Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 8 (1893)

Lt 72, 1893

Wade, J. W.

Napier, New Zealand

November 14, 1893

Portions of this letter are published in Ev 242-243.

Mr. J. W. Wade
Gisborne, New Zealand

Dear Friend,

You have been very kind to me, and I would respond to your kindness in any way I possibly could. I had so much hoped to see you and hear you bearing witness to the truth, because it is truth. I did think you would not transgress the last Sabbath, but that you would make a break and leave the enemy’s ranks, and take your position in the ranks of those who are seeking to be loyal and true to all the commandments of God. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 1

A heavy, important responsibility rests upon you, in your influence upon your children. They are now willing to follow you; where you lead they will go. You know the claims of the law of God. There is contempt now placed upon the holy law of God. You are under obligation to God for your life, your food, and for His protecting care; in short, you are the Lord’s property. You are His by creation and redemption. He has the most absolute right both to you and your service. Whatever belongs to Him, He has unlimited right to dispose of as He pleases, and no one can say to Him, “What doest Thou.” [Daniel 4:35.] If you or I refuse to render to Him the obedience which He requires, in any thing which He enjoins upon us, then we are guilty of refusing to render to Him that which is His own. The question is asked, “Will a man rob God?” as though this thing would not be entertained for a moment. “Yet ye have robbed me. Ye are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me even this whole nation.” [Malachi 3:8, 9.] 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 2

The Sabbath of the fourth commandment holds its binding claims upon every soul of the human family, notwithstanding these claims may be unacknowledged and ignored. Your responsibility is the same. The Lord is calling, Brother Wade. He says to you “Follow me.” Your family was presented before me, and I knew you and your neglect to obey the convictions of your conscience, when your duty was made so plain before you; but you deferred the matter of decision. The enemy was telling you to wait for a more convenient season. He has been on hand with his devices presenting to you the advantages you would gain if you did not keep the Sabbath. He has prepared these various excuses why you should not make your decision to be obedient to the law of God. He is a deceiver. He falsifies the character of God, and you have accepted his temptations. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 3

All your imaginings have shown distrust of your heavenly Father. You have thought when you could realize a certain prosperity in your business, then you would obey the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. But the Lord requires of every one of His subjects entire obedience. God’s requirements were upon you, and you have been making terms with God. And all the time Satan has been working to make it more and still more impossible, as you look at the matter, to decide to keep the Sabbath. You have been growing less and less susceptible to the movings of the Spirit of God upon your heart. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 4

The Lord has given me a message for you and your children to take up your long neglected duty, to walk in the light as He is in the light. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” “This do,” said Christ, of a lawyer, “and thou shalt live.” [Luke 10:27, 28.] This is the voice of God to yourself and your children. The law of God is good as well as just and profitable to all who obey; and you will show honor to him whom you obey. When your mind is brought into conformity to the will of God to obey His commandments, think you that the Lord will not have a care for you and your temporal interests? 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 5

You have been almost persuaded, but did not obey. You thought you would wait until the way cleared before you. The Lord has left every human agent responsible for their course of action. God’s claims are to be your first consideration. Obedience to God is your first duty. You are to leave all the consequences in His hands. You have been hesitating because you do not now realize the strong convictions that you once had, and would not yield to obey. You need not expect as forcible conviction again. You will have to obey God and take your position on the truth, feeling or no feeling. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 6

Your business now is to work decidedly from principle, to make your decisions irrespective of consequences. You have walked contrary to God’s expressed law long enough. You have been robbing God in appropriating to your own use in business His own holy sanctified time, and thus robbing God of that which is His own. You are to put your mind and will on the side of God’s will, and do His will, and obey all His requirements. When you come out whole-heartedly to do the very things you know you ought to have done long since; then your heart will begin to beat in unison with God’s will, and you will come into conformity to His holy law. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 7

