Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 7 (1891-1892)

Ms 35, 1891

Sermon/Work and Baptism of the Holy Spirit Needed

Healdsburg, California

September 26, 1891

This manuscript is published in entirety in 1SAT 171-193.

Text: (Acts 1:3-12) “To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time, (that is, the time when they should be baptized with the Holy Ghost) restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both at Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 1

“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey.” Acts 1:3-12. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 2

And we read in another place, They returned with great joy. [Luke 24:52.] Now what made that joy? Was it because their Lord was leaving them? No, it was not that. It was because of the promise that He would come again, and that the Holy Spirit should come upon them. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 3

You see, He bids them tarry in Jerusalem until a certain time; and when was it? Until the Holy Ghost should come upon them. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 4

We have altogether too little to say in our churches, in our camp meetings, in our assemblies, in our homes, about the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the people of God. The explanation is given here in the 14th chapter of John [as to] what is the Holy Ghost. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” [John 14:26.] Why could they not receive it and accept it while Jesus Christ was with them on the earth? It is because of the false ideas which are constantly put forth by those who are in error, by those who are in darkness concerning the truth. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 5

The Pharisees, the Jews, the scribes and the rulers were teaching for doctrine the commandments of men—mark [this], not the commandments of God, but the commandments of men. These had become so magnified, and they had listened to the misinterpretation of Scripture from their rulers and teachers so much, that they became confused and it seemed impossible to separate the truth from the error, the mysticisms of Satan’s devising, the real from the false, the genuine from the spurious; and it was by constant repetition of the truth and what the truth means that they could get hold of correct ideas of what the Saviour meant. And the Saviour was full, oh, full of light and knowledge, and how He longed to communicate this fullness to His disciples; but He said, “I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” [John 16:12.] 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 6

I want to tell you, dear friends, just now, prior to the second appearing of Christ, you mingle with the earth, you mingle with the world; your business, your cares, your perplexities crowd upon you; the earthly becomes supreme, the heavenly subordinated to the earthly. Thus it was with the disciples. In order for them to understand the words of God and the Scriptures there must be an application of the truth, a special divine enlightenment which they had not hitherto had; and He tells them that when the Holy Ghost shall come, the Comforter, He should bring all things that Christ had said unto them to their remembrance, and there would be an opening of their understanding. [John 14:26.] 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 7

When Christ met with the men as they were traveling to Emmaus, they saw in Christ only a man toiling, traveling, like themselves; but He was the resurrected Son of God. And He asked why they were so sad, why they were conversing in such sadness. Why, they asked of this Stranger, are you only a stranger in Jerusalem, and do you not know what has taken place, that Christ, a mighty Man, a prophet that was mighty in power—why, wicked hands have taken and crucified Him? And then Christ opened to them the Scriptures, commencing at Moses and the prophets. He went right down and traced His very history, the Christ of God, and showed them that everything that had transpired was written there in the Scriptures and laid [them] open to their understanding [Luke 24:17-27]; but they could not take it in. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 8

And when the disciples came to their place of abode, and they urged Christ to come in and abide with them because the day was far spent, in breaking of bread He revealed Himself unto them. They could, by the very manner in which He handled the bread, see the very marks—Christ’s ways—and then, lo, the cruel marks of His crucifixion; and then He vanished out of their sight. Now they turned to one another and said: Did not our heart burn within us while He taught us by the way and opened unto us the Scriptures? What was it that made the heart burn within them? It was the illuminating power that was in the Scriptures that quickened their faith. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 9

When we search the Scriptures with humble heart, when we take right hold of the truth as it is in its simplicity, lying open in the Bible, when we believe it to be verity and truth, the heart will warm, it will kindle with the love of God, and from our hearts we can say, “burn within us.” [Verse 32.] We realize that again and again. When in the institutions where they have been studying the Scriptures, how the tears would flow, and what gladness would be in the heart! There was not a particle of enthusiasm, only just that which was received by the precious jewels of truth that were unfolded to the hearers. This is what we want. We want the Bible for our standard. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 10

Why is it that it is not a greater comfort to us? Well, I will tell you why. Christ has said that ye cannot serve God and mammon. [Matthew 6:24.] The one is against the other. However long you have been a professor of religion, even if it has been twenty or forty years, if you have not learned to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you do not know God, neither are you acquainted with Jesus Christ if you allow the spirit of the world to come in and absorb the mind and take the whole attention. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 11

