Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)

Ms 60, 1890

Our Institutions

NP

1890

Previously unpublished.

How shall they be treated? I purchased on the hillside seven acres and a half of land. I have been solicited to sell. I always told them no. I was bound by a written agreement not to sell without the consent of the board. I saw that which made me sad. Families crowding in about the institution who fell out under the least obligation to sustain the institution. If they could receive benefit themselves, then that was all right in their eyes. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 1

If the institution was brought into a strait place, and was under the necessity of employing those who professed to believe the truth to do something in their great need, there are those who would make the most of their need and would demand a much larger price for their labor than was just because they could get it, thus taking advantage of the circumstances. This is registered in the books of heaven as unjust in deal, dishonest before God. And these men show that they are not worthy to have any connection with this instrumentality of God. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 2

If these are not personally favored, then they reported they were ill treated. There has [been] great sin committed by these families. They have weighed persons and things in their own imperfect balances and then pronounced their sentence accordingly. There have been talkers, watchers, to pass their comments upon everything that came before them. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 3

Now, these persons should not have been on the hill at all. Not a foot of land should have been sold to these families, although they may assure you that they wanted to help the institution. Some have moved just as their feelings have been moved. They have done little less than multiply obstacles to future success. They have strengthened prejudice and encouraged by their talk and movements strong suspicions and awakened opposing influences. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 4

Brother M. J. Church has arrayed himself against the Health Retreat strongly. A condition of things existed in the Health Retreat which was sad indeed. Elder Rice entered largely into the matter. He did not consult the board. He followed his own strong will and thought himself fully competent to financier, and the result has involved the institute thousands of dollars in debt. But knowing what he has done, he has made no restitution. His influence was of that character to bring reproach upon the sanitarium. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 5

Dr. Maxson and wife strengthened and sustained Elder Rice. They were fully united, and both disconnected from the institute at the same time because they had not discernment and were not standing or walking in the counsel of God. God sees all these difficulties the institute has had to labor under. All this was the working of Satan. But after the most painstaking effort the institution was again set in order. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 6

Then came the movement of Brother M. J. Church, united with Dr. Maxson and wife, to build an institution in Fresno to be run by M. J. Church and Dr. Maxson. This threw a burden upon me and required of me most earnest labor to show the inconsistency of the thing. But the words and influence of M. J. Church have been to demerit the institution in St. Helena, to talk of the curse of God lying on the institution. Did he expect to convert the institution or its managers by his harsh denunciations and expressed contempt? Is this the way that those who claim to have superior wisdom are enlisting their powers to make more success of that institution which the Lord has signified should live and be sustained in California? 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 7

It is the fruit of a Christian to come close to our brother’s heart, touched as was our merciful Saviour with the feelings of his infirmities. If the piety of God’s professed children is sound and heathy, it has nothing to fear. They will not take the plague because the impression is kept alive that the region at St. Helena is infected. If Jesus be with these who claim to be His children, their work is not to tear down and demolish, but following the orders of the great Master Worker to build up. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 8

Oh, the littleness of the faith of these who ought to be laborers together with God. Men feel competent to steer their own bark. There is but a faint personal piety and a large stock of self-sufficiency. Therefore, there is not a wise and unreserved cooperation with the principles and movements of the divine overtures and agencies the Lord proffers us. But all who are truly workers together with God have many fellow laborers to unite with them to exert an important and beneficial influence on these instrumentalities which God has appointed. The success of these institutions depends largely upon the union and the love for brethren in cooperation, and this is the ruling element to exist in the church insuring peace and harmonious action of its members. This is the Christ-like moral force which is the efficacy and power of the gospel. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 9

Such selfishness, such bigotry, such unsanctified tongues and actions, I never met in my experience as at the present time, simply because the church members have not the love of Jesus in their hearts but love and esteem and honor themselves. The truth we claim to believe Satan sees as faith and power, and he works with all his devices to make church members unsanctified, unholy in thoughts, unholy in plans, unholy in words and their actions. They have professedly an eye single to the glory of God, when their eye [actually] is single to their selfish purposes and aggrandizement. Glorify God? No indeed. Glorify self, and they forfeit the Christian character. Here are institutions of learning, colleges, publishing houses, and [institutions] for health in our midst. Shall we abandon all these because the mischief-makers talk, because the murmurers exist as among ancient Israel? There are talkers, there are accusers, there are those who break the law of God in lying and bearing false witness and recrimination. There have stood on the boarder of the field the watchers, the spies all in armor, saying, Report and we will report it. They are ready to sally forth from their watch towers and engage in strife of tongues. By their fruits ye shall know them. It is time that these parties were ready to learn the mind of the Spirit of God, not one part run to another part full of important discoveries of things which never existed or took place. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 10

How are all these professed commandmentkeepers to live in harmony in the family of heaven? All the preparation of that place must take place here. I have been shown that the seat of the difficulty is [that] men consider their ideas wiser than God’s plans. They want to improve upon God’s ideas, considering their own ideas perfection. The wisdom of men is foolishness with God. The Israelites substituted a golden calf for Jehovah. Men in our day substitute for God things that only degrade and belittle their conceptions of God. The transforming energies of the Holy Spirit will make the heart of man right and keep him right. Man has been made to take the place of God. I tell you in the fear of God, the eye that seeth in secret, the heart that heareth what is spoken in the bed chamber, will bring to light some startling revelations. It is by our works we shall be justified or condemned. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 11

