p. 332 | Untitled article

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, November 12, 1867

“Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between him and thee alone; if he shall hear thee, then thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear thee, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.”

CONTENTIONS among Christians, tend exceedingly to set the world against the Gospel; and as they must arise in this present state, among persons who are sanctified only in part, and who are liable both to give cause for anger, and to be angry without cause themselves, our Lord prescribed some rules for stopping the progress, and preventing the consequences of them, which could seldom fail of being effectual, if honestly and exactly followed. In case a man should be injured by a brother, a professed Christian, he ought not to go and complain of it to others, (as is commonly done, perhaps upon rumor,) thus inflaming his own resentment, and wounding his neighbor’s reputation; but he ought to go privately, and in a gentle, yet plain and convincing manner, to state the matter, and shew him the injustice and unreasonableness of his conduct. If this produces the proper effect, (as it generally will with a true Christian,) and he sees and acknowledges his fault, then the offending brother is won over, gained and recovered from the tempter; and instead of an open breach, a cordial reconciliation takes place, and love is continued, nay increased. But if the private application fail of success, and the offender persist in his injury, and refuse reasonable terms of agreement, the offended party is next ordered to take with him one or two other Christian friends, who may hear and bear witness to the facts which are alleged, and the terms of accommodation proposed, that they may be reported to the church on more unexceptionable testimony. And if these witnesses determine the person to be faulty, and approve of the concession required; and he refuse to hearken to them, and persist in his injury, it will then be necessary to declare the matter more openly, not to the world, but to the church; i. e., to the ministers and disciples of Christ, that the injurious party may be solemnly censured and reproved by them. And if he still refuse to submit, he ought thenceforth to be considered as a heathen man and a publican, and should be shunned by all pious Christians, that he may be ashamed, and excluded from their communion, till he give tokens of repentance.—Scott’s Notes.

How careful should all Christians be, to preserve the peace as well as the purity of the church! Alas! many deem themselves injured, when in reality they have no cause to complain; and others have recourse to slander and litigation, and almost every other expedient, instead of trying the method which Christ enjoined upon all his disciples; and few in any place have uniformly followed the directions of our common Lord. Various corrupt maxims, customs, and reserves, prevent men from speaking privately to their offending brethren, and from referring their disputes to the arbitration of pious Christians; hence jealousies, resentments, contentions, and frivolous lawsuits, among professors of the gospel; and hence mutual criminations, and appeals in print to the world against each other, to the scandal of religion, and the insulting triumphs of its enemies! Surely we ought not to harbor so injurious an opinion of a professed Christian, as to think that he would not endure to be mildly expostulated with, when he had evidently done wrong! Surely we should prefer gaining, recovering, and conciliating our offending brother, to obtaining a victory over him, or exposing his character! And certainly he who has done injustice, and will not be induced to make moderate concessions and amendments, by private expostulations, or by the united judgment of Christians and ministers, has no right to be treated as a believer, till he repent, and “do works meet for repentance.” Harsher means should never be adopted, till milder have been tried without success.—Scott’s Practical Observations.