Who gave you that mind? It was God. What right have you to commit day by day, hour by hour, week by week, month by month, and year by year, a system of robbery against God? What right have you to take the gift of reason, the gift of intelligence, and put that intelligence and reason largely to your own benefit in worldly profit? We are to yield ourselves up, all that there is of us. Men in positions of trust, positions in our institutions, you become self-centered; you bring commercial business in. Men of responsibility that stand in positions of trust have contracted too big and heavy burdens to stop to pray. You are to consider the words of Christ, “Without me ye can do nothing.” [John 15:5.] 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 12

Leave Christ out of your service and you cannot distinguish between the common and sacred fire. Oh, they are too crowded with the cares of life for them to pray. What is their position before God? You can go on and load yourself with burdens and with cares and perplexities, and live. “Without me ye can do nothing.” Now what is the use to leave Jesus out of the question and go on with your bungling work, botchwork, and with your affections centered upon the things of this world and absorbed and controlled by the business part—the temporal things of this life and that which is of no value to us—and that which is of eternal moment to us is put away as a thing to be taken up transiently, when most convenient? 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 13

If you go to meeting you cannot keep awake because you have robbed God of the nerve brain power in pressure of worldly cares, and of the physical and of the spiritual. You have not been drinking of the life streams which make glad the city of our God. You have not been drinking of the snow of Lebanon, but you have been drinking at the malarious streams in the valley, and what you want is religion. It is what you will have to have or you will never enter the kingdom of God. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 14

When the question was asked if there were many that should be saved, Christ said, Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, and few there be that enter in thereat. Why? Because wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction and many there be that go in thereat. [Matthew 7:13, 14.] They do not need to hunt to find it; they do not need to seek; they do not need to strive. They can drift with the current of the world. They have the maxims; they have their standard; they have the spirit of the world. The line of demarcation between saint and sinner is obliterated. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 15

Now if God has ever spoken by me, unless there is a reformation in our institutions, unless there is a reformation all through our churches, unless your eyes are opened by the baptism of the Holy Ghost, you will be lost just as surely as was Judas. You would sell your Lord just as readily as Judas sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, because Satan comes in with his temptations. His temptation is a bribe: All this will I give thee if thou wilt worship me. And many who suppose themselves loyal will sell their precious souls to Satan; and the things that are of interest, and that will live through eternal ages, are made a matter of minor consideration. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 16

You call the world an atom and you call an atom the world. You get that atom right before you, seeking for supremacy in these things, and talk of principles being maintained while worldly customs and worldly, unprincipled dealing is entered into and called principle to be maintained. Ungodly ambition is taking possession of the man not having an eye single to the glory of God, but first for the glory of self. You get yourself and this atom right between you and your God, and you do not bring eternity into your reckoning. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 17

Brethren and sisters, we had better come to our senses now, without delay. We had better cry for the vitalizing power of God to come upon us, and cure us of our spiritual paralysis; and, unless there is a thorough arousing, and you begin to cry unto God and change your course of action, you will be rated either with the unbeliever or you will be in that position that you have a name to live while you are dead; and your influence in the world is a living curse. Just because of your profession you lead people in the road to death and hell, and the account that God is to settle with you in the judgment you will not want the court to meet, for it decides your case forever. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 18

We are here for a purpose. Here are souls to save. There is a voice to be raised among the people of God. “Cry aloud, spare not.” Why, what is it? What is the matter? “Show my people,”—oh, it is God’s professed people, is it?—“their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins.” [Isaiah 58:1.] 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 19

What we all need is a conscience, and with many it is dead. What souls need is to die to self and be born again. Conscience needs a resurrection. What is wanted is to know what religion is, to know what it is to have a living connection with the God of heaven, to know God and Jesus Christ, whom He hath sent, for we read, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” [John 17:3.] Then there is a knowledge. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 20

Why, I ask you, do you devote so little time to prayer, so little time to your Bibles, searching the Word that you may be sure you are following the directions therein given that you may secure eternal life? Why do you feel so little burden to consecrate yourselves and your household to God? Why do you make it a mere form of worship? Many of you would be terribly surprised if Christ should answer your prayers. You do not expect it. You are not making calculations for it. You have a form, and the prayers of many of you do not rise any higher than your head. What do we want? Repentance of your sins. Confess your sins before God and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the time of refreshing shall come and He shall send Jesus. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 21

