Testimonies for the Church Vol 1 - Lansing SDA Church

Husband’s Position 649God would have you, while things remain as they now are. You willnever be established, strengthened, and settled until you allow yourwife to take the position a wife should. While she occupies her properplace, respect her judgment, consult with her in regard to your plans,but be very cautious about taking it for granted that her judgment isas the judgment of God. Consult with your brethren upon whom Godhas seen fit to lay the burden of the work. Had you thus advised withthose whose counsel you should have sought, you would not havecommitted so great an error, so sad a blunder, as you did in the caseof E. God’s cause was wounded and reproached in this case. Yourwife thought she had light in this case; but her impressions were notof God, but of the enemy, because he saw that you could be affectedin this direction. Your trusting so completely to your wife’s judgmentis contrary to heaven’s arrangement. Satan has designed in this way [710]to cut you off, in a great measure, from the influence of your fellowlaborers and your brethren in general.You have had trials that you would not have had if you had notconsidered your wife in a position where God has not placed her. Youhave too implicit confidence in her judgment and wisdom. She hasnot been consecrated to God, therefore her judgment has not beenconsecrated. She is not a happy woman, and the unhappy train hermind has taken has greatly injured her physical and mental health.Satan has designed to unsettle you and cause your brethren to loseconfidence in your judgment. Satan is seeking to overthrow you.When God specially calls your wife to the work of teaching the truth,then should you lean to her counsel and advice, and confide in herinstructions. God may give you both, as possessing an equal interestin and devotion to the work, equal qualifications to act a prominentpart in the most solemn work of saving souls. The great work beforeher is to be diligent in making her calling and election sure, to ceasewatching others, and now begin the work to be very jealous of herself.She should seek to bless others by her godly example, her cheerfulness,fortitude, courage, faith, hopefulness, joy, in that perfect trust, thatconfidence in God, which will be the result of sanctification throughthe truth. An entire conformity to the will of God she must have.Christ says to her: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thyheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first andgreat commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love