This act on the part of the
overseer is termed by the society admonishing. The circumstances of
admonishing and of being admonished are known only to the parties,
except the case should have become of itself notorious; for secrecy is
held sacred on the part of the persons who admonish. Hence it may
happen, that several of the society may admonish the same person, though
no one of them knows that any other has been visiting him at all. The
offender may be thus admonished by overseers and other individuals for
weeks and months together, for no time is fixed by the society, and no
pains are supposed to be spared for his reformation. It is expected,
however, in all such admonitions, that no austerity of language or
manner should be used, but that he should be admonished in tenderness
and love.
If an overseer, or any other individual, after having thus laboured to
reclaim another for a considerable length of time, finds that he has not
succeeded in his work, and feels also that he despairs of succeeding by
his own efforts, he opens the matter to some other overseer, or to one
or more serious members, and requests their aid. These persons now wait
upon the offender together, and unite their efforts in endeavouring to
persuade him to amend his life.
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