Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 9 (1894)

Lt 16, 1894

Daniells, A. G.

George’s Terrace, St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia

March 11, 1894

Previously unpublished. +^Note

Elder Daniells:

A few nights since, I was bearing a message to a select company. I addressed all with words that impressed the idea of the necessity of practicing principles of truth which should govern the life and mold the character. I spoke words to Brother and Sister Starr, to Brother and Sister Rousseau, and to Brother and Sister Daniells. I am now writing to you, Brother and Sister Daniells, the substance of what which I addressed to you. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 1

Elder Daniells, it was the will of God that you should be placed in a responsible position of trust, not because you were faultless, but notwithstanding your imperfections. You are on test and trial. If you bear the proving of God, you will receive a rich reward; but if you fail to bear the test, the Lord cannot use you to His name’s honor and glory, for you will mar His work. The Word of God is your guide; the Holy Spirit is to be your teacher. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 2

You are in danger through influences that are not divine, but human. You cannot be a safe man to occupy the important position you now do unless you shall daily learn in the school of Christ from the great Teacher. I must say to you things that grieve my soul. You must receive from no human source lessons that will unfit you for the work of God. Those who support the work of God are to receive their impress from God alone, and [to] work in Christ’s lines for complete and perfect oneness with Jesus Christ and with their brethren, and especially with those whom God has honored with a sacred, holy trust to preach the Word, to be instant in season and out of season to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 3

Increased light <from the Word of God> is to come to the people, line upon line, and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. Catch every ray of light emanating from the throne of God. Every true, genuine worker will love God with all his heart and will love his co-laborers with pure, unselfish love. No one of God’s workers is to treat another worker with indifference or with disrespect, <or to stand in the position of criticizer,> but each one is to show the other true courtesy and love. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 4

You are in danger of misunderstanding your work. God has not placed upon you the power to discern and pronounce upon the work that comes forth from the hands of your brethren who have had experience in the cause and work of God, and who walk in fear and trembling before Him. God has not placed you upon the judgment seat to detect flaws in your fellow workmen any more than He has set them to criticize your work. Leave the criticizing in safe hands; and that is in the hands of God. God has never placed you as a judge. He has a work for you to do in connection with your brethren who have had an experience in the work, and that is to seek to answer the prayer of Christ that His disciples may be one as He is one with the Father. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 5

One man’s mind and one man’s judgment is never to pronounce in reference to the workers God has ordained. Every worker must wear the yoke of Christ. You can wear your own armor, prepared for you of God, and every individual worker must look to God, and learn of the great Teacher <for their individual selves;> but there are to be no lords over God’s heritage. The interest of one worker is to be the interest of all. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 6

Wherever these workers may be, they must individually ask wisdom of God and believe and be instructed of God, and then <counsel with their fellow laborers> [and] follow their best judgment in the fear of God, according to the circumstances that may arise. They will meet circumstances that will require individual decisions. There will be times when it will be necessary to decide on the spot, for it would imperil the cause to wait to write <to the president of the conference> and receive a reply, or to take the time to seek an interview with the president of the conference, who is but human like other <men.> The worker found under such circumstances must shape the work to meet the exigency of the case, moving prayerfully and conscientiously and in the fear of God, doing what he thinks will best serve the cause which his soul loves. He must preach the Word and do the work required as a shepherd under the great Shepherd of the sheep. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 7

When a worker acts according to his best light, then shall his work be criticized, depreciated and pronounced upon? Shall such a worker be censured by his brother, a human agent also, who is liable to err, since he has the imperfections of humanity upon him? If this is to be done, confusion will soon be in our ranks, and Satan’s attributes will be manifested by human agents, and the Spirit of the Lord will be grieved. Through thinking and speaking evil there is great danger, and I therefore warn you to keep off the judgment seat, and rather seek for unity, and cultivate not a selfish love, but the love of Christ. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 8

There are men who should be respected because they are laborers together with Christ, and “all ye are brethren.” [Matthew 23:8.] Sound doctrine is to be brought into contact with actual life, and it is to produce sound practice. The form of sound words is to be valued above gold. The searching maxims of God’s Word are to search men’s work. The great I AM says, “I know thy works.” [Revelation 2:2.] The truth is to be practiced, to be acted out, and then it will elevate the life, sanctify and ennoble the teacher and <also the> receiver of truth. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 9

The Lord has presented before me the fact that Brother Rousseau has been carrying a heavy load, a load altogether too weighty for him. He has had many trying cases to deal with in the school, and he has needed wise, judicious counsellors. But he has not had that sympathy, that encouragement, from all that he should have had. There has been hindrances in his way that have made his work more taxing than it should have been. Now how does the Lord look upon him under this pressure, while he has been striving to do the work of three men? The Lord looks from heaven pityingly, tenderly, and lovingly. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 10

Brother Rousseau has tried to do his work with fidelity, and his brethren, who feel inclined to criticize and to censure him because he has done some things in a different manner from the way in which they would have done them, and they think they see imperfections in his work, should, before they cast the first stone, ask themselves, “Am I without sin? <Would I have done any better had I been in his place?”> Has God spoken from heaven and pronounced judgments upon His overworked servant? No, for we have a merciful God to deal with. <Please consider,> aftersight is more clear than the foresight, and there <will> often be mistakes made [when] <it seems there must be a> moving at a venture, risking the consequences. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 11

Brother Rousseau has carried the heavy responsibility laid upon him nobly. He has sometimes not been as choice <in his selection> of his words <under trying circumstances> as he should have been, and he has left the impression upon <some> minds that were tempted <and tried,> that he was hard and severe. Therefore Bro. Rousseau should not have <so many> burdens to carry that are of a financial character, or the serving of tables. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 12

I have been shown repeatedly that it is a great mistake for committees to place upon one man, as they have upon Elder Daniells, so many offices that it is not possible for him to do justice to one-half of them. There is no wisdom in this. The Lord would have His representative men receive their light and their wisdom and grace from no human agent, but from the true fountain. God’s delegated agents are not to be educated to look to any human source for wisdom. While there is always need of counselling together and arriving at the best conclusions and forming the best plans in order to advance the work, yet every mind must present the best it has, and there should be no hesitancy in doing this. No one is to lose his individuality and be lost in the individuality of another man, whatever may be his position or tact. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 13

The Lord has given to every man his work. One man’s work may show that he is adapted for a certain line, and [he may] work in that line with better results, than his fellow workmen, while the co-laborer may be fitted to do another line of work with equal success. But God’s blessing in the ministry is not to be looked upon as centered in the earthen vessel. 9LtMs, Lt 16, 1894, par. 14