Now then, on this occasion we have been teaching here and talking about the love of God, how freely He is to forgive your sins. It is all so. It was a whole Saviour that hung on Calvary’s cross, and that is just where your condemnation comes in. It is because of the immensity and fullness of the sacrifice. [It is by] retaining your spiritual poverty and your spiritual death that you do not lay hold of the hope set before you in the gospel and benefit yourself with the great and infinite sacrifice which has been made in your behalf. What can you answer to God in the day of final accounts? What can you say that you have not received the missionary spirit to work for the conversion of souls? 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 22

Place some of you in a position of responsibility where any souls will be under you, and you will oft manifest the tyrant. You will order around God’s property as though they were your own, not human beings; order them around in a manner that would hurt the dignity of even dumb creatures. Is that the spirit that is going into heaven? Is that the spirit that is to dwell with Him who dwells in light unapproachable? I tell you, Nay. These persons who exalt themselves to rule are to be converted through and through, experiencing the new birth Christ instructed Nicodemus he must have or he would never see the kingdom of God. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 23

Religion is a personal matter. We are not saved by companies; we are not saved by having our names on the church books; we are not saved by numbers. The matter is, How is it with my soul? Have I made the surrender to God? Luke 10. Read the test made to Christ, What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Christ responds to the lawyer, What is written in the law? How readest thou? (Read the whole on this point.) Am I converted to God? Has His transforming power made me a new man? Am I kind? Have I the attributes of Christ or the attributes of Satan? Am I polite to God whose property in souls I am responsible for? Am I kind? Am I patient? Am I tender? Do I have the love of Christ for the souls for whom He has died? 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 24

What we want is purity; what we want is love. None of your love-sick sentimentalism, but we want faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Have we it today?—that love that Jesus had for us that He laid on the altar of sacrifice, that as a man He can make a sacrifice for the perishing souls of those in the world for whom Christ has died. He gave Himself a full and complete and perfect offering. He left the glory that He had with His Father before the world was; He came into our world to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; with His stripes we are healed. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 25

What have we done as laborers together with God? Have we denied self? Have we lifted the cross? Have we manifested the intense interest for the work to be done in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ to save the souls ready to perish? It is our work to manifest the intense, earnest desire to save souls proportionate with the greatest work God has committed to mortals. Then why so indifferent? Why so faithless? Why so worldly-minded? How can we meet the Lord in peace with our present showing? 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 26

Is there anyone that has any cause for boasting? Is there anyone that feels that he is very apt, and has great talents? Who gave them to him? They came to him from Jesus Christ. Then what are you doing with them? Are you employing these talents to represent to the world godliness and self-denial and self-sacrifice? If you do this, then it is you are imitating our Saviour Jesus Christ. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 27

What we want is religion, Christlikeness in character; what we want is the descent of the Holy Ghost. Talk it in your meetings; talk it in your families; pray to God for it. But let me tell you it does not come upon a man that has made his soul the highway for worldly thoughts, for impure thoughts, for sensual thoughts, for corrupting thoughts; nor for the performing of wicked actions. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 28

We point the sinner to One who can take away the sin of the world. He does not cover the world with His righteousness, but He takes it away until sinners repent and wash their robes of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. And the heart that is divested of self is ready for something else. That is the inflowing of the Holy Ghost. Then you can no more repress it, it will come out. You will begin to work for the depressed and the suffering. You will forget self. Self will not be exalted, but you will forget self, and you will be hid with Christ in God. When self is hid with Christ in God, then the Spirit of Christ will flow forth in conversation. Be ye holy, says the apostle, in all manner of conversation. [1 Peter 1:15.] 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 29

When Jesus Christ can present you before the Father spotless, the gates will be opened to you, and you can go in; but if your soul is stained, and if your soul is spotted, the record is there and you must meet it in the judgment. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 30

What we want is the deep movings of the Spirit of God. What we want is to be sanctified of God here, body and spirit. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all the heart”—not two-thirds of it, not a quarter of it—“with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself.” [Luke 10:27.] 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 31

Now Jesus Christ did not come to man in His own divine character, but He clothed His divinity with humanity. He came to our world in His human nature, and in compassion, that you might behold Him. You could not behold Him if He had the light even of an angel. But He takes our nature; He comes right to us in the world to work for us, to teach all souls what we must do to be saved; and now every one of us can receive Him, believe on Him, if we will; but we are represented as the ten virgins, five of whom were wise and five foolish. They profess to be Christians. They profess to be religionists; but there are half of them that have no oil of grace in their lamps, their hearts. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 32

