The Medical Missionary, Vol. 15

1906

March 1906

“Medical Missionary Religious Liberty” The Medical Missionary, 15, 3, pp. 76-84.

ATJ

[The first Sunday night of each month there is regularly held a meeting of the Sanitarium family—the Helpers’ Meeting. Sunday night, February 4, Elder A. T. Jones spoke on the subject of religious liberty. The thoughts presented are so well worth permanent preservation and a wide circulation that we here present the greater part of the study. These are the principles that we entertain, and that we hope shall ever prevail, in the Sanitarium and all its work and workers.—EDITOR.] MEDM March 1906, page 76.1

WHAT we desire to-night is to have a fair, plain, open talk with the family. Recently there was read in the Tabernacle a testimony dated Jan. 12, 1906, and addressed to the “Brethren and Sisters in Battle Creek,” in which are several sentences that fitly introduce the subject which I desire you to study to-night. MEDM March 1906, page 76.2

“I wish to say to every soul, ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged, for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.’” MEDM March 1906, page 76.3

“In magnifying the Lord, be sure that do not condemn and make charges against others.” MEDM March 1906, page 76.4

“While we are to call error, error, and withstand delusive sentiments that will continue to come into our ranks to palsy the faith and assurance of the people of God, we are to make no tirade against men and women.” MEDM March 1906, page 76.5

I read these sentences to introduce the subject, and upon them to ask this question: Does it not seem very strange that people who have the Bible, who profess to be Christians, and to study the Bible and believe it, and to be acquainted with the Bible, should need to have such things as that said by a direct revelation from heaven? [Voice: “We do.”] The brother says, “We do, though.” Yes, there is no question of that. MEDM March 1906, page 76.6

And that is the thing that I wish to appeal to the family upon, that we get to the Bible, that we put ourselves upon the Bible, and let the Bible be our instruction. MEDM March 1906, page 76.7

Another thing that comes with that is this: Those who have done these unrighteous things have claimed that they were doing them out of loyalty to the testimonies. Thus the situation illustrates this truth: nobody can be loyal to the testimonies and go contrary to the Bible. Nobody can disobey the Scriptures and be loyal to the testimonies in doing it. No man can be loyal to the testimonies, and put himself on the ground of the testimonies, and stand for the testimonies, and in the doing of it violate the plain, everyday words and principles of the Bible. But that is what has been done in this situation, else this testimony never would have needed to be given. MEDM March 1906, page 76.8

And that is another thing that I wish to ask this family to get hold of and to hold fast: that the more loyal you want to be and the more loyal you are, and the most loyal that you can possibly be, to the testimonies, will only cause you to live more fully, more closely, and more truly every precept of the Bible. MEDM March 1906, page 76.9

And that brings me to this, that no person in the world can ever rightly and in loyalty to the testimonies, use them as club upon any soul on earth. And more, no person ever can, in loyalty to the testimonies, use any testimony to rein up another man and require that other man to answer to him, as to his standing on that testimony. MEDM March 1906, page 76.10

And that brings me to this: that every man’s faith stands between him and God alone; not between him and any other man, or any set of men. No man is ever answerable to any man or set of men for his belief on any question whatever, Bible or testimonies. The Scriptures say on that, “Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself, before God,”—not before some other man, nor before some set of men. You are to have it to yourself, and to yourself before God. And when any man by a question on the testimonies or on the Bible, or with the testimonies or with the Bible, puts himself in between you and God as to your faith, then in that he is putting himself in the place of God to you and your faith. He is usurping the place of God, and seeking to have you stand to him as if he were God and you were his servant, to worship and to serve him. I think that is plain enough. MEDM March 1906, page 77.1

And that brings me to this: “So then, every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” And again in the same chapter, “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make his stand.” MEDM March 1906, page 77.2

This brings me to the thought of religious liberty, which I wish to talk with you about to-night. MEDM March 1906, page 77.3

Shall we have religious liberty here, or not? Do you want it here or not? Every one of you wants religious liberty for yourself, and you want others to let you alone in that thing. And if you want religious liberty for the other man too, then will you let him alone on his faith, on what he believes as to this, that, or the other thing? MEDM March 1906, page 77.4

