A CONFESSION by H. S. Lay

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 23, 1868

A CONFESSION.

By H. S. Lay

I FEEL that I have a confession to make to the people of God, and I know of no better place to make it than through the columns of the REVIEW.

Since occupying the position of physician at the Health Institute, I have not stood in the counsel of God as I should. I have trusted too much in self, and not enough in God; and by so doing, I have been in a measure shorn of my spiritual strength, and have become a weak man.

In many cases where the sick have been benefited under my care by hygienic treatment, instead of giving all the glory to God, as I should have done, I have taken a large portion of it to myself, and thereby sinned against God.

And in regard to the amusements, I would say that I imbibed errors while at Dansville, and on opening the Institute, I labored under the false impression that to have amusements for the sick, was in harmony with the testimony given in Rochester in December, 1865.

With these false ideas, I introduced amusements among the patients at the Institute, which though very simple at first, were afterward carried to so great an extent as to prove an injury to the spiritual advancement of believers at the Institute, and to affect the church at Battle Creek, and more or less the cause at large.

In consequence of the foregoing wrongs on my part, I became so blinded that I was slow to comprehend and move out upon the light presented in those letters, the copies of which are given in Testimony No. 12.

I fully endorse the testimonies of Sr. White, as from God, and ever have, since my first acquaintance with them.

I trust I have heartily repented of my past wrongs as far as I know them, and would most earnestly beg to be forgiven by all my brethren, especially Bro. and Sr. White, and all others that have suffered from my past course.

I do feel that God for Christ's sake has accepted my humiliation and confession, and has forgiven me, and from this time forth, by the assisting grace of God, I shall strive to crucify self, and be a humble follower of the meek and lowly Jesus.

Will you pray for me that I may discharge every duty, overcome all my sins, and finally stand with you all on Mount Zion ? H. S. LAY.