I beg of you to institute the inquiry, How many of you have the Holy Spirit of God represented as oil in the vessel with the lamp? Here is the light; you have the truth, the precious gems of truth offered to you—the glorious unfolding of the truth from the Word of God. The coming of the Lord is presented before you, “Prepare to meet thy God.” [Amos 4:12.] This subject is not dwelt upon half as much as it should be; the preparation is essential. God has not given us any time to stop. Some will say, It is no use now for us to raise money to send missionaries into foreign countries, because the time is so short it would not accomplish anything. Yes it will. You had better use your money in that way than have it left for the great day of conflagration to consume it. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 33

There are thousands that do not feel the least responsibility to pay any tithes to God. They refuse to give to the Lord His own lent talents to them that they may trade upon them and double them. He knows you by name. He has all your names on His record. He knows the sum to a penny, and how much you have robbed Him of, His own lent money. He has given you the amount for your own sustenance and put His hand on a small portion; but you cannot see that God should receive any returns from you, that He has any right to it, so you use it all selfishly and rob God’s treasury. God forbid that you should think that way and continue this robbery. There is no reason why you cannot see the plain truth on this important subject, only because you have the selfishness of your own wicked heart right before you that you don’t want to see, and that you don’t mean to see. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 34

But there is a time coming when every case shall be judged according to their works. Every action of robbery, of appropriating the Lord’s tithe money, will be considered, unless you repent of your robbery toward God, that we may come to Him with His own and, as David said, “Of thine own, oh Lord, we freely give thee.” [1 Chronicles 29:14.] It is God that has given us everything. As we sit at our table He has given us this provision; through Jesus Christ it comes. The rain, the sunshine, the dew, and everything that is a blessing to us, He has given us, and yet many are so hardhearted, so full of selfishness, that they cannot see the claims that God has upon them. Not all, thank God! There are many of us glad to give back to the Lord His own, and give it freely. We give it as freely as did David. Of Thine own, we freely give Thee. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 35

Then, if there have been any that have been robbing God here, you may say, I don’t see it in the Bible. Yes, you do. You are lying to God; you see it. Your cases have been presented, specified in Malachi. You see it and you cannot help it, because if you have reasoning powers you can see it. But you do not want to see, and you encourage blindness of mind lest your selfishness should die, and Christ should come in and take possession of you. I am thinking of the judgment. I do not want to stand in debt to God, robbing God of the tithe and the offerings, and have Him say to me, as my name is called, Ye are cursed with a curse. I do not want to hear that from the Master. I want to hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” [Matthew 25:21.] 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 36

Now we are wondering why it is that we do not have more of the grace and power of God. You begin to institute Bible classes in your churches, at your homes, and humble yourselves before God, and earnestly pray and weep before Him, and give yourselves to Him without reservation; you would find that there is nothing in the way. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 37

He says, “I stand at the door and knock.” [Revelation 3:20.] What is the matter? Oh, you did not hear Him? Many don’t hear when the Lord says, This is My portion; give Me My portion. You may have the rest, but give Me My portion in tithes and offerings. So He knocks; He knocks, but you do not hear Him. What is the matter? Because the din of the world is sounding in your ears and you do not hear. You cannot stop long enough to seek God earnestly and listen to hear what the Spirit hath to say unto you. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 38

May God help us individually that we may divest ourselves of everything which separates the soul from God, and [may] there be such a reformation here in California that you have not dreamed of. You will see the salvation of God which will go through your minds, and the many souls that will be converted unto Him. That is everything to us. When they tell me of losses of temporal goods, I feel like this: It is not a soul. But the loss of a soul is of higher estimate than the whole world. “What will it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” [Mark 8:36, 37.] Please consider how you will settle this question with your Maker just now, without delay. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 39

Now let us bring eternity into our reckoning. Let us live for God every day. We do not know at what time our period of life closes and He will come to us saying, Give an account of thy stewardship. We have each a work to do. I will tell you when He will come to our world: After the gospel of His kingdom has been brought to all parts of the earth; and you had better be in a hurry. God help us to be faithful in the discharge of our duty to preach the gospel to all people, tongues, and nations that we may arouse to our God-given responsibilities; that we may divest ourselves of every particle of selfishness, that there may be no money expended in flowers or feathers, or in decoration of the body; you cannot afford it. It may be at the cost of a soul. The time that you occupy in self-serving you want to be seeking to open your Bible to awaken the souls that are perishing around you out of the truth, that are ready to die. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 40