“By their fruits,” not by their faith, “shall ye know them.” Do you see the difference? The man’s faith lies between him and God. And as certainly as that faith is true, even though there be only so much of it as is compared in the Scriptures to the smoking flax, the fruits will correspond; and you will have no difficulty with that person. If his faith is not true, if he has none, if he thinks he has faith and hasn’t, and is making a mere pretense: then the fruits, his conduct, the things that he does, will be open, will be perfectly plain. And there is the place for you to speak to him—about his conduct, the wrong way of his life in things that he is acting and doing. But you will have nothing at all, night or day, by testimonies, Bible, or anything else, ever to do with his faith or with him concerning his faith. MEDM March 1906, page 77.5

You can never know where you are by trying to find out where some other man is. Where the other man is, has nothing to do with where I am. Neither can you ever inquire into the other man’s faith for his good, nor for his “soul’s salvation.” Why, brethren, do you not know full well that the other man’s “good” and his “soul’s salvation” was the sole aim of the Inquisition always? No heretic was ever tortured or burned at the stake but for his “good” and for his “soul’s salvation.” In many cases there may be a question as to whether the heretic was right or wrong; but with the inquisitor there is never any possible ground for any question; it is certain that in his inquisition he was always wrong. And so is every other inquisition, and every other inquisitor. MEDM March 1906, page 78.1

Now, that is the question in this family. And not only in this family; that is the question all over the United States, and it is fast reaching to the ends of the earth and all over the world. The question is, whether man shall dominate marl, whether man shall regulate a man’s faith, or whether God shall have his own place, and man be free, with God in his own place. MEDM March 1906, page 78.2

The question that I am asking you to consider is that fundamental question of all the ages, ever since sin entered into the universe; ever since Lucifer started to set himself up in the place of God and require that others should yield to him as to God,—the fundamental question from that moment in heaven until this hour has been, Shall God be God to man? or shall some man, or some combination of men, take the place of God by stepping in between the man and God, to dominate him and regulate his faith, and demand how he stands on this matter of faith, and that matter of religion, and so on? MEDM March 1906, page 78.3

You all know that that has been the greatest curse of all the ages; and you all know that in this time in which we live the greatest issue before the world is whether there shall be an image to that master-thing in this, the papacy, which, with the papacy, shall dominate all the earth, and compel all the world to accept the will, the dictates, and the mark of the beast. We all know that is going to be done and that we are to land eternally against it. MEDM March 1906, page 78.4

But now, brethren and sisters, such things as the making of the beast and the making of the image of the beast, do not come by a few. They do not come by a few doing the things that accomplish the evil. They come by the very spirit of things, in the age in which they are developed. And while you and I stand in this world as opposed to the making of the image to the beast, and opposed to the beast and his image, and his mark, and the number of his name, and all there is of it—while we stand thus in the world, opposed to all that, the reason that that thing is growing and developing so fast, is because of the very spirit of things that pervades the world in this age. And of all places in the world that spirit of things pervades this nation most in this age. And while we are opposing the making of the image of the beast, we must watch ourselves, even more strictly than we have been watching one another lately, lest we fall in with that pervading spirit, and against our own wishes be deceived into the very spirit of the beast and his image. That is the danger. MEDM March 1906, page 78.5

If that spirit of things of this age be partaken of by us, then the image of the beast could be made in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and among Seventh-day Adventists just as easily as elsewhere. And you and I are constantly to watch ourselves—not the other man—watch ourselves that we do not indulge, and are not partakers of that spirit at all, in any sense or in any degree, at any time or anywhere, or for any purpose on any occasion. MEDM March 1906, page 78.6

Now, allegiance to the Bible—each one holding fast to the Bible, courting the Bible, using the testimonies to more of the Bible,—not to know more of your brother—that is the only thing that becomes us now or ever. MEDM March 1906, page 78.7

In this I am not asking anybody to abandon the testimonies. I am calling everybody possible away from a perverse use of the testimonies, such as is referred to in the pages from which I read at the beginning of the meeting. MEDM March 1906, page 79.1

I will read some passages from a discourse by Sister White that was delivered in the library room of the College building in 1901, just the day before the General Conference of that year. It is too long to read the whole of it to-night. It was delivered to a room full of ministers:— MEDM March 1906, page 79.2

“You need not refer, not once, to Sister White. I don’t ask you to do it. God has told me that my testimony must be borne straight to this Conference, and that I am not to try to make a soul believe; that my work is to leave the truth with human minds and these, having found the truth in the word of God, will appreciate it, and will appreciate every ray of light that God has given for poor lame souls that they should not be turned out of the way. And I want you to make straight paths for your feet lest the lame be turned out of the way.” MEDM March 1906, page 79.3

