Testimonies for the Church Vol 1 - Lansing SDA Church

224 Testimonies for the Church Volume 1[232]stepped in and controlled matters as he pleased. Reason and healthwere sacrificed to this delusion.God does not require His people to imitate Baal’s prophets, toafflict their bodies and cry out and shout, and throw themselves intoalmost every attitude, having no regard for order, until their strengthfails through sheer exhaustion. Religion does not consist in makinga noise; yet when the soul is filled with the Spirit of the Lord, sweet,heartfelt praise to God glorifies Him. Some have professed to havegreat faith in God, and to have special gifts and special answers to theirprayers, although the evidence was lacking. They mistook presumptionfor faith. The prayer of faith is never lost; but to claim that it will bealways answered in the very way and for the particular thing we haveexpected, is presumption.When the servants of God visited-----and-----, this delusion wassifted. Evidence was given that this work was spurious. But the spiritof fanaticism was stubborn, and would not yield to the light theregiven. Oh, that those who were in error had been corrected by God’sservants whom He sent to them! Then and there God wished themto acknowledge that they had been led by a wrong spirit. Then therewould have been virtue in the confession of their wrongs. Then theywould have been saved any further following out of Satan’s plans, andwould have made no further progress in this dreadful delusion. Butthey would not be convinced. Brother G had sufficient light to takehis stand against that fanatical work; but he would not decide from theweight of evidence. His stubborn spirit refused to yield to the lightbrought him by the servants of God; for he had regarded them withsuspicion, and watched them with a jealous eye.I saw that the greater the light which the people reject, the greaterwill be the power of deception and darkness which will come uponthem. The rejection of truth leaves men captives, the subjects ofSatan’s deception. After the Conferences at-----and-----, the subjectsof this delusion were left to still greater darkness, to enter deeper intothis strong delusion, and bring upon the cause of God a stain whichwould not soon be wiped away. A fearful responsibility is restingupon Brother G. While professing to be a shepherd he suffered thedevourer to enter the flock, and looked on while the sheep were tornand devoured. God’s frown is upon him. He has not watched for soulsas one who must give account.