Ministerial Ethics
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this matter by any means. It would do injustice to the whole cause of
God. It would create impure thoughts in the minds of many even to
hear these things repeated. Defile not the lips even by communicating
this to your wife, to make her ashamed and bow her head in sorrow.
Go to God and to the brethren who know this terrible chapter in your
experience and say what you have to say, then let prayer be offered to
God in your behalf. Cultivate sobriety. Walk carefully and prayerfully
before God. Acquire moral stamina by saying, “I will not dishonor my
Redeemer.”—
Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce,
128
.
Practical religion leads its possessor to control the affections—
You may intelligently believe the truth, but the work is still before
you to bring every action of your life and every emotion of your heart
into harmony with your faith. The prayer of Christ for His disciples
just prior to His crucifixion was: “Sanctify them through Thy truth:
Thy word is truth.” The influence of the truth should affect not merely
the understanding, but the heart and life. Genuine, practical religion
will lead its possessor to control his affections.—
Testimonies for the
Church 4:371
.
Sin is sin even when the seducer is a minister—If the sisters
were elevated and possessing purity of heart, any corrupt advances,
even from their minister, would be repulsed with such positiveness as
would never need a repetition. Minds must be terribly befogged by
Satan when they can listen to the voice of the seducer because he is a
minister, and therefore break God’s plain and positive commands and
flatter themselves that they commit no sin. Have we not the words of
John: “He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not his commandments,
is a liar, and the truth is not in him”? What saith the law? “Thou shalt
not commit adultery.” When a man professing to keep God’s holy law,
and ministering in sacred things, takes advantage of the confidence
his position gives him and seeks to indulge his base passions, this fact
should of itself be sufficient to make a woman professing godliness
to see that, although his profession is as exalted as the heavens, an
impure proposal coming from him is from Satan disguised as an angel
of light. I cannot believe that the Word of God is abiding in the hearts
[60]
of those who so readily yield up their innocency and virtue upon the
altar of lustful passions.—
Testimonies for the Church 2:457, 458
.