Basic HTML Version
294
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers
to control, to purge from guile and every species of selfishness and
hypocrisy.
The High-Handed Power
The high-handed power that has been developed, as though po-
sition has made men gods, makes me afraid, and ought to cause
fear. It is a curse wherever and by whomsoever it is exercised. This
lording it over God’s heritage will create such a disgust of man’s
jurisdiction that a state of insubordination will result. The people
are learning that men in high positions of responsibility cannot be
trusted to mold and fashion other men’s mind and characters. The
result will be a loss of confidence even in the management of faithful
men. But the Lord will raise up laborers who realize their own noth-
ingness without special help from God. Age after age Jesus has been
delivering His goods to His church. At the time of the first advent of
Christ to our world, the men who composed the Sanhedrin exercised
their authority in controlling men according to their will. Thus the
souls whom Christ had given His life to free from the bondage of
Satan were brought under bondage to him in another form.
Do we individually realize our true position, that as God’s hired
servants we are not to bargain away our stewardship? We have an
[362]
individual accountability before the heavenly universe, to administer
the trust committed us of God. Our own hearts are to be stirred.
Our hands are to have something to impart of the income that God
entrusts to us. The humblest of us may be agents for God, using
our gifts for His name’s glory. He who improves his talents to the
best of his ability may present to God his offering as a consecrated
gift that shall be as fragrant incense before Him. It is the duty of
everyone to see that his talents are turned to advantage as a gift that
he must return, having done his best to improve it.
The spirit of domination is extending to the presidents of our
conferences. If a man is sanguine of his own powers and seeks to
exercise dominion over his brethren, feeling that he is invested with
authority to make his will the ruling power, the best and only safe
course is to remove him, lest great harm be done and he lose his
own soul and imperil the souls of others. “All ye are brethren.” This
disposition to lord it over God’s heritage will cause a reaction unless