You have stood directly in the way of the salvation of your children. You lay their indifference to religious things to other causes than the true. Your example is a stumbling block to them. They know by your fruits, by your words and works, that you do not believe in the near coming of Christ. Some of them do not hesitate to make sport of the idea of the near coming of Christ and of the shortness of time. They take great satisfaction when you drive a sharp bargain. They think that father is keen in a trade and that nobody can get the better of him, and they are following in your footsteps. Faith without works is dead, being alone. Money has given you power, and you have used that power to take advantage of the necessities of others. Your speculations in business life have not been honest, you have not been just with your fellow men. By your trades you have sacrificed your reputation as a Christian and as an honest man. By fair trading, means did not come into your possession fast enough to satisfy your thirst for gain, and you have frequently made the poor man’s burdens heavier by taking advantage of his necessity to increase your property. Look carefully, Brother S. You are making fearful losses for earthly gain. You are losing manly integrity and heavenly virtue, in the hour of temptation. Is this gain or loss? Are you richer or poorer for all such increase? To you it is a fearful loss, for it takes just so much from the treasure you might have been accumulating in heaven. {3T 249.1}

Du har stået direkte i vejen for dine børns frelse. Du tilskriver deres ligegyldighed over for religiøse ting andre grunde end de rigtige. Dit eksempel er en anstødssten for dem. De ved fra dine frugter, fra dine ord og handlinger, at du ikke tror på Kristi snarlige komme. Nogle af dem tøver ikke for at gøre grin om tanken ved Kristi komme og tidens korthed. De er meget glade når du handler skarpskårent. De tror at far handler stærkt og at ingen kan gøre det bedre og de følger i dine fodspor. Tro uden gerninger er død. Penge har givet dig magt og du har brugt den magt på andres nødvendigheders bekostning. Dine spekulationer i forretningslivet har ikke været ærlige, du har ikke været retfærdig over for dine medmennesker. Ved din levevej har du ofret dit omdømme som et kristen og som et ærligt menneske. Ved almindelige erhverv, kommer pengene ikke hurtig nok til dig og stiller din tørst for vinding og du har ofte gjort den fattige mands levevej tungere ved at udnytte ham så du kan få mere. Vær forsigtig bror S Du gør et frygteligt tab for jordisk vindings skyld. Du mister mandig hæderlighed og himmelsk dyd, i fristelsens stund. Er dette vinding eller tab? Er du blevet rigere eller fattigere efter al den vinding? For dig er det et frygteligt tab, for det formindsker lige så meget dine himmelske rigdomme.