Elder C lost his influence and the power of the truth by engaging in speculations, and that out of his brethren. This was peculiarly offensive to God in a minister of Christ. But you have done the same. You have made Elder C’s course an excuse for your love of traffic. You have justified your course of advantaging yourself, because other ministers have pursued this course. Other ministers are no criterion for you. If they injure their influence, and deprive themselves of the approbation of God and the confidence of their brethren, their course should be shunned. Christ is your example, and you have no excuse for taking the course of erring men for example unless their lives are in accordance with the life of Christ. Your influence will be death to the cause of God if you continue to pursue the course that you have pursued for a few years past. Your trafficking and trading, and gathering up from your brethren means that you have not earned, is a great sin in the sight of God. {2T 622.1}

(680) Denne unge mand havde store besiddelser og hans hjerte var til dem. Han kunne ikke indvilge i at overføre sine rigdomme til himlen ved at trække sin hengivenhed tilbage fra dem og gøre godt med dem - velsigne enken og faderløse og således være rig på gode gerninger. Denne unge mands kærlighed for jordiske rigdomme var stærkere end hans kærlighed for sine medmennesker og den udødelige arv. Hans valg var gjort. Anledningen Kristus gav, at sikre sig rigdomme i himlen, blev forkastet, for han kunne ikke indvilge i de betingelser. Hans hengivenhedsstyrke for hans jordiske rigdomme sejrede og himlen, med al sin tiltrækkende herlighed, blev ofret for verdens rigdomme. Den unge mand var meget nedtrykt, for han ønskede begge verdener; men han ofrede det himmelske frem for det jordiske.