There have been so many church trials among the brethren in the State of New York, that God has not had the least to do with, that the church have lost their strength, and they know not how to regain it. Love for one another has disappeared, and a faultfinding, accusing spirit has prevailed. It has been considered a virtue to hunt up everything about one another that looked wrong, and make it appear fully as bad as it really was. The bowels of compassion that yearn in love and pity toward brethren, have not existed. The religion of some has consisted in faultfinding, picking at everything bearing the appearance of wrong, until the noble feelings of the soul are withered. The mind should be elevated to dwell upon eternal scenes, heaven, its treasures, its glories, and should take sweet and holy satisfaction in the truths of the Bible. It should love to feed upon the precious promises that God's word affords, draw comfort from them, and be lifted above trifles to weighty, eternal things.…
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
The EGW passage directly contrasts the behavior of the New York brethren with the qualities of love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. The absence of charity, kindness, and the presence of faultfinding directly opposes the biblical text.
"But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another."
The EGW passage describes the brethren 'biting and devouring one another' through faultfinding and accusation, which is precisely the warning given in Galatians 5:15. The connection is strong and relevant.