14 Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists
whether they are in union with their brethren or not; for those who do
not learn to live in harmony here will never be united in heaven.
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the
saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature
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of the fullness of Christ.” God is seeking through his prophets and
apostles to make us perfect; but if we would become perfect men and
women in Christ, we must “come in the unity of the faith.”
Some have a natural independence which leads them to think more
highly of their own judgment than of that of their brethren. In so
doing they place themselves where they fail to obtain much knowledge
that God would have them gain. The history of God’s work in the
past shows that some have an understanding of one thing, others of
another. It is his plan that there should be a counseling together. In the
multitude of counselors there is safety. There should be harmony in
sentiment and action among the workers. Doctrines and plans should
be compared with the law and the testimony. We should never feel
too independent to learn of one another. While it is not according to
God’s plan that one man’s mind shall control all other minds, he is not
pleased to have individuals strike out on a new track, and present new
theories independent of the body.
As ministers, as the church of Christ, labor to be in harmony among
yourselves, to be one in heart, one in sympathy. If you cannot all see
alike on every subject, do not allow hard feelings to arise. When the
cause was young, if there was one who did not view some point of truth
as the body viewed it, a day of fasting and prayer was observed. We
did not then try to see how far apart we could get; but we prayed, and
searched the Scriptures until the light of truth illuminated the darkened
mind, and all could see eye to eye.
The truth is a unit, so powerful that our enemies cannot controvert
it. Therefore they try to excite jealousies, to create variance, among
brethren, that they may be led to separate their affections from God
and from one another, In unity there is strength. In Luther’s time
it was considered a great misfortune when differences arose among
the believers, because it strengthened the opposition of their enemies.
There was a time when the Reformation was carrying everything