Christ died that every soul might become a missionary. You need not look upon the ministers; you need not say they carry the burdens. They do carry the burdens, and the reason so many have fallen into the grave is because they carried the burdens that some of you refused to lift. They carry the burdens that you will not take upon your soul. If you would before God keep your own soul clean, if before God you would cleanse yourself from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, your ministers would be where they could go forth, and your prayers could follow them like sharp sickles into the harvest field. But the temptations of the world have crazed you; the world has benumbed you; the world has paralyzed you; and we want now to get above the world and behold Christ, our only hope, that our eye shall be fixed upon Him who is the One altogether lovely and the Chief among ten thousand. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 41

We want to know, brethren, if you are going to make the surrender to God. We want to know if you will consider that everything has been done for you that a God could do. We want to know if you consider that all heaven—just think of it!—all heaven has been poured out to you in one gift, with Jesus Christ. When God gave His Son He gave with Him the richest treasures of heaven. It is yours, if you will cooperate with Him; He gave all heaven; all heaven He gave in that one gift. All heaven is at our command. All heaven we may claim. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 42

When the minister goes forth to labor he can say, I go in the strength of the God of Israel. I have no confidence in self. I have no confidence in my finite ability, but I have a standing promise from One who says, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” [Matthew 28:20.] You have no lack of power then. What more assurance do you want? “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” [John 15:7.] Do you believe it? Do you believe the promise? 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 43

We have been so earthly; we have been talking of earthly things; we have had our conversation upon common and earthly things until eternity has been dropped out of our reckoning. Shall we bring it in? God help us that we may arouse as we never have done before. I tell you, it is an individual work. Do not look at another and say, They have defects in character; they are thus and so. “What is that to thee? follow thou me.” I speak of Peter. Said the Lord Jesus Christ, “What is that to thee? follow thou me.” He told Peter what should happen to him, and then Peter says, pointing to John, “What shall this man do?” [John 21:18-22.] Well now, you just keep your eye single to the glory of God. What is it to keep the eye single? What does it mean? It means that you should let the world go out of your reckoning, and let the eternal realities come in. God help us to be Christians at home. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 44

Now I want to tell you what a saint is. A saint in heaven is just what he is in his own family at home. If he is a Christian at home he is a Christian in the church. He will be a good Christian in heaven. Now God has placed us on trial here. How is it with you? Are you going to stand the test? He will bring circumstances around you to prove you and see whether there is any defilement of character in you. If there is any debasement, if there is any carnality, if there is any satanic tendency, He will bring you over the ground in one way, and then He will bring you over the ground in another way, and then He will test you upon one point, and then He will test you upon another. We are here to be tested and proved. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 45

What does it amount to? If you have the spirit of Christ, you will love every soul for whom Christ died. Not with a love-sick sentimentalism; not with base affection; nothing like that; you will love as Christ loved. You will want to carry that burden for souls, oh how carefully, that there shall not be any occasion given to the youth, or to those of mature age, that shall bring in or make occasion of their stumbling or being turned out of the way, or a channel for an impure thought. Create an atmosphere where the soul can be kept open and clean before God, our Maker. Ah, the sin of licentiousness, it is terrible! It is upon many, many that are here; they are corrupting their souls, and yet they seem to think that they are Christians. Some do not know what sin is. They do not know what an offence it is to God to defile the soul-temple; but I call upon you to clear the King’s highway. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 46

There are immense responsibilities that are resting upon our churches here in California where they have had the grand light of Bible truth, the precious message of truth in His Word. It is for the saving of the souls of the people. Such responsibility! It is to represent the faith you profess. It is to stand in the integrity of your soul. If you will be faithful to God self shall be crucified; self shall die, and Christ Jesus shall live in us, and He shall be the hope of our calling. We will represent Jesus Christ to the world. Inquire sincerely, Am I a Christian? If I am a Christian, I am looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of my faith. In Him my hopes of eternal life are centered. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 47

