“BLESSED

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 18, 1861

Are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” This declaration is found among the blessings upon the good, uttered by our Lord in his sermon on the mount. Matt. v. Comfort is here promised to the mourners. It cannot be supposed that they mourn for earthly losses, or because they are detected in crime and brought to justice; for they are classed with the “meek,” the “poor in spirit,” the “merciful,” and the “pure in heart.” It is proper, therefore, to conclude that these blessed mourners have godly sorrow for their sins, which works in them a change of life. They see in themselves a fearful contrast with the holiness of God, the loveliness of Christ, and the purity of the christian character, as set forth in the Scriptures, and they abhor self, and mourn for the heavenly graces. Such will be comforted. All those precious promises to repenting, trembling, weeping, mourning souls will be fulfilled in them. But the deceived, self-righteous, have no right to these promises. Being ignorant of true humility, they feel that they are “rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing,” and know not that they are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

Such see nothing in themselves to cause them to mourn, and they can never taste the blessed results of true mourning until they are undeceived in relation to their own condition.

The apostle James says, “Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” Chap. iv, 9, 10. We here see the arm of the Lord reached down to raise up the weeping mourner, and give him joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Another apostle says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” 1 Pet. v, 6.

Says the True Witness, “Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Rev. iii, 19, 20.

Says the prophet, “Before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you, seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth which have wrought his judgments.” Zeph. ii, 2, 3.

The foregoing texts were called to mind by the following lines from Bro. T. M. Steward. They will be read with deep interest, especially by those who have greatly desired his prosperity.

MAUSTON, WIS., JUNE 3, 1861.

BRO. WHITE: It has become my painful duty to address you again on a subject I am ashamed of. Yet I feel it is my duty to say more. I have seen Testimony No. 6, and am very thankful for it, especially that portion referring to me. Sometimes it seems almost impossible for it to be true, but I believe it is. And I am glad, that while Satan is at work by his delusions, God has not left his people without reproof. May the Lord prepare our hearts to receive it according to the language of Psalm cxii, 4.

I am sorry I tried to justify myself at all, for I did believe it, and the only reason I did not go farther was because I could not. I tried hard. I am ashamed of, and do much regret, the reception you all three found at Mauston last fall. I am sure it has caused you much sorrow and pain of mind. May the Lord save you from the like again. I have mourned, and do still mourn, that I should prove a burden to any one. I hope you will forgive me. I am now thankful you came, and that you dealt with us so plainly, and I begin to think perhaps it was not so hard, under the circumstances as I thought. May the Lord reward you for your labor of love with us. Gladly will I make amends for all the wrongs I have caused, as far as I can, the Lord helping.

Dear brother, forgive all that I have said or written that has wounded your feelings, and pray for me. O, pride! May I crucify it. And Sr. White, will you again forgive the wrongs I have done you? I do hope to be more guarded in the future. How thankful I ought to be that Jesus condescended to send me a warning. Shall I reject it? No! No!! I’ll heed it, and try to profit by it, and grow wiser and better by the Lord’s correction. I am sorry I have such an inclination to parlay with reproof. I feel I have done wrong. May the Lord help me to overcome.

I hope my preaching brethren will forgive my wrongs toward them. When I think what has transpired, I blush with shame. But, brethren, my heart’s desire is to do right. Pray for me. And my dear brethren and sisters abroad, one and all, I want you to forgive me. Many of you I never expect to see in this life, but let us strive to meet in the world to come. I want to bear a part in the third angel’s message, for I do believe it to be the last warning to the world. I want the Lord to open my heart to me more yet, so I can see myself, and get just right.

When I appointed the conference here last fall, little did I think what a snare Satan had set for me. I expected we should be united as one family. But alas! alas!! What do I see! Then my heart was buoyant, but now mourning and sorrow, regret and pain, fill my heart. O, I do feel to rejoice that I have a dear Saviour to go to. May I ever be true to him and his cause, and at last reign with him in his kingdom. Amen.

T. M. STEWARD.

P. S. I have delayed this longer than I should, if I had not expected you here. I want to talk to you face to face. May the Lord bless you abundantly in your labors.

T. M. S.

There are reasons why Bro. S. finds himself in his present position. Some of those we shall attempt to point out for his good, and the good of others who may be in danger of falling into like

troubles.

1. He but partially recovered himself from the snare understood by many as the “blessenger influence.” A more poisonous, reckless and wicked influence probably never manifested itself among those professing godliness. As far as Bro. S. fell under this influence, so far he fell under, and acted under, the most direct influence of the Devil. He has had time and opportunity to see all this. The course of Stephenson and Hall, the rapidity with which that party went down, and the signal favors of Divine providence toward those whom they arose to persecute, have all been before Bro. S., and with this weight of evidence before him, he should have shaken off the last vestige of that unhallowed influence, and should have fully identified himself with, and placed himself under the counsel of, those who bore with them, in their labors, marks of Divine favor,

2. Failing to do this, he was left to sympathize, at least, with the leaders of a ruinous fanaticism, and to virtually reject the labors of those whom God sent to Mauston to pull souls out of the fire, and save the cause from reproach. The position occupied by Bro. S. strengthened the hands of those whose reason was well nigh dethroned, they mistaking the wiles of the Devil for the Spirit of holiness, and they rushed on till their folly was made manifest to all, themselves not excepted.

3. Then Bro. S. had not a shadow of a doubt as to who were in the wrong in this matter. Then he should have led off in a manly, open, frank and Christian confession of the delusion, and the wrong part he had acted in relation to it. Others would have followed; but time passed on, and the young churches in Northern Wisconsin were left to bleed from the wounds caused by the fanaticism, while the leaders were still complaining of harshness on the part of those God sent to save them from the delusion. This is the most disgusting feature of the whole affair. As though those in error and delusion were the ones to judge just how they are to be helped out. If they can direct others they can help themselves. But the fact that they are incompetent to judge of their own situation, and of their wants, seems to be a good reason why God should send others to to help them. There can be no greater evidence of blindness and lack of true consecration on the part of the erring than complaints against those who undertake the disagreeable task to set them right.

But we rejoice that Bro. S. has finally thrown himself into the hands of the Lord and of his brethren. It has doubtless been the faithfulness of those who have dealt plainly with him that has assisted him to take right ground. Had he been “let alone” he probably would have been left to go still further in a wrong direction. Misplaced sympathy has often confirmed the erring in their errors, and stood between them and those who would help them. This false sympathy on the part of ministers and people has had a tendency to cripple the pure testimony, and is among the highest sins of the church.

But while we urge the necessity of all the faithfulness required in God’s word in laboring with the erring, we would urge also all the forgiveness, pity and love taught in the word. Bro. S. need not always mourn. It is not too late for wrongs to be righted. God will forgive sins for which we exercise true repentance, and his people will love to forgive also. “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” As Bro. S. walks out from the influences which have injured him, and places himself under the watchcare of his brethren, it will be the highest pleasure of the brotherhood to sympathize with him in the arduous work of a messenger, and to love him as a brother. May God bless him and his, and help them in the future to make straight paths lest the lame be turned out of the way, and bring them at last to the kingdom.