willfully hold to an opinion of his own. By this
excellent method he endeavors to arrive at unity and truth. Opposition and
division are deplorable. It is better then to have the opinion of a wise,
sagacious man; otherwise, contradiction and altercation, in which varied
and divergent views are presented, will make it necessary for a judicial
body to render decision upon the question. Even a majority opinion or
consensus may be incorrect. A thousand people may hold to one view and be
mistaken, whereas one sagacious person may be right. Therefore, true
consultation is spiritual conference in the attitude and atmosphere of
love. Members must love each other in the spirit of fellowship in order
that good results may be forthcoming. Love and fellowship are the
foundation.

The most memorable instance of spiritual consultation was the meeting of
the disciples of Jesus Christ upon the mount after His ascension. They
said, "Jesus Christ has been crucified, and we have no longer association
and intercourse with Him in His physical body; therefore, we must be loyal
and faithful to Him, we must be grateful and appreciate Him, for He has
raised us from the dead, He made us wise, He has given us eternal life.
What shall we do to be faithful to Him?" And so they held council. One of
them said, "We must detach ourselves from the chains and fetters of the
world; otherwise, we cannot be faithful." The others replied, "That is
so." Another said, "Either we must be married and faithful to our wives
and children or serve our Lord free from these ties. We cannot be occupied
with the care and provision for families and at the same time herald the
Kingdom in the wilderness. Therefore, let those who are unmarried remain
so, and those who have married provide means of sustenance and comfort for
their families and then go forth to spread the message of glad tidings."
There were no dissenting voices; all agreed, saying, "That is right." A
third disciple said, "To perform worthy deeds in the Kingdom we must be
further self-sacrificing. From now on we should forego ease and bodily
comfort, accept every difficulty, forget self and teach the Cause of God."
This found acceptance and approval by all the others. Finally a fourth
disciple said, "There is still another aspect to our faith and unity. For
Jesus' sake we shall be beaten, imprisoned and exiled. They may kill us.
Let us receive this lesson now. Let us realize and resolve that though we
are bea