Testimonies for the Church Vol 1 - Lansing SDA Church

Communications to Elder Hull 405and out, a mighty influence would attend your preaching. You donot closely search your own heart. You have studied many worksto make your discourses thorough, able, and pleasing; but you haveneglected the greatest and most necessary study, the study of yourself.A thorough knowledge of yourself, meditation and prayer, have comein as secondary things. Your success as a minister depends uponyour keeping your own heart. You will receive more strength byspending one hour each day in meditation, and in mourning overyour failings and heart corruptions and pleading for God’s pardoning [434]love and the assurance of sins forgiven, than you would by spendingmany hours and days in studying the most able authors, and makingyourself acquainted with every objection to our faith, and with themost powerful evidences in its favor.The reason why our preachers accomplish so little is that they donot walk with God. He is a day’s journey from most of them. The moreclosely you watch your own heart, the more watchful and guarded youwill be, lest by your words or acts you dishonor the truth, give occasionfor the tongue of slander to follow you and the truth, and cause soulsto be lost through your neglect of self-examination, of heart study,and of vital godliness. The holy deportment of the minister of Christshould be a rebuke to vain, frothy professors. The beams of truthand holiness shining from your serious, heavenly conversation willconvict others and lead them to the truth, and those around you will becompelled to say, God is with this man, of a truth. It is the carelessnessand looseness of professed ministers of Christ that gives them so littleinfluence. There are many professors, but there are few praying men.If our preachers were men who prayed more in secret, who carriedtheir preaching into practice in their families, who ruled their houseswith dignity and gravity, their light would indeed shine to those aroundthem.Brother Hull, I have been shown that if you would dedicate yourselfto God, hold communion with Him, meditate much, watch yourfailings, mourn and lament before the Lord in the deepest humilityon account of them, relying upon Him for strength, you would be inthe most profitable business in which you were ever engaged; for youwould be drinking at a living fountain, and could then give others todrink from that same fountain which revived and strengthened you.