Righteousness by Faith & Kingly Power

"God will not vindicate any device whereby man shall in the slightest degree rule or oppress his fellowmen. The only hope for fallen man is to look to Jesus and receive Him as the only Saviour. As soon as man begins to make an iron rule for other men, as soon as he begins to harness up and drive men according to his own mind, he dishonors God and imperils his own soul and the souls of his brethren. Sinful man can find hope and righteousness only in God, and no human being is righteous any longer than he has faith in God and maintains a vital connection with Him. A flower of the field must have its root in the soil; it must have air, dew, showers, and sunshine. It will flourish only as it receives these advantages, and all are from God. So with men. We receive from God that which ministers to the life of the soul. We are warned not to trust in man, nor to make flesh our arm. A curse is pronounced upon all who do this." TM 366.　

"Let no plans or methods be adopted in any of our institutions that will bind mind or talent under the control of human judgment; for this is not in God's order. God has given to men talents of influence which belong to Him alone, and no greater dishonor can be done to God than for one finite agent to bring other men's talents under his absolute control, even though the benefits of the same be used to the advantage of the cause. In such arrangements one man's mind is ruled by another man's mind, and the human agency is separated from God and exposed to temptation. Satan's methods tend to one end--to make men the slaves of men. And when this is done, confusion and distrust, jealousies and evil surmisings, are the result. Such a course destroys faith in God and in the principles which are to control, to purge from guile and every species of selfishness and hypocrisy."  TM 360.　

"The righteousness of Christ by faith has been ignored by some; for it is contrary to their spirit and their whole life experience. Rule, rule, has been their course of action. Satan has had an opportunity of representing himself. When one who professes to be a representative of Christ engages in sharp dealing and in pressing men into hard places, those who are thus oppressed will either break every fetter of restraint, or they will be led to regard God as a hard master. They cherish hard feelings against God, and the soul is alienated from Him, just as Satan planned it should be." TM 363.　

"The spirit of domination is extending to the presidents of our conferences. If a man is sanguine of his own powers and seeks to exercise dominion over his brethren, feeling that he is invested with authority to make his will the ruling power, the best and only safe course is to remove him, lest great harm be done, and he lose his own soul, and imperil the souls of others. "All ye are brethren."

"This disposition to lord it over God's heritage will cause a reaction unless these men change their course. Those in authority should manifest the spirit of Christ. They should deal as he would deal with every case that requires attention. They should go weighted with the Holy Spirit. A man's position does not make him one jot or tittle greater in the sight of God; it is character alone that God values."--Letter 55, 1895 (Sept. 19, 1895 to O. A. Olsen).ChL 31.

"Sunnyside," Cooranbong, N. W. W., Mar. 12, 1897.

Dear Brethren Daniells, Palmer, and Colcord: 　

"I have been deeply moved. In the night season, as we were in a meeting where several were assembled, we were setting forth the present situation, and how few there were to do the work so important and essential to be done. One of commanding appearance, who had been listening to the description of the condition of things, arose, and said, "Will you please to look carefully, and see if you are accepting the men that are waiting to do service for the Master? Have you not mistaken your callings, and what it comprehends, in the positions you occupy toward one who has moved to another field of labor? What if this move was not according to your ideas of order, or according to your human wisdom? Have you, in your experience, been faultless? Have you not made mismoves and blunders? He has his strong traits of character, and you have yours. All these imperfections God sees. He sees that some have made independent moves, even without the counsel of God.

"All ye are brethren." To no one has the Lord given permission to rule over a brother. All need their hearts refined, and cleansed from weakness, from natural and hereditary traits of character. All are amenable to God. If a brother errs in his ministerial work, remember that you have all erred, and shown great want of faith in the Lord. Yet, God has not discarded you, and given you no place to work. Had he done this, his action would have been just as sensible as your action in this case.

"Be careful what power you take into your finite hands. Be careful how you denounce those whom you should only pity, and comfort, and help. The Lord does not see the works of men with the same vision that men see them. He has many kinds of men to deal with, and he knows just how to deal with all. But let every man, whatever his position, remember that he is not to rule any man's conscience, or sit on the judgment seat against any man. The Lord does not pronounce as just the judgment you have formed.

"Satan is a masterly worker, and he will lose no opportunity to make the most of his chances to work for those who are left in a very disagreeable situation. There are those who make grave mistakes, but they seldom see the aggravated character of their own faults, or their more disagreeable results. But if another passes over the ground, and does no worse, and perhaps not nearly as bad, how easy for the brother who first sinned to tear down his brother with an unsparing hand. There are men who are severely tempted and tried who meet their temptations, at times feeling desperately, because they know not what to do in an emergency. Jesus pities them. He sees them meeting their temptations with a noble purpose, and wrestling with the devil foot to foot, breast to breast, and he says to them, as he said to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan. Let me come close to my tempted one. Satan hath desired thee, that he might sift thee as wheat, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not."

"Speak gently to ministers who are seeking, fully as earnestly as your own self, to do their duty under difficulties. They are but men, with all the clamoring of Satan to discourage them. "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees." Be careful to make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but rather let it be healed. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled."

"The Lord has accepted men, and borne with them, when their brethren have treated them indifferently. They have allowed their masterly spirit to come in, to rule, and in thus doing, they have counterworked the work of God. You have managed this case, from first to last, in evidently a faithless manner. He is in God's service. He is God's property. You have no right to handicap him, as you have done. You should deal with him just as you would choose to be dealt with under like circumstances. By going to another field to work, without consulting his brethren do not understand just how God will bring about the accomplishment of the work he would have done. This very moving to another part of the field may be wholly in the Lord's order. Let men be delicate, and exercise their caution when it will tell for God's glory in the end.

"But this brother was not so much to be censured in his action; for your own course of action revealed movements that did not encourage confidence in your faith or in your judgment. He was willing to submit to the judgment of others, altogether too much so. The Lord is not pleased when men go to men, and yield up their own will and judgment to follow their counsel. When the one giving it has not more wisdom and faith than themselves, it is all a mistake. Erratic movements will be made, according to present appearance, and not according to the mind and will of God. All must stand in God. If there was not another person on the globe but ourselves, we should be Christians, for our own individual present and eternal good. Life can be pure only when it is under God's control. No man is to rule his fellow men.

"The brethren in the portion of the field to which this brother has gone should not have looked to Elder Daniells to know their duty, but to God. They should have set him at work, because he is in service, under bonds to God. He is not to be a canvasser, only as it shall be connected with his ministerial work. He is to present the Word. He has many things to learn, as well as have all who have given themselves to the ministry. Many rush into matters in a hurry, and make mistakes. Some forget that they are only human, with the deficiencies of humanity upon them and they give expression to principles that are not Christian. Thus they set an example that leads others astray." SpM 60-61. Mar. 12, 1897

Spalding Magan – pgs 60- 75 - it is all good- the above is just a portion.