Testimonies for the Church Vol 1 - Lansing SDA Church

Jealousy and Faultfinding 299to God’s people. Had you esteemed yourself less, you would have hadless jealousy and suspicion.Brother G, had you fully united with the body, and stood in unionand sympathy with those whom God has seen fit to place at the headof the work; had you accepted the gifts which God has placed inthe church, and committed yourself fully in regard to them; had youestablished yourself decidedly upon all points of present truth, anddrawn in even cords with those of experience in the cause, you andyours would have been perfectly free and safe from this delusion. Youwould have had an anchor which would have held you. But you havetaken an indefinite position, fearing that you would gratify those whosewhole soul was in the work and cause of God. God requires you tostand firmly, decidedly, upon the platform with your brethren. God andholy angels were displeased with your course, and would bear withyour folly no longer. You were left to follow your own judgment whichyou had so highly esteemed, until you should wish to be taught, andwithout jealous, stubborn feelings, without complaining or censuringothers, learn of those who have felt the burden and weight of the causeof God. You have been reaching out for an original position of yourown, seeking to lead out independent of the body, where you would beapproved and exalted, until I saw that God had given you up to manageand manifest that wisdom you thought superior to others, and you wereleft to your blind judgment to figure in the most unreasonable, foolish,wild fanaticism that ever cursed Wisconsin.And yet I was shown that you did not realize the influence of yourpast course upon the cause, and your present position and duty inregard to that fanaticism. Instead of working with all your energy to [313]free yourself and counteract the influence you exerted, you came upout of all this excusing yourself and censuring those whom God sentto you, and ready to dictate, and even to suggest a plan whereby theLord might have arrested you by His servants pursuing some differentcourse from that which they did pursue. Your judgment was pervertedby Satan’s power, and while enshrouded in darkness you were anincompetent judge of the best course to be pursued toward you. If youknew just what course the servants of God ought to pursue in order tohelp you, you knew enough to come out yourself. God gave you yourchoice, to be taught, to be instructed through His servants in His own