Testimonies for the Church Volume 1 - A New You Ministry

Belial. The nonresurrection of the wicked and their peculiar views of the age to comeare gross errors which Satan has worked in among the last-day heresies to serve hisown purpose to ruin souls. These errors can have no harmony with the message ofheavenly origin.Some of these persons have exercises which they call gifts and say that the Lordhas placed them in the church. They have an unmeaning gibberish which they callthe unknown tongue, which is unknown not only by man but by the Lord and allheaven. Such gifts are manufactured by men and women, aided by the great deceiver.Fanaticism, false excitement, false talking in tongues, and noisy exercises have beenconsidered gifts which God has placed in the church. Some have been deceivedhere. The fruits of all this have not been good. “Ye shall know them by their fruits.”Fanaticism and noise have been considered special evidences of faith. Some are notsatisfied with a meeting unless they have a powerful and happy time. They work forthis and get up an excitement of feeling. But the influence of such meetings is notbeneficial. When the happy flight of feeling is gone, they sink lower than beforethe meeting because their happiness did not come from the right source. The mostprofitable meetings for spiritual advancement are those which are characterized withsolemnity and deep searching of heart; each seeking to know himself, and earnestly,and in deep humility, seeking to learn of Christ.Brother Lunt of Portland, Maine, has suffered much in his feelings. He has felt thatthe spirit which often ruled in their meetings was not in harmony with the message ofthe third angel. He has had an experience in the fanaticism which has left desolationin the East, and this leads him to look with suspicion upon everything which appearslike fanaticism. He has the past before him as a warning and has felt like keeping alooffrom, and speaking plainly with, those who had any412