If all those that handle the Word of God ministering to the people will cleanse their hearts from all iniquity and all defilement and shall come to God with clean purpose of heart, as little children, they shall see of the salvation of God. Jesus will walk in our midst. We have now the invitations of mercy to become vessels unto honor, and then we need not worry about the latter rain; all we have to do is to keep the vessel clean and right side up and prepared for the reception of the heavenly rain, and keep praying, Let the latter rain come into my vessel. Let the light of the glorious angel which unites with the third angel shine upon me. Give me a part in the work. Let me sound the proclamation. Let me be [a] co-laborer with Jesus Christ. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 48

Thus seeking God, let me tell you, He is fitting you up all the time, giving you His grace. You need not be worried. You need not be thinking that there is a special time coming when you are to be crucified; the time to be crucified is just now. Every day, every hour, self is to die; self is to be crucified; and then, when the time comes that the test shall come to God’s people in earnest, the everlasting arms are around you. The angels of God make a wall of fire around about and deliver you. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 49

All your self-crucifixion will not do any good then. It must be [done] before the destiny of souls is decided. It is now that self is to be crucified—when there is work to do; when there is some use to be made of every entrusted capability. It is now that we are to empty and thoroughly cleanse the vessel of its impurity. It is now that we are to be made holy unto God. This is our work, this very moment. You are not to wait for any special period for a wonderful work to be done; it is today. I give myself to God today. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 50

What if one should go out from this meeting, while he is looking forward a week, or a month, or a year before he surrenders to God, and the cars should strike him as they [did] our Sister Rowland? Are you ready to make the surrender now? You are to put away your sin right now when you see it, but do not make leeway [that] you are going to overcome by degrees; you are going to try little by little to give up sin. Now, while it is called today, heed the invitation and harden not your hearts. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 51

Oh my soul, why not leave the cursed thing today? Sin crucified my Lord. Why not turn from it with loathing? Why not love the things that Christ loved, and hate the things that Christ hated? He has made provision ample enough for you that you can through Him be more, yea, more than overcomers. Then what do you want? Do you want a second crucifixion of Christ? You cannot have that. You must look to Calvary. You must take the blood by faith and apply it; you must wash in it; you must be cleansed by the already shed blood of Jesus Christ. It can cleanse you to the utmost. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 52

I love Him; I love Him for He first loved me. He has broken my heart; He has broken it, and it is not good for anything unless it is broken. Your heart is not good for anything unless it is broken. God help us that we may this very day surrender to God. There is a work to be done here. There is a work to be done in the church—a wonderful work. You are to love as you never have loved before. You are to pray to Him as you never have prayed before. You are to seek Him as you never have sought Him before. Are you going into a monastic cell as Martin Luther did to scourge yourself? 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 53

The question is asked: Shall I give my firstborn for the sin of my soul? Is it burnt offerings and sacrifices that God requires? He says, “My soul is full of them.” [Micah 6:7; Isaiah 1:11.] It is not that. It is a contrite heart; it is that you walk humbly, and deal justly, and show mercy. This is your work. Take right hold of it now. Why wait any longer? Why not take God right at His Word? Say, “Here Lord, I give myself away, ’Tis all that I can do.” If Satan comes with his hellish temptations, tell him, No, there is no place in my soul for it; my soul is ravished with the love which is expressed upon Calvary; I cannot allow any of this wickedness to come into my soul; it crucified my Lord. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 54

Now brethren and sisters, we want religion; we want the baptism of the Holy Ghost. You want to be getting ready for missionaries. You do not know who may be called, but Satan wants to keep you all the time in the darkness of unbelief; he wants to keep you in the lowlands; he wants to keep you in darkness and sin. Will you break the fetters? Will you go free? Will you say, “Simply to Thy cross I cling; in my hand no price I bring?” Just myself, that is all He wants. He wants yourself—just as you are. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 55

May God help us to look and live. May God strengthen our hearts to trust in Him. He is coming, brethren, in a little while. Here are sorrows and troubles. Here is one brother that has been suffering with rheumatism and with agony, sleepless nights. There is rest, brother; there is rest in a little while. We shall see Him as He is, and we shall be made like Him. Rest, rest in the kingdom of God. Go on a little longer; suffer a few days longer, and there is an eternity of happiness and bliss; that is what you want. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 56

The crown of righteousness is for the overcomer. Every one of you think of this. In the morning think of it, now, today, I must look at that crown; I must run for it; I must run the race for it, and that crown is mine if I overcome, but if I do not overcome and am overcome of Satan I lose that crown; another gets it. Shall we not try to win the crown of everlasting life? If we lose heaven, we lose everything. If we gain heaven, we gain everything. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 57

