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Counsels for the Church
An Illustration of Bringing About Unity
Years ago, when the company of believers in the soon coming of
Christ was very small, the Sabbathkeepers at Topsham, Maine, met
for worship in the large kitchen in the home of Brother Stockbridge
Howland. One Sabbath morning Brother Howland was absent. We
were surprised at this, because he was always so punctual. Soon he
came in, his face aglow, shining with the glory of God. “Brethren,”
he said, “I have found it. I have found that we can pursue a course
of action regarding which the guarantee of God’s word is: ‘Ye shall
never fall.’ I am going to tell you about it.”
He then told us that he had noticed that one brother, a poor fisher-
man, had been feeling that he was not as highly respected as he ought
to be and that Brother Howland and others thought themselves above
him. This was not true, but it seemed true to him; and for several
weeks he had not attended the meetings. So Brother Howland went
to his house and knelt before him, saying: “My brother, forgive me.
What is it that I have done?” The man took him by the arm and tried
to raise him to his feet. “No,” said Brother Howland, “what have you
against me?” “I have nothing against you.” “But you must have,” said
Brother Howland, “because once we could speak to one another, but
now you do not speak to me at all, and I want to know what is the
matter.”
“Get up, Brother Howland,” he said. “No,” said Brother Howland,
“I will not.” “Then I must get down,” he said, and he fell on his knees,
and confessed how childish he had been and how many evil surmisings
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he had cherished. “And now,” he said, “I will put them all away.”
As Brother Howland told this story, his face shone with the glory
of the Lord. Just as he had finished, the fisherman and his family came
in, and we had an excellent meeting. Suppose that some of us should
follow the course pursued by Brother Howland. If when our brethren
surmise evil, we would go to them, saying, “Forgive me if I have done
anything to harm you,” we might break the spell of Satan and set our
brethren free from their temptations. Do not let anything interpose
between you and your brethren. If there is anything that you can do by
sacrifice to clear away the rubbish of suspicion, do it. God wants us to
love one another as brethren. He wants us to be pitiful and courteous.