Is that sufficient for you and me? Is it sufficient for you and me to leave the truth, even the truth of a testimony, with the person concerned? and leave him alone with God and the testimony? Is it? MEDM March 1906, page 79.4

Further: “Now for instance, some one may tell you that ‘Sister White does not eat meat; now I want you not to eat it, because Sister White does not eat it.’ Well, I would not care a farthing for anything like that; if you haven’t got any better conviction that you won’t eat meat than just because Sister White doesn’t eat it, I wouldn’t give one farthing for your health reform. But I want that every one of you shall stand on your individual dignity in your individual consecration to God, that the soul temple shall be dedicated to God. ‘If any man defile the temple of God, him s shall God destroy.’ Now I want you to see these things, and not to make any human being your criterion.” MEDM March 1906, page 79.5

Again: But don’t you quote Sister White. I don’t want you ever to quote Sister White until you can get your vantage ground where you know where you are. Quote the Bible. Talk the Bible. It is full of meat, full of fatness. Carry it right out in your life and ou will know more of the Bible than you do now. MEDM March 1906, page 79.6

Again: “I don’t ask him to take my word I don’t ask him to take it. Lay Sister White right one side. Lay her to one side. Don’t you ever quote my words again as long as you live until you can obey the Bible. When you take the Bible, and make that your food, and your meat, and your drink, and make that the elements of your character when you can do that you will know better how to receive some counsel from God.” MEDM March 1906, page 79.7

Do you see the key of the situation? Do you see the way laid out before us? Loyalty to the Bible is the only true way to receive or to know the testimonies. When you are disloyal to the principles of the Bible, and when you go contrary to the precepts of the Bible, and then quote testimony to this man or that man or the other man, and demand of him whether he “believes the testimony,” and “I have got some questions to ask you on this, that, and the other,” you are the most disloyal to the testimonies that you can possibly be. MEDM March 1906, page 79.8

I read again: “When you take the Bible and make that your food and your meat and your drink, and make that the elements of your character, when you can do that, you will know better how to receive some counsel from God.” MEDM March 1906, page 79.9

Then she took the Bible in her hand as it was lying on the table before her, and held it up and said:— MEDM March 1906, page 79.10

“But here is the Word, the precious Word exalted before you to-day. And don’t you give a rap any more what Sister White said—‘Sister White said’ this, and ‘Sister White said ‘that, and Sister White said’ the other thing. But say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God of Israel,’ and then you do just what the Lord God of Israel does and what he says.” MEDM March 1906, page 79.11

And the very last words of that address that day were as I have read before. “I don’t want you ever to quote Sister White until you can get upon vantage ground where you know where you are. Quote the Bible, talk the Bible. It is full of meat, full of fatness. Carry it right out in your life, and you will know more of the Bible than you do now. You will have fresh matter, you will have precious matter, and you won’t be going over and over the same ground; and you will see a world saved. You will see souls for whom Christ has died. And I ask you to put on the armor, every piece of it, and be sure that your feet are shod with the preparation of the Gospel.” MEDM March 1906, page 79.12

Please do not think that this is something new. This that I have just read was given in 1901. But twelve years before that, in 1889, Testimony No. 33 was published. And in that Volume, pages 191-196, there is reprinted, for all, an extract from a testimony that was published thirty years ago, in which are these words:— MEDM March 1906, page 80.1

“Brother R——would confuse the mind by seeking to make it appear that the light God has given through the testimonies is an addition to the Word of God; but in this he presents the matter in a false light. God has seen fit in this manner to bring the minds of the people to his Word, to give them a clearer understanding of it.” MEDM March 1906, page 80.2

Also the following from a testimony of thirty-five years ago:— MEDM March 1906, page 80.3

“You are not familiar with the Scriptures. If you had made God’s Word your study, with a desire to reach the Bible standard and attain to Christian perfection, you would not have needed the testimonies. It is because you have neglected to acquaint yourselves with God’s inspired Book that he has sought to reach you by simple, direct testimonies, calling your attention to the words of inspiration which you had neglected to obey, and urging you to fashion your lives in accordance with its pure and elevated teachings. MEDM March 1906, page 80.4

