Testimonies for the Church Volume 1 - A New You Ministry

judgment, they allowed their feelings to take the lead. They were ready to becomemartyrs for their faith. Did all this feeling lead them to God? to greater humility beforeHim? Did it lead them to trust in His power to deliver them from the trying positioninto which they might be brought? Oh, no! Instead of making their petitions to the Godof heaven and relying solely upon His power, they petitioned the legislature and wererefused. They showed their weakness and exposed their lack of faith. All this onlyserved to bring that peculiar class, Sabbathkeepers, into special notice, and exposethem to be crowded into difficult places by those who have no sympathy for them.Some have been holding themselves ready to find fault and complain at anysuggestion made. But few have had wisdom in this most trying time to think withoutprejudice and candidly tell what shall be done. I saw that those who have been forwardto talk so decidedly about refusing to obey a draft do not understand what they aretalking about. Should they really be drafted and, refusing to obey, be threatened withimprisonment, torture, or death, they would shrink and then find that they had notprepared themselves for such an emergency. They would not endure the trial of theirfaith. What they thought to be faith was only fanatical presumption.Those who would be best prepared to sacrifice even life, if required, rather thanplace themselves in a position where they could not obey God, would have the least tosay. They would make no boast. They would feel deeply and meditate much, and theirearnest prayers would go up to heaven for wisdom to act and grace to endure. Thosewho feel that in the fear of God they cannot conscientiously engage in this war willbe very quiet, and when interrogated will simply state what they are obliged to say inorder to answer the inquirer, and then let it be understood that they have no sympathywith the Rebellion.357