Testimonies for the Church Volume 1 - A New You Ministry

individual wrongs. God is correcting, and proving, and purifying His people. Standout of the way that His work be not hindered. He will not accept a smooth testimony.Ministers must cry aloud, and spare not. The Lord has given you a powerful testimony,calculated to strengthen the church and arouse unbelievers. But these things whereinyou lack must be corrected, or your testimony will become powerless, and yourinfluence injure the cause of God. The people look to you for an example. Do notmislead them. Let your influence be to correct wrongs in your family and in thechurch.”I have been shown that the Lord is reviving the living, pointed testimony, whichwill develop character and purify the church. But while we are commanded to separatefrom the world, it is not necessary that we become coarse and rough, and descend tocommon expressions, and make our remarks as rude as possible. The truth is designedto elevate the receiver, to refine his taste and sanctify his judgment. There should bea continual effort to imitate the society we expect soon to join; namely, angels of Godwho have never fallen by sin. The character should be holy, the manners comely, thewords without guile, and thus should we follow on step by step until we are fitted fortranslation.*****Chap. 40 - Duty to ChildrenI have been shown that parents generally have not taken a proper course with theirchildren. They have not restrained them as they should, but have left them to indulgein pride, and follow their own inclinations. Anciently, parental authority was regarded;children were then in subjection to their parents, and feared and reverenced them; butin these last days the order is reversed. Some parents are in subjection to their children.They fear to cross the will of their children,216