Chapter 55—True Love at Home Brother M, At Adams Center I was shown that you greatly lacked an unselfish spirit while at the Institute; you did not exert the influence that you should. You might have let your light shine there, but you did not. You often neglected your duty for amusements. You failed to take care and to bear responsibility. You do not enjoy active exercise. You love your ease; you and hard work are at variance. This is selfish. You allowed the property of the Institute to run down and be destroyed, when it was your business to see that it was kept up, and that everything was in order, and preserved with greater interest and care than if it were your own. You were an unfaithful steward. Every time you permitted yourself to engage in amusements, playing croquet or anything of the kind, you were using time for which you were paid and which did not belong to you. You would be just as excusable should you take money which you had not earned and appropriate it to yourself. {2T 411.1}

(421) Kære bror P: Jeg har adskillige gange forsøgt at skrive til dig, men er lige så ofte blevet forhindret. Jeg vil ikke længere udskyde det. For nogle dage siden mærkede jeg en ængstelse for dig. Sidste juni fik jeg vist noget om dig. Jeg blev ført tilbage i fortiden og vist din ustadige og omflakkende tilværelse. Du var uden Gud. Du har haft en hårdt og ligegyldigt liv. Dog så jeg at Gud i sin barmhjertighed mange gange sparede dit liv når det lod til at intet menneske i kraft og visdom kunne beskytte det. Du har været ude for barmhjertighedens mirakel. Skønt dit liv har været i overhængende fare, har Kristus, din Forsvarer, gået i forbøn til din fordel: "Fader, skån hans liv lidt længere. Han har været et ufrugtbart træ, som har besværet jorden; skær det alligevel ikke ned. Jeg vil tålmodigt vente lidt længere og se om det ikke vil bære frugter. Jeg vil indprente hans hjerte med sandheden. Jeg vil overbevise ham om synd."