Just say Enough by Dr. Spencer

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 18, 1868

Just say Enough.

By Dr. Spencer

Anxious sinners are often kept from Christ, by reliance on men. A great amount of religious conversation often diminishes their impressions. It tends to blunt the edge of truth. It keeps the heart in a kind of reliance on man. Conversation with judicious Christians and judicious ministers is vastly important for inquiring sinners; but there is a point where it should cease. All that men can do is contained in two things—to make sinners understand God's truth, and make its impression on their hearts and consciences as deep as possible. If they aim at anything more, they are just trying to do the work of the Holy Spirit.

Visiting among inquirers, one morning, I called on five different individuals, one after another, in the course of a single hour, and in each case was sorry that I had called at all, for in each case, after a very few minutes of conversation, I was fully persuaded that God's truth was deeply felt, and that anything I could say would tend to diminish the impressions which the Holy Spirit was making on their hearts. I aimed to say just enough not to have them think I did not care for them; and got away as soon as I could for fear of doing an injury. Every one of these individuals afterward dated their religious hope from the same day. No man can preach so powerfully as the Holy Spirit. It is vastly important to know when to stop. The divine writers understood this. They are perfect examples. Their silence is to be imitated as well as their utterance.—Dr. Spencer.