Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 4 (1883 - 1886)

Lt 62, 1886

Kellogg, J. H.

Basel, Switzerland

August 2, 1886

Formerly Undated Ms 81. Portions of this letter are published in 14MR 26-30; CTr 354. +^Note

Dr. J. H. Kellogg:

Last Tuesday night at eight o’clock we reached our temporary home in Basel, after an absence of six weeks. We were glad to get home again. We visited at Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, spending about two weeks in each of these kingdoms. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 1

The Lord has favored me greatly; my health is improved and my heart is filled with gratitude to God. While in Orebro, Sweden, I was very nearly a cripple. I had to ride three nights and two days on the cars and steamer, and the seats in the cars were hard and without springs, and lying upon them seemed to have a bad effect upon my hip. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 2

But in Christiania I was able to walk around considerable, and W. C. White and I walked quite frequently to the King’s palace and in his broad, extensive gardens. They are very beautiful grounds, but I let my mind dwell upon the purified new earth where all things would be made new, and there would be no more curse. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 3

How happy the thought that I was the daughter of God; member of the royal family; child of the heavenly King; heir to the pure and holy everlasting kingdom. I love to see everything that is beautiful in nature in this world, and I think I would be perfectly satisfied with this earth surrounded with the good things of God, if it were not blighted with the curse of sin. But we shall have a new heavens and a new earth. John saw this in holy vision, and he says, “I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, The tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.” [Revelation 21:3.] Oh, blessed hope, glorious prospect! “I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.” [Verses 6, 7.] I am, I hope, waiting and watching for the appearing of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 4

Those who enter into the marriage supper of the Lamb will be those who are pure and holy here. We have no time now to talk of unbelief or to enshroud our souls in an atmosphere of doubts. Jesus loves us and wants to make us happy. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 5

I would so love to be in America again, but I do not care to go until my work here is done. If I know my own heart, it is to do the will of God to the very letter. I am willing to be a pilgrim and a stranger here, for I am seeking a city whose builder and maker is God. It is only for a little while that we shall have to work, and we want to do our work with diligence. We want to make sure of eternal life. We do not want to follow our inclinations or our pleasure, but just do the will of God and wait for His salvation and the final reward. I have peace and joy in my Saviour. I am looking to the great beyond; and if the Master says, “Well done” [Matthew 25:21], I shall be entirely satisfied. I love Jesus, I love to do His will. I ask not position or honor or ease or convenience. I want to labor together with God, practicing self-denial and self-sacrifice and be a partaker with Christ of His sufferings, that I may be a partaker with Him of His glory. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 6

I should much like to hear from you. We see the need in these institutions of being strong in the Lord and the power of His might. We see that it requires watchfulness and prayer to resist the enemy, and to be victorious. We are now seeking to draw near to God. We see the need of His grace. This morning we commenced to hold meeting here in Basel from half-past five to half-past six A.M. I speak about twenty minutes, and then others express their minds. These are called morning talks to help those who are working in the office. Nearly all are young and need constant help or they will be overcome with the device of Satan. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 7

The Lord helped me to speak last Sabbath twice. We felt that we were as a church becoming indifferent, formal, prosy, and were not making that improvement that we should make, and we are seeking now to come up to a higher plain of action. The Lord will help us if we are striving earnestly to war the good warfare. Satan makes these institutions his special points of attack because he knows that if he can allure any one soul to unfaithfulness and slothfulness; he will through that one influence others. Oh, how my soul desires to see those who are connected with our publishing houses, our colleges, and health institutions, making improvement through the wise use of every power the Lord has given them. Every faculty belongs to God and is to be used to His glory. The worthier the Master, the more efficient service should we render as servants. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 8

Those who are connected with the work of God to benefit humanity should honor God by rendering to Him the best that they are capable of doing. Half-hearted selfish work He does not accept at all. He claims of us that every power He has lent us shall be put to active exercise, that it may receive strength and culture. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 9

In ancient time men were not allowed to lay on God’s altar the maimed, the halt, the blind, and God is no better pleased with the poorest offerings today. He requires the best. If we offer to God weak and feeble intellect and ill-trained movements, faculties clogged and weakened by disuse, and then be unable to do good service, God cannot be pleased with such offerings. The workers for the Lord in special service were well-trained, picked men; so should those be who are connected with any department of the Lord’s work. They exercise judiciously every faculty, rejoicing in the vigorous use of all their powers. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 10