“The Lord designs to warn you, to reprove, to counsel, through the testimonies given, and to impress your minds with the importance of the truth of his word. The written testimonies are not to give new light, but to impress vividly upon the heart the truths of inspiration already revealed. Man’s duty to God and to his fellow-man has been distinctly specified in God’s Word; yet but few of you are obedient to the light given. Additional truth is not brought out; but God has through the testimonies simplified the great truths already given, and in his own chosen way brought them before the people, to awaken and impress the mind with them, that all may be left without excuse.” MEDM March 1906, page 80.5

And the following from a testimony of thirty-six years ago:— MEDM March 1906, page 80.6

“The Word of God is sufficient to enlighten the most beclouded mind, and may be understood by those who have any desire to understand it. But notwithstanding all this, some who profess to make the Word of God their study, are found living in direct opposition to its plainest teachings. Then, to leave men and women without excuse, God gives plain and pointed testimonies, bringing them back to the Word that they have neglected to follow.” MEDM March 1906, page 80.7

Now I shall read to you the definition of liberty. I will read it slowly: “The state of being exempt from the domination of others or from restricting circumstances.” MEDM March 1906, page 80.8

And we may just as truly put in there “exempt from restricting” people as well as from restricting “circumstances.” “In ethics and philosophy,” that is as to character and conduct, morals, religion, religious liberty is this: “In ethics and philosophy, liberty is the power in any rational agent to make his choices and decide his conduct for himself, spontaneously and voluntarily in accordance with reasons and motives.” MEDM March 1906, page 80.9

Do you believe in liberty? Do you believe in liberty for the other man? Do you believe in allowing other people here to be exempt from domination by you, and exempt from any questioning or inquisition from you that would suggest that thing? MEDM March 1906, page 80.10

Now let me read to you the definition of religion: “Religion is the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it.” MEDM March 1906, page 80.11

Do you catch that? “The duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it.” MEDM March 1906, page 80.12

And liberty is the “state of being exempt from the domination of others or from restricting circumstances.” It is “the power in any rational agent to make his choices and decide his conduct for himself spontaneously and voluntarily in accordance with reasons and motives.” MEDM March 1906, page 80.13

The definition of religious liberty, then, is plainly this: “A man’s exemption from the domination of others or from restricting circumstances. Man’s freedom to make his choices and decide his re conduct, for himself, spontaneously and voluntarily, in his duty to his Creator and in the manner of his discharging that of duty.” MEDM March 1906, page 81.1

The testimonies belong to the realm of religion: and a man’s believing them and following them, rests between the man himself and God. This readiness to put ourselves in charge of the other man and his faith, as soon as testimony comes concerning him or to him, all comes from our over-anxiety that he will not do just the right thing, and that he will not take just the right course, and so we put ourselves in to make sure that he shall do things exactly right. MEDM March 1906, page 81.2

That thing can be solved ten thousand times easier, and much quicker, by leaving that man utterly alone with God and that testimony than by any of your meddling or mine, or any of your interference and questioning or mine. If he rejects it, let the results work out and demonstrate it, rather than for you and me to advertise, that he rejects the testimonies,” “he does not believe the testimonies,” and “he is not straight on the testimonies,” and all that program. MEDM March 1906, page 81.3

It is not given to you or to me to pronounce when a man believes the testimonies or when he doesn’t. That is between the man and the Lord. And you and I can do him far more good by seeing that we ourselves are straight on the testimonies, and especially on the Bible, as the testimonies have directed, and thus showing him how to be straight on that. When a man is crooked, it is not much of a help to him for me to be as crooked as I can and then come to help him to get straight. Therefore the Scripture tells you and me in Hebrews 12:14: “Make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way.” MEDM March 1906, page 81.4

Neither you nor I nor any other man, or set of men, that was ever in this world, have any commission to make straight paths for other men’s feet. That isn’t the record: “Make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way” by your crooked course. MEDM March 1906, page 81.5

It is written by Jesus that “a bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench.” Now you know that flax is one of the most inflammable of things. And if there is enough fire to make flax smoke, and yet only enough to make it smoke, then a breath can cause it to live or cause it to die. And whether it shall live or die depends altogether on how the breath is applied. It is written of Christ, and you and me, that “the smoking flax shall he not quench.” Whenever he sees in any person only as much faith as can be compared to that smoking flax, he is not going to put his breath upon it in such a way that it will be put out. When a breath will put it out, a breath will also revive it if the breath is breathed the right way. And Christ came to breathe upon that fading, failing faith the breath that will give it life. And you and I must be careful that we do not breathe upon it the breath that will extinguish it. The faith of souls is too delicate a thing for man to deal with. Only Christ belongs in the field of a man’s faith. He is the Finisher, as well as the Author, of faith, and no one else is. MEDM March 1906, page 81.6

