostles made them
all of one accord. This love will bring health to body, mind, and soul.
Surround your soul with an atmosphere that will strengthen spiritual
life. Cultivate faith, hope, courage, and love. Let the peace of God
rule in your heart
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
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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.
The envious man diffuses poison wherever he goes, alienating
friends and stirring up hatred and rebellion against God and man. He
seeks to be thought best and greatest, not by putting forth heroic, self-
denying efforts to reach the goal of excellence himself, but by standing
where he is and diminishing the merit due to the efforts of others.
The tongue that delights in mischief, the babbling tongue that says,
Report, and I will report it, is declared by the apostle James to be
set on fire of hell. It scatters firebrands on every side. What cares
the vendor of gossip that he defames the innocent? He will not stay
his evil work, though he destroy hope and courage in those who are
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Testimonies for the Church 8:191