Testimonies for the Church Volume 1 - A New You Ministry

The weight and responsibility of this work lead to great carefulness, cause sleeplessnights, and call forth earnest, fervent, agonizing prayer to God. The Lord has ledmy husband forward to take one responsible position after another. Censure from hisbrethren wrings his soul with anguish, yet he must not falter in the work. Fellowlaborers having an appearance of godliness oppose every advance which God leadshim to make, and his precious time must be occupied in traveling from place toplace, laboring with distress of mind among the churches to undo what these professedbrethren have been doing. Poor mortals! They mistake matters; they have not a truesense of what constitutes a Christian. Those who have been thrust out to bear a plain,pointed testimony, in the fear of God to reprove wrong, to labor with all their energiesto build up God’s people, and to establish them upon important points of present truth,have too often received censure instead of sympathy and help, while those who, likeyourself, have taken a noncommittal position, are thought to be devoted, and to have amild spirit. God does not thus regard them. The forerunner of Christ’s first advent wasa very plain-spoken man. He rebuked sin, and called things by their right names. Helaid the ax at the root of the tree. He thus addressed one class of professed converts whocame to be baptized of him in Jordan: “O generation of vipers, who hath warned youto flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.... Andnow also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringethnot forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”In this fearful time, just before Christ is to come the second time, God’s faithfulpreachers will have to bear a still more pointed testimony than was borne by John theBaptist. A responsible, important work is before them; and those who speak smooththings, God will not acknowledge as His shepherds. A fearful woe is upon them.321