Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 3 (1876 - 1882)

Lt 10, 1879

Andrews, J. N.

Denison, Texas

January 22, 1879

Portions of this letter are published in HP 271.

Dear Brother Andrews:

I wrote very hurriedly in my last, and I feel very anxious that you should receive all the benefit the Lord would have you have, and be comforted and encouraged, all that it is your privilege to be. You need to rest your spirit in God. Seek for repose of mind. All prayer is not enough. There is great need of resting in God, showing confidence in His Word by calmly trusting in His love. Repentance is not saving faith, but is necessary to it. Repentance must go before saving faith. In resting calmly upon the promises of God, sweet peace will fill your soul. Peace will spring up in the heart that is trusting in Jesus. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 1

You, my dear brother, really wish to know the path of peace, but you miss it in not maintaining your confidence in God and saying “Thou art mine” with that perfect trust a child reposes in the promise of a tender, loving parent. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 2

Christians see Christ with different degrees of faith. To one He is of lovely form, clear, full, and distinct. Like Stephen he cries, “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Acts 7:56. To another He is visible, but involved in a dim cloud. Firm of heart, that believer cries, “I know whom I have believed.” 2 Timothy 1:12. Gathering up his confidence, he is determined to trust. The Lord is ready to do for us great things, but we are to learn the lesson of trust and confidence. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 3

Your path, my dear brother, seems beset with difficulties and perplexities. One sorrow after another sweeps over your soul, but you must trust and believe that your heavenly Father doth not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. The Christian who loves his heavenly Father may not discern, by outward providence or visible signs, any heavenly favor above that given those with little or no consecration. Often he is sorely afflicted, distressed, perplexed, and hedged in on every side. Appearances seem to be against him. John understood the situation when he exclaimed, “It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” 1 John 3:2, 3. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 4

Joseph was virtuous and his character was marked for true goodness and strength of purpose, yet he was maligned, persecuted, and dealt with as a criminal. But God had signal victories for Joseph, even as he appeared to suffer because of his rightdoing. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 5

Daniel was cast into the lions’ den because of his firm adherence to principle and his loyalty to God. But he triumphed in the end and God was glorified through His servant whom He permitted to be humbled. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 6

Job was stripped of his earthly treasures, bereaved of his children, and made a spectacle of loathing to his friends, but in God’s time He showed He had not forsaken His servant. He lifted him up and showed him more favor than He had done at any previous time. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 7

Jeremiah, for his faithful integrity, was cast into a pit, but God wrought to have him brought up out of the pit and his cause find favor with princes. A true and faithful Stephen was stoned to death by the enemies of Christ. Surely it did not appear that God was strengthening His cause in the earth by thus permitting wicked men to triumph. But from this very circumstance, Paul was converted to the faith, and through his word thousands were brought to the light of the gospel. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 8

A precious, affectionate John was an exile on the lonely isle of Patmos. But here Jesus met with him and revealed to him events to transpire in the last days, which are as a bright light shining upon the future, stretching over the ages to the coming of Christ, and making known the counsel of the Lord for future ages. The attractive glories of the heavenly home were made known to him. He was permitted to look upon the throne of God and to behold the white-robed redeemed ones who had come out of great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. He heard the lofty song of angels and the victorious songs of triumph from those who had overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 9

Brother Andrews, I have no tears to shed over the grave of my dear Henry. He died in the Lord. “Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.” Revelation 14:13. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 10

Anxiety and care have been your portion for some length of time. Your nervous system must have time to rally, and you must not become too anxious to resume your labors. Should you spend some weeks at our sanitarium, it would be a benefit to you if you would rest and not be uneasy and feel condemnation if you are not in actual service. You must have care for the body. As you now are in poor health, it would be presumptuous to return to Europe. You must have a change. When you do return, would it not be a benefit to you to spend some time in Old England? 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 11

The work is the Lord’s, and He will not suffer His work to come to naught. The people in Europe are not prepared for any wide or large work. They have not been educated to feel that they must co-operate. It is always best to let the work grow up with the interest and efforts of the people and they be educated to identify their interest with its very rise and advancement. In the present state of things, they are not prepared for a printing house. Should the printing house be established in Switzerland, the work would have to be sustained almost wholly outside of the people in Switzerland. It would not come up right in this way. It would not be half as well for the people. They must learn to lift the burden now. You would have to push the work at every advance step. You would have to meet and combat the prejudice and notions and peculiar ideas of our Switzerland brethren. They have not had that labor which they must have to educate their ideas. They are not now ready for the printing establishment to be located in their midst. They must have greater breadth and compass before this can be done. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 12

The work will have to be carried forward in a limited manner until the people shall grow out of their peculiar, restricted ideas and stereotyped notions and views. You must not be crushed with disappointments in lifting burdens yourself which others must be taught to carry and not look on as spectators ready to find fault if you did not meet their ideas and follow their plans. 3LtMs, Lt 10, 1879, par. 13