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To Brethren in Responsible Positions
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And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who
shall give you that which is your own?”
But if those whom the Lord has made stewards regard their
treasures as His gifts and seek to manifest compassion, sympathy,
and love for their fellowmen, they are in harmony with the character
of God, who gave His only-begotten Son to die for their salvation.
If they value the souls of the human race according to the price paid
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for their redemption, they will not work out their natural impulses,
but will manifest the attributes of the mind and will of God, and will
be channels through which God’s generous, loving sentiments may
flow to humanity.
The Office of Misfortune and Adversity
The Lord has permitted misfortunes to come to men, poverty to
press upon them, adversity to try them, that He may thus test those
whom He has placed in more favored circumstances; and if those to
whom He has entrusted His goods are faithful, He declares them to
be worthy to walk with Him in white, to become kings and priests
unto God. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in
much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envies, and all evilspeakings, as newborn babes,
desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so
be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as
unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God,
and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,
an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture,
Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he
that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore
which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient,
the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head
of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even
to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto
also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
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priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show