But there must be church discipline exercised toward its members who bear false witness and all who loveth and maketh a lie. This wickedness is permeating the churches and unless the Spirit of God is entertained, unless there is close communion with God, the want of this is supplied by the communion with Satan. The Christless state of many churches is due to their wicked practices to tear and rend each other. If the devil can keep members of the church murmuring, complaining, contending, [he] is ruining their souls. He is educating them that they will possess that troublesome, selfish, loveless character that Satan possessed, and they will be with him outside of the city of God. If we are meek and lowly of heart Jesus knows that and will abide with us. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 12

While Satan is occupying the minds of Christ’s followers with dissension, souls are being lost, for there is not labor put forth for them in the spirit of love for Christ and earnest efforts to win them to Christ. It is terrible to contemplate what victories Satan has gained while the members of the church have been divided, so engrossed with their own unsanctified, unholy bickering that sinners have been deceived, the religion of Jesus Christ misinterpreted, Christ denied in words, in spirit, in life and character. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 13

The agencies, divine and human, are placed at the disposal of many of those who claim to be children of God who have the Word of God, who have the testimony of His Spirit. He saith, “I have stretched out my hand all the day long to a gainsaying, disobedient people.” [Romans 10:21.] God is working, all heaven is working, to prepare a people for the day of God’s preparation. The churches are far from Christ, lukewarm, destitute of every grace. And to these who are such, Jesus says, “Knowest not they are full of Pharisaism and spiritual pride, saying I am rich and increased with goods.” And Brother Church, the message to the Laodicean church means you apply it to yourself and work diligently. “As many as I love I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent. Beloved, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and open the door I will come in to him and sup with him and he with Me.” [Revelation 3:19, 20.] Write it on your soul. Engrave it on your doorposts. No more flattery. He must increase, I must decrease. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 14

It was the seeking of supremacy that caused the fall of Satan, and he took a portion of heaven with him because no one falls alone who claims infallibility. There is found in churches the unsettling of confidence in their ministers, the questions, the laying bare their supposed mistakes, expatiating on their weaknesses, and when you have done this phase of the devil’s work, what has it done for you or for them? Has it made you any more Christlike? Has it strengthened your faith? Has it brought spiritual vigor to those who are ready to die? Where are the peacemakers? The stirrers-up of strife are to be found easily enough. Where are the peacemakers? The loving Christians’s strength is the grace of Christ, cherishing the tender heart of love and confidence and fidelity to each other and to the church. [He] who possesses the unselfish spirit of true laborers, being sincere, earnest, devoted to Christ and to the saving of souls, would be in every sense a light to the world. They would be of more value in God’s army as faithful soldiers than the largest churches in number. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 15

Christ represents the condition of the church members. Five of them were wise and five of them were foolish. The foolish took no oil (grace) in their vessels with their lamps. How will this state of things so alarming continue? Will the one-half of the majority ever remain in ignorance and bondage to doubts and to fear and to temptations, ever confessing their bad habits and continue [in their] sins but never forsaking them? Wasting their own precious probationary time and keeping the minds of others in uncertainty, squandering their moral forces upon picking flaws in them, doing mischief, spoiling souls and churches by their talking of the inefficiency of laborers. But when their own field is examined, notwithstanding, they obtained their own wisdom as superior to any other. There are found tares, cockles, and poisonous weeds. They are tearing to pieces, sowing seeds of doubts, but contributing nothing of spiritual gospel work to strengthen the things that remain. They are Satan’s right-hand managers, and they flatter themselves because of propensities to find out and condemn, calling it spiritual eyesight. It is exactly of the quality the devil has possessed since he was expelled from Eden. They have changed captains and do not know it. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 16

What have those men and women done to build up the Health Retreat? Manifold and dear-bought experience has demonstrated that while members of our churches are climbing on the judgment seat to condemn and expose the weaknesses of one another, God has spoken to you in California. Will you hear His voice? Some will, some will not. While they are so fully occupied in weeding others’ gardens, the precious graces are dying in their own churches and the church becomes a body of darkness and death. How many scenes have angels looked upon where children of God have mingled with the strife of tongues in the war of human unholy passions, prejudices and criminations. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 17

The church in Fresno especially has been engaged in enterprises which have nothing [more] to do with missionary work or with the promotion of piety than has the work of Satan. And the tact, the grace, the fervency, the sympathies of men and women, are training away from the proper objects that are first and dear to our Redeemer. We must bring every jot of ability back to their proper channel and the rays of light that have been shining upon our pathway in clear and steady rays shall reflect light. The measure of our influence will extend far and be effective in just that measure of internal godliness and external manifestation of an indwelling Saviour. The Lord God cooperates with the human agency that He may be represented to the world in sanctified human character. The eye must be placed upon God. By beholding Jesus Christ we become more like Him until copying His virtues we become complete in Him. 6LtMs, Ms 60, 1890, par. 18