The spirit existing in the church is such as to lead away from God and the path of holiness. Many of the church have ascribed their state of spiritual blindness to the influence growing out of the principles taught at the Institute. This is not entirely correct. Had the church stood in the counsel of God, the Institute would have been controlled. The light of the church would have been diffused to that branch of the work, and the errors would not have existed there that did. It was the moral darkness of the church that had the greatest influence to create the moral darkness and spiritual death in the Institute. Had the church been in a healthy condition, she could have sent a vitalizing, healthful current to this arm of the body. But the church was sickly and did not enjoy the favor of God nor the light of His countenance. A sickly, deathly influence was circulated all through the living body until the disease was apparent everywhere. {2T 138.3}

Den ånd som er i menigheden er sådan at den leder væk fra Gud og hellighedens sti. Mange i menigheden har tilskrevet deres åndelige blindhed den påvirkning der kommer fra de principper som læres på institutionen. Dette er ikke helt rigtigt. Havde menigheden fulgt Guds råd, ville institutionen have været under kontrol. Lyset fra menigheden ville være spredt til denne gren af værket, (139) og vildfarelserne ville ikke have gjort sig gældende som de har. Det har været menighedens moralske mørke der har den største indflydelse på at skabe moralsk mørke og åndelig død på institutionen. Havde menigheden været i en sund tilstand, ville hun have sendt en livgivende og sund strøm til den arm på legemet. Men menigheden var syg og nød ikke Guds velvilje ej heller lyset fra hans ansigt. En sygelig og dødelig indflydelse har cirkuleret helt igennem det levende legeme indtil sygdommen kunne ses overalt.