Some who are poor in this world's goods
are apt to place all the straight testimony upon the shoulders
of the men of property. But they do not realize that they also
have a work to do. God requires them to make a sacrifice. He
calls upon them to sacrifice their idols. They should lay aside
such hurtful stimulants as tobacco, tea, and coffee. If they
are brought into straitened circumstances while exerting themselves
to do the best they can, it will be a pleasure for their wealthy
brethren to help them out of trouble.
Many lack wise management and economy.
They do not weigh matters well, and move cautiously. Such should
not trust to their own poor judgment, but should counsel with
their brethren who have experience. But those who lack economy
and good judgment are often unwilling to seek counsel. They generally
think that they understand how to conduct their temporal business,
and are unwilling to follow advice. They make bad moves, and
suffer in consequence. Their brethren
are grieved to see them suffer, and they help them out of difficulty.
Their unwise management affects the church. It takes means from
the treasury of God which should have been used to advance the
cause of present truth. If these poor brethren take a humble
course and are willing to be advised and counseled by their brethren,
and are then brought into straitened places, the brethren should
feel it a duty to cheerfully help them out of difficulty. But
if they choose their own course, and rely upon their own judgment,
they should be left to feel the full consequences of their unwise
course, and learn by dear experience that "in multitude
of counselors there is safety." God's people should be subject
one to another. They should counsel with one another, that the
lack of one may be supplied by the sufficiency of another. I
saw that the stewards of the Lord have no duty to help those
persons who persist in using tobacco, tea, and coffee.