Sister E has been far from God. Her heart has not been subdued by grace. Her love of the world, and of the things that are in the world, has closed her heart to the love of God. The love of dress and appearance has kept her from good, and led her to place her mind and affections upon these frivolous things. Unbelief has been strengthening in her heart, and she has had less and less love for the truth, and could see but little attraction in the simplicity of true godliness. She has not encouraged a growth of Christian graces. She has not loved humility or devotion. She has taken the errors of those who professed to be devoted to the truth, and made their lack of spirituality, their errors, and their sins an excuse for her world-loving disposition. She has watched the course of those who were connected with the -----, and who were forward to take upon them the burdens of the church, and has offset her failures to their wrongs, saying that she was no worse than they. Such and such individuals in good standing did this or that, and she had as good a right as they. Such and such ones did not live the health reform any better than she; they purchased and ate meat, and they were in high standing in the church, and she was excusable, of course, with such an example, if she did the same. {2T 393.1}

Det er umuligt at have klare begreber om evige ting med mindre sindet er oplært at dvæle ved ophøjede emner. Alle lidenskaber må bringes fuldstændig under den moralske styrke. Når mænd og kvinder bekender sig til en stærk tro og alvorlig åndelighed, ved jeg at deres bekendelse er falsk hvis de ikke har fået deres lidenskaber under kontrol. Gud forlanger dette. Grunden til at et sådant åndeligt mørke er fremherskende er at sindet er tilfreds med en lavt niveau og ikke rettes opad til den rene, hellige og himmelske kanal.