We should study how to render to God the most perfect service by constantly seeking to reach perfection. In the day of God it will be seen that while many have carried heavy loads of care and weighty responsibility, that have cut short their usefulness and their life, this sacrifice was because there were so many who were not doing their work which God had left for them to do. There are so many slothful servants. If they had educated and trained their powers, they could have proved themselves to be trustworthy servants, true standard-bearers, and there would be no question about placing responsibility upon them. Heroic effort and patient endurance is necessary to be cultivated by every son and daughter of God, that when called into active service they will not faint or fail. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 11

No one would think of entering an army in time of war, hoping to have ease and self-indulgence and a real pleasant and profitable time. They know that hardships and privations are the liabilities; and as long as the war lasts, they will have coarse food and often short rations, long weary marches by day, enduring the heat of the burning sun, camping out at night in the open air, exposed to drenching rains and chilling frosts, venturing health and life itself as they stand as targets for the enemy. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 12

The Christian life is compared to the life of a soldier, and there can be no bribes presented of ease and self-indulgence. The idea that Christian soldiers are to be excused from the conflicts, experiencing no trials, having all temporal comforts to enjoy, and even the luxuries of life, is a farce. The Christian conflict is a battle and a march, calling for endurance. Difficult work has to be done, and [for all who] enlist as soldiers in Christ’s army with these false ideas of pleasantness and ease, and then experience the trials, it often proves fatal to their Christianity. God does not present the reward to those whose whole life in this world has been one of self-indulgence and pleasure. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 13

It is time that men and women have some true idea of what is expected of a true soldier of the cross of Jesus. Those who serve under the blood-stained banner of the Prince Emmanuel are expected to do difficult work which will tax every power God has given them. They will have painful trials to endure for Christ’s sake. They will have conflicts which rend the soul; but if they are faithful soldiers they will say with Paul, “These light afflictions which are but for a moment worketh out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; looking not at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are unseen are eternal.” [2 Corinthians 4:17, 18.] 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 14

An army would be demoralized if it did not learn to obey [the] orders of the captain. Each soldier must act in concert. Union is strength; without union, efforts are meaningless. Whatever excellent qualities a soldier may possess, he cannot be a safe, trustworthy soldier if he claims a right to act independently of his fellow comrades. This independent action cannot be maintained in the service of Christ. The soldiers of Jesus Christ must move in concert, else it were better that they do nothing. For if one speak one thing, and another present ideas and doctrines contrary to his fellow laborers, there is confusion, discord, and strife. Therefore the apostle charges that all who believe on Christ be of one mind, one faith, one judgment, each moving in concert, influencing one another beneficially, because they are both obedient to the precious truth of the Word of God, attached to one Saviour, the great Source of light and truth. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 15

Spasmodic, disunited efforts of professed Christians are like a span of horses, both strong and active, but yet they do not pull together; one tries to start the load, the other settles back in the harness, and both do not pull at the same time. God would have His workers pull together, not one pulling in one direction and another in opposite direction, for all such efforts are worse than wasted. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 16

Those who prefer to act alone are not good soldiers; they have some crookedness in their character which needs to be straightened. They may think themselves conscientious, but they do not the works of Christ. They cannot render efficient service. Their work will be of a character to draw apart when Christ’s prayer was that His disciples might be one as He was one with the Father. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 17

There are those who think it a virtue to be firm, set and determined in some peculiar ideas of their own plans and notions that lead them away from unity and concert of action. They take a firm, set will to be of Christian forming when it is in them a too-high appreciation of their own wisdom. They do not consider that there is a possibility of their being deceived in the interpretation of Scripture and their duty. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 18

Self-restraint is essential to be exercised by every Christian if he answers the prayer of Christ. He is not a good soldier who will not submit his own judgment and his own ideas to preserve unity of action. We have a noble Captain and every soldier must obey orders. The meekness and lowliness of Christ always leads to unity and hence to strength in united action. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 19

Write me how things are getting along at the sanitarium. Are Dr. Maxson and his wife put into practice? Are they obtaining increased experience by practical work? I think there is good material in them and they need to be carried up into practical work. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 20

Much love to Brother and Sister Hutchins, Brother and Sister Sawyer, and to all the brethren and sisters. 4LtMs, Lt 62, 1886, par. 21