A REPROOF by T. P. B.

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 16, 1879

A REPROOF.

By T. P. B.

One of our brethren, while holding meetings lately at a place where there had just been a little church raised up, found, on visiting them at their homes, that about all they seemed to want to talk about was one another's failings. He hardly knew what to do to break up this habit, which he knew would be likely to increase, and would perhaps be the ruin of them all.

At last he hit upon a plan that he thought might perhaps help the matter; so when they met for worship on the Sabbath, he told them that there were some persons in the church who were doing wrong, and he was going to read what the Bible said about it, and perhaps before he got through he should mention the names of the persons who had done wrong. He then took up the subject of tattling and fault-finding, and read many scriptures condemning it. While he was talking on the subject, there was the closest attention, and it seems each one was momentarily expecting to hear his name called.

After the meeting, most of the church went immediately home, instead of staying to the Sabbath-school, as usual. The brother hardly knew what to think about it; he did not know but he had destroyed the church altogether; but he thought he would visit the brethren at their homes, and see what was the matter.

He first called at the house of the leader. After a little conversation, the leader said he thought if he wanted to reprove him, he ought to have come to him alone, and not take him before a whole congregation to do it; he did not hear his name called, but then he described what he had been doing, so every one knew just who was meant. After assuring the brother that he had no more special reference to him than to others, he visited another brother. This brother and his wife both thought the remarks had been meant as a personal reproof to them; and so it was at almost every place he went, they thought he had done them injustice by specifying their faults so particularly in public. But when they found that all the rest thought the reproof had been meant especially for them, they began to feel different, and we hope they have learned a good lesson. Instead of thinking and talking of our brethren and sisters' faults, let us heed the injunction of the apostle in Phil. 4:8: “If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

T. P. B.