I read another scripture in the Gospel according to John 21:12-22—Christ’s words to Peter: “And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following. Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord and what shall this man do?” MEDM March 1906, page 81.7

What was he doing?—“Following” Jesus, is the record. What was Peter doing?—“Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following.” Do you catch it? What was Peter doing? Was Peter following Jesus? No: he was worrying about what the other man was going to do. He had “turned about,” turned his back on Jesus, and was looking the other way. How is it with you? MEDM March 1906, page 81.8

And what about that disciple who was following Jesus, that Peter turned around, and stopped following Jesus, to to look at? Who was he?—Oh, he was “that disciple whom Jesus loved.” MEDM March 1906, page 81.9

There was that disciple whom Jesus loved, already following Jesus. Peter was told by Jesus, “Follow me.” Instead of doing it, he stopped following Jesus, turned about, and set his attention on the man who was following Jesus, and very concernedly asked, “Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?” And what do you say? Let us all say Amen to that. MEDM March 1906, page 82.1

And don’t forget, Peter had to turn about to see that brother. Then before I can put my eyes on the other brother to see what he is doing and see what he is going to do, I have to turn about from following Jesus myself. And when I do turn about from following Jesus to see what the other man is doing, lo, the record is that he is following Jesus. Brethren, what was that written for? Let us learn it. There are people in this family who need to learn it. They have not been doing it lately; they have been watching other people, questioning others on this, that, and the other. But that is not religious liberty,—it is not following Jesus. It is not Christianity; it is not loyalty to the Bible; it is not loyalty to the testimonies. MEDM March 1906, page 82.2

“Then went this saving abroad among the brethren that that disciple should not die.” Did Jesus say that? He said, “If I will that he tarry till I come.” But even then that is not your affair: “Follow thou me.” MEDM March 1906, page 82.3

Let me give you a little practise lesson. Just watch, and practise on yourself and see how downright hard it is to tell a thing exactly as you hear it. Brother Corliss and I were passing along the street in Walla Walla. A man stepped from his door down to the sidewalk to a little gate, hailed us and said to us, “Do you gentlemen know Mr. Rev. Whatever-it-may-be, who used to preach in Walla Walla?” “Oh, yes,” we replied, “we both know him well.” Then the man said something very complimentary of him, that “he is the best man that I ever saw,” or something of that kind. We hadn’t gone six steps till one of us said to the other, “Well, that was a fine thing that he said about Brother——, wasn’t it?” and the other one said. “Indeed it was. What was it he said?” And for the life of us we could not tell exactly what he had said. We “had the idea,” the “general thought” of it, but we could not tell what that man said at all; and we have never been able since, when we have met. Just take that for a task, brethren, and practise trying to tell, not to other people, but to yourself, just the words that were said. When you get it so that you cal do it exactly, by that time you will have enough practise that you will not try to do it at all. And then you will have a good deal less to say of what this, that, or the other one said; and you will also be a good deal farther from believing rumors of which this, that, or the other person “said.” MEDM March 1906, page 82.4

Do not forget it, that in Romans 13 and 14 is presented the subject of religious liberty—the relation of the Christian to the powers that be, to one another, and to God, in this world. I read now Chapter 14:10: “Why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at naught thy brother, for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” MEDM March 1906, page 82.5

Every one of us shall give account of himself, not of the other man. And he gives account of himself to God, and not to any man or set of men. And because of this, the exhortation is, “Let us not therefore judge one another any more. But judge this rather that no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” MEDM March 1906, page 82.6

Even Paul wrote this: “Not for that we have dominion over your faith.” Could not even an apostle have dominion over people’s faith to be a judge and to decide for people on their faith? No, sir.” Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy.” [Voices, Amen.] Another translation reads: “I do not mean that we are to dominate over you with regard to your faith; but, on the contrary, we work with you for your true happiness.” That is what we are in the world for, to be helpers of every man’s joy. If he hasn’t any joy, we are to get him in connection with the joy of the Lord, and then be everlasting helpers of his joy, and never judges of his faith. MEDM March 1906, page 82.7

Toward the beginning of this study I quoted the scripture, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” And here is another place where many go wrong: they take this as if it read, By their fruits ye shall judge them. It does not say so; nor is there in it any such suggestion or thought. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” And when you know them, then what? Are you then to judge them, and condemn them? Not at all; for if there is any one thing that the Scriptures make plainer than all others, it is, “judge not,” “Condemn not.” Even Christ on earth declared, “I judge no man.” MEDM March 1906, page 83.1