Man is obedient to God only when his will is voluntarily submitted to God’s will. Love to God cultivated in your heart is the obedience to all of His commandments. The blessing of God came upon Abraham because he obeyed His voice and kept His commandments, His statutes, and His laws. Why do you withhold from God that which He claims as His own? He has given you six days in which you may labor and do all your work. He tells you that the seventh day is His own. That He has sanctified and blessed it to commemorate His work in creating the world. And He enjoins upon you to honor Him in keeping that day holy as a memorial of His creative work. When He has given you six days, will you appropriate to yourself the seventh day which He has reserved for His own honour, His own Majesty? 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 8

You understand that the Sunday has no foundation as a sacred institution, and you have no respect for the first day of the week, and in refusing to obey the Sabbath you dishonor God before all the worlds—unfallen—which He has created. You dishonor Him before the heavenly universe, and before the world that is in open violation of His commandments. Every Sabbath transgressed is giving to the world your influence on the enemies side of the question. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 9

There is a cross in coming out from the world, in being separate in life and character, and in obeying the commandments of God. Your temporal circumstances are not to weigh in the scale with you where your eternal interests are involved. The hardships and the sacrifices that the enemy presents before you, if you obey God will shrink into nothingness when once you make your decision that you will obey God at any cost to yourself, because this is God’s will concerning you. While you will feel some inconvenience in business relations in observing the Sabbath, it is a short period of time at best that we have in this life and should not weigh at all in the scale of your decisions. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 10

The reward of obedience will be realized in this life, and in the future immortal life; therefore it is gain to you to be found under the shield of Omnipotence. Obedience to all of God’s commandments is your only safety. Your reason will tell you this. There is no reason or semblance of excuse for disobedience if only your present temporal good were concerned, while to disobedience a punishment is threatened, which is death. Every soul who chooses and ventures, in the positive requirements of God’s commandments, to disobey is deciding his own eternal destiny. He is cheating his own soul, robbing it of happiness and peace in this life, and choosing the wages of sin which is death. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 11

God loves you. The Lord loves your children. They are His heritage. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16.] The brightness of the Father’s glory was revealed in His Son. Christ was in the express image of His Father’s glory. He was the only One of sufficient virtue and value as an atoning sacrifice. He became the substitute and surety for fallen man, and He was fully authorized to give to every soul who should repent of their disobedience, and return to their allegiance to God, full forgiveness and pardon. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 12

Do not be in any way ashamed to show your obedience to God’s law in keeping His Sabbath. Stand up in moral independence and say with David, “Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy commandments.” [Psalm 119:6.] I address myself to you, my brother, and to your children. No longer hesitate to accept Christ as sin pardoning Saviour. Feeling is not to be your criterion. God commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Do not be misled and deceived in regard to the matter of feeling. God has done everything on His part to furnish you with grace and power to incline your heart to love the Lord Jesus Christ, and to educate your thoughts to contemplate Jesus. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 13

I beseech you, Father and children with affectionate obedience commit yourself wholly to obey the truth, because it is truth. Evidence before God, and before Jesus Christ and the holy angels that you now believe and accept Christ as your personal Saviour; and believe His promise the moment you surrender your will and your heart to God, Christ takes you as His child. Listen not to the temptations of Satan to wait for deeper conviction, just walk in the path of obedience believing Jesus Christ to forgive your sins, because He said He would. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 14

Will you now confess Christ? Will you now acknowledge Him as your Saviour? Come, father, open the way, clear the path which you have blocked by your disobedience. Take up the stumbling block; make straight paths for your feet lest the lame be turned out of the way. When you shall attempt to break the way for yourself and your children to obey the commandments of God, your faith will be tried, but fix your mind upon Jesus Who is the Author and Finisher of your Faith. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 15

I was greatly rejoiced to hear that you had decided to keep the coming Sabbath. May God give you strength to do it. With kindest regards to you and your family, I remain, 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 16

Yours in Sincerity. 8LtMs, Lt 72, 1893, par. 17