I see matchless charms in Jesus. I do not want any greater reward than He presents to us. I do not want any larger reward than that. I want to live for God, not for the world. I want the eye single to His glory. Let us every one—in the morning, and at noon, and at night—lay ourselves before God as His property, not our own, and fight the good fight of faith. Today you are not to have the faith of tomorrow. You have only faith for today; tomorrow you will find faith when that comes; so don’t worry about tomorrow. It is today, Am I the Lord’s? Today have I the witness of His Spirit? Today does my name come upon the lips of the great Advocate of heaven? Today am I walking in harmony with Jesus Christ and heavenly angels? The heavenly intelligences are at work to bring the light of the knowledge of the truth as it shineth in the face of Jesus Christ, to humanity. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 58

Am I a co-laborer with Jesus Christ? What is the matter? It is because you have robbed God all through the week. You have committed robbery of God, and you have no part in His work. God help you to be converted. Some of you may be touched and say, I don’t like such straight preaching. I cannot help it if you do not. There must be somebody [who will] “cry aloud and spare not. Lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins.” [Isaiah 58:1.] We want your help, brethren, every soul of you. What is the word that comes from the watchman on the walls of Zion? “The morning cometh, and also the night.” [Isaiah 21:12.] Both are coming. The watchman has to give the note of warning. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 59

Every watchman on the walls is to take up the note and to sound it to the people. What do the people do—just sit and gape at the watchman? They have got, in their turn, to catch the trumpet sound, then to take it up and sound it through the churches; not call, “Watchman, come here, come here,” because of this note, of this warning here in our church. Give it yourself, because you are connected with God. Give it yourself, because you are the channel [of] light. Catch the words all burning from the throne of God and give them to the people. That is what you are to do. Instead of quarreling [about] who shall be the greatest; instead of dissension, instead of strife, God help you to be converted. What you want is to become as little children. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 60

I want heaven; do you want it? We shall all see just how much we want it. We shall see just how much faith we have. For the Lord is coming, and He is right at the door. We have but a little time to work, and if we let the world come in here and absorb all our attention and all our means, how can it be said of you in the judgment, “Enter ye in. Well done, good and faithful servant”? [Matthew 25:23.] Where is your goodness and faithfulness? Was it on your farm? Was it in working with your hands? You can be faithful there, but you have something else to do. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 61

There is a world to be warned; there is a world to be saved; there is a sinner to be converted. While you are asleep the sinners are perishing; Satan is sowing his tares. You want to be wide awake in your churches. All heaven is interested for you; why not be interested for yourselves? “Open the door, and I will come in,” said Christ. [Revelation 3:20.] Will you open it? Will you let Him in? Will you be zealous and repent of your backsliding, your lack of love, your coldness, your indifference? 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 62

What we want is Jesus. What we want is His love. What we want is the elevation and ennobling of character. What we want is to die to self right here, not wait until some future period. We want to make the consecration here. Oh, I am so thankful that it is not too late for us to be righteous. I am so thankful we have a Jesus. I am so thankful that He is able to cleanse us from all sin! I am so thankful that I can hope for His blessing. I am so thankful that I can hide in Him now, and that I can accept His light and give it forth to others. May the Lord breathe upon us His Holy Spirit, and may we grow up into Christ, our living Head. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 63

We want this salvation today. We don’t want to wait; we don’t want to dispel Christ by our unbelief. We want to take right hold of Him because He has told us to do it; and He says—now listen, I want you to hear every word of it—“Let him take hold of my strength and make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me.” [Isaiah 27:5.] “Come now, and let us reason together ... though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” [Isaiah 1:18.] Will you come? Will you believe? Will you let Him reason with you? Will you commit the keeping of your soul unto Him as unto a faithful Creator? 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 64

God grant that we may live in the light of His countenance, and at last hear Him say, “Come up higher; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” [Matthew 25:21.] What is that joy? Seeing sinners converted. That is joy. Let us go to work and see if you cannot help some poor, despondent soul that is crushed under the weight of discouragement. See if you cannot win some soul to Christ. You are bigger in your own eyes than you ought to be, but just see if you cannot win somebody to Christ; and as you win them to Christ, you will become smaller and smaller in your own eyes, until you feel as though you were nothing. When you feel in that way, then Christ to you is everything. 7LtMs, Ms 35, 1891, par. 65