There are many, many passages of Scripture on this: but I have time for only three here. MEDM March 1906, page 83.2

In 2 Peter 2:9-13 is the first one: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government.” “Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.... These, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not.” MEDM March 1906, page 83.3

The people who speak evil of the things that “they understand not,” are here specified as among the chiefest ones that God is reserving unto the day of judgment to be punished. And please let me say, with all respect and with all love for every soul, I personally know that a whole lot of persons here within the past month in this family have spoken evil of things that they do not understand, things which, if they did understand, they would no more say what they are saying, and no more do what they are doing, than they would jump into the river. Brethren and sisters, that is not the Christian way. MEDM March 1906, page 83.4

What of this, then? Listen: “Whereas angels which are greater in power and might” than any of us “bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.” Here are we, brethren and sisters in the same company, going on our way the best we can in this dark and dismal world to that world of light, children of His body, all loved by Him, yet finding fault with one another, speaking evil of one another, one reining tip another. And while we are doing this, what are the angels doing toward us, who know you and me through and through? They know every meanness that we ever committed, and know it in a good deal deeper measure than you and I ever shall; and yet they do not bring railing accusation against you and me before the Lord. MEDM March 1906, page 83.5

Then when we do that against one another, where do we put ourselves with respect to the angels of God? Are not we putting ourselves above them, and doing things which they themselves would not do? MEDM March 1906, page 83.6

But more than this: there is One of whom God said, “Let all the angels of God worship him.” And what of Him? Listen: Jude 8, 10: “Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion and speak evil of dignities....These speak evil of those things which they know not.” These are the same ones of whom Peter spoke. But here whom does Jude cite? Peter cites the “angels,” that they do not do such things against us, when they know us so much better than we can know one another. What now? Listen: “Yet Michael, the archangel.” Who is he? He is the One of whom God said, “Let all the angels of God worship him.” “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation.” “Durst not.” “Durst not.” What is that? He did not dare to do it? That is what it says. “Durst not bring against him,” even against the devil, “a railing accusation.” MEDM March 1906, page 83.7

Brethren and sisters: If there is anybody in this universe against whom a railing accusation could properly be brought, would it not be the devil? And if there is anybody in this universe who could properly bring a railing accusation, wouldn’t it be Christ? And yet when the devil was actually disputing Christ in the commission which God had sent him to accomplish, even the Lord Christ did not dare to bring against the devil a railing accusation. Yet here in this world it can be done very glibly against our own brethren. When we bring accusations, railing accusations, against a brother, against one another, we are putting ourselves above Chris and doing against our own brethren and his own blood-bought souls, what he himself did not dare to do even against the devil. May the Lord save us from this thing. MEDM March 1906, page 83.8

Elder Taylor: That reminds me just now of this word from the testimonies: “When we are better than Christ and the one of whom we speak is worse than the devil, then it will be time for us to find fault and criticize.” MEDM March 1906, page 84.1

James 4:11: “Speak not evil one of another, brethren.” Listen. “He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law,” the law of God. “And judgeth the law. What? Judgeth the law of God?—That is what it says. You and I are shocked to hear others speak evil of the law of God. We are afraid of it. For our soul’s sake, let us be shocked and afraid of that same thing in ourselves. MEDM March 1906, page 84.2

“But if thou judge the law, thou art in not a doer of the law, but a judge.” There is one law-giver who is able to save and to destroy. Who art thou that is, judgest another?” Peter tells us that when we do it, we put ourselves above the angels, and do what they do not do. Jude tells us that when we do it, we put ourselves above Christ, and do what he did not dare to do, even with the devil. And James tells us that when we do it, we put ourselves above God, above the law of God, and in the place of God. Ah, but that is “the man of sin,” “the son of perdition,” “who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called to God, or that is worshiped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God showing himself that he is God,” who changed at the law of God and demands that everybody shall obey the law as dictated and changed by him, and demands that everybody’s faith shall be dictated and regulated by him. MEDM March 1906, page 84.3

Come, brethren and sisters, let us cease that. Come now, let us let one another alone. Let there be some religious liberty. Let us not any more be of the man of sin. Let us be only of the Man of Righteousness. Let us be Christians. MEDM March 1906, page 84.4