Now the reason: Out of the desk they employed much of their time in writing, excusing themselves from visiting because they were so busy and so tired. As the result they were brain weary when they came into the desk; they were not prepared to do a work that God could set His seal upon. They made nothing clear. Yet if they worked themselves up to a high pitch of excitement they thought their discourses were powerful. They touched here and there, bringing a large mass of matter which they regarded as convincing and overwhelming evidence, but in fact they buried the truth under a mass of matter poured out upon the hearers, so that the points never could be found. Everything they presented was muddled. So many subjects were brought into one discourse that no point stood proved and clear in the minds of those unacquainted with the truth.... One subject, a few points made plain and clear, would be of more value to the hearer than this mass of matter which you may call evidence, and think your points substantiated.—Letter 47, 1886. {Ev 657.1}

Her er årsagen: Borte fra talerstolen brugte de meget af deres tid på at skrive, undskylde sig selv fra at besøge, fordi de var så travle og så trætte. Som resultat deraf, var de trætte i hovedet når de kom til talerstolen; de var ikke forberedt på at gøre et arbejde som Gud kan sætte Sit segl på. De gjorde ingen ting klart. Hvis de alligevel arbejde sig selv op på højt spændingsniveau, mente de at deres prædikener var kraftfulde. De berørte lidt her og der, kom med en masse ting, som de mente var overbevisende og af overvældende betydning, men i virkeligheden gravede de sandheden ned under en masse ting, over for tilhørerne, så at pointerne aldrig vil kunne findes. Alt hvad de kom med var forvirret. Så mange emner kom med i en prædiken at ingen punkter stod påvist og klart i deres tanker, som ikke kendte til sandheden. . . . . Et emne ville være af større værdi for tilhørerne, med nogle få pointer klare og tydelige, end en masse ting som du kan kalde beviser, og tro at dine pointer støtter disse.— Brev 47, 1886.