Ministers of the gospel whose characters are otherwise almost faultless, frequently do great harm by allowing their forbearance toward the erring to degenerate into toleration of their sins, and even participation with them. In this easygoing way they excuse and palliate that which the word of God condemns; and after a time they become so blinded as even to commend the very ones whom God commands them to reprove. The only safe-guard against these dangers is to add to patience godliness,—to reverence God, his character and his law, and to keep his fear ever before the mind. By communion with God, through prayer and the reading of his word, we should cultivate such a sense of the holiness of his character that we shall regard sin as he regards it.{LP 322.1}

Evangeliets tjenere, hvis karakter ellers er næsten fejlfri, gør ofte stor skade ved at lade deres overbærenhed mod fejlende gå over i tolerance af deres synder, og endog tage del i dem. Med denne sorgløse vej, undskylder og lindrer de det som Guds ord fordømmer; og efter en tid bliver de så forblindede, at endog dem som Gud befaler dem at irettesætte bliver fordømt. Den eneste sikkerhed imod disse farer er at udøve gudsfrygt, - at ære Gud, hans karakter og lov, og altid holde hans frygt frem for sindet. Ved kommunikation med Gud, gennem bøn og læsning af hans ord, bør vi opelske en sådan fornemmelse af hans karakters hellighed, at vi betragter synd, sådan som han ser på det.