130
Daughters of God
of children will so preoccupy the mind that Christ and His work will
be neglected. The strongest earthly affection would be awakened,
the mother for her children, which would make the work of God all
secondary; and thus Satan would obstruct the path of usefulness the
Lord had pointed out.
Oh, could you both have seen that the truth, the truth of God, the
salvation of souls, is something stronger, deeper, and more constraining
than even the love of a mother for her sons! No selfishness must come
in to mar the work of God. Self-denial may be agonizing to the flesh,
but the better portion, religion, must take the helm. Truth and love for
Christ must occupy the citadel of the soul. There is God enthroned,
there is conscience obeyed, and God would have given you a place in
His house better than of sons and of daughters.
The Lord has given Adelia superior talents. Exercised in the work
of winning souls to Jesus, they would have been wholly successful.
The plain, sweet, elevating manner of teaching would have brought
many sons and daughters to Jesus Christ. The light would flash from
the throne of God to her mind and be reflected upon others.
But the enemy took the field and his suggestions were followed.
You entered upon a work which God could not and did not approve.
A way was contrived by the enemy to strike at you both and block
your way. Adelia was a timid soul, feeling pain deeply, easily discour-
aged. That imagination which, if devoted to and exercised upon the
truth, would have become a power for God, was now to be used as a
hindrance, easily excited in a wrong direction to forebode evil, to see
[140]
things in a distorted light, to feel that there is danger when there is
none, to distrust God, to distrust her husband.
She had her own ideas about managing her case. No one would be
accepted but her husband. There was but little faith and but little trust
in God. Satan could control her feelings so as to make it a necessity
for her husband to be with her and for her to feel aggrieved if he was
not a present help. Imagination made light sufferings seem at times
very earnest and acute. The minds of both were preoccupied in their
new experience. The work in the conference was woefully neglected.
The minister’s labor was but little after the pulpit effort. Sometimes
there was greater neglect than others, and Satan had things very much
his own way. Neither of you have a sense of your neglect of duty.
The very time you were so fully preoccupied with your own troubles,