Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)

Lt 51, 1897

Evans, Brother

Stanmore, New South Wales, Australia

November 21, 1897

Portions of this letter are published in 15MR 6-9. +^Note

Brother Evans:

I have [had] but [a] few minutes conversation with W. C. White since his return to Australia. We met him in Stanmore at our camp meeting. This meeting was indeed a meeting of great interest and the interest is being followed up as well as can be done to bind off the work here in Sydney. There must be no lax movements done after an interest has been created in any place. There has been a house selected as a home in every way appropriate for the workers. Some are engaged in selling papers, small books, and pamphlets, and others who are experienced, Brother and Sister Haskell, Brother and Sister Starr and Brother Baker are engaged in meetings and holding Bible readings, and calling on the people as they are invited. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 1

About twenty have taken their stand upon the Sabbath question; others are deciding. I came down here last Friday. For the past three weeks I have been very sick. My sickness was caused by overwork at the camp meeting. On Sabbath I ventured to speak in the tent. A hot wave had just passed over New South Wales and the heat seemed as if it was coming from a burning furnace; yet the Lord gave me strength, and last night I rested in sleep. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 2

This morning, at my usual <hour>—at three o’clock—I am writing these lines. I thank the Lord that I am being strengthened. This morning the atmosphere is cooler. There is work enough for twelve earnest workers. I have just written to Cooranbong for Brother Wilson and his wife to come to Sydney and unite in the work here. We expect them today, also W. C. White, on his way to Melbourne. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 3

A telegram came from Melbourne last Thursday for Elder Haskell to attend the camp meeting there, but it is impossible for him to do so. The interest here requires all the force we have here, and even more helpers than we have here now. Not one can be spared. The class who are now becoming interested and taking their stand for the truth are those who will be able to assist in the financial part of the work, and also with their influence in helping to reach other souls. We feel very thankful to God for this encouragement. We are now hearing that precious souls are being moved by the Holy Spirit. We will continue to work and pray as well. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 4

The souls who have newly come to the faith, and others who have not fully decided, are stirred in regard to building a church; we will call it a tabernacle. We have a neat, nice place of worship at Cooranbong, every way appropriate. It was dedicated without one penny of debt upon it. This can be a pattern for Stanmore, if proper grounds can be obtained; if not, we shall have to select some suburb nearer Sydney. We think there will be considerable help from outside parties. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 5

We have no tabernacle in which to worship in the large city of Sydney, but if the people of Sydney will unite in this work, we can build a tabernacle to accommodate the church in Sydney, Stanmore, and other suburbs; and when they are a little stronger in numbers, a house of worship must go up in Sydney proper, but work must first be done in Sydney. Next year a camp meeting should be repeated here in Stanmore or nearer Sydney, if the Lord wills. We have no time now to hesitate; the work must advance. The class who are now taking hold of the work are of the higher class. These will help to reach the higher class. The Lord knows just how much we need to attain an influence over a class that can be a help in helping others to see the truth, and also to sustain and advance the work. We have no time to devote to hesitancy and unbelief. The work must go. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 6

In Newcastle and Maitland, places about twenty miles from Cooranbong, considerable work has been done in canvassing. Now there is an interest to hear the truth, and yet no labor has been given in tent effort. There are also small towns between Morisset and Sydney where there has been no labor. The work must go forward in these places. The standard must be raised. Fields are opening and calls are being made from every direction, Send us a minister. The people want a minister to present to them the truth. We need the inspiration of faith continually. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 7

We have had the most successful camp meeting that has been held in New South Wales. It exceeded anything we had hoped. The light of the third angel’s message has penetrated many dark places. We need every day a living connection with God. Our faith is not as strong as it should be. As a people we are not as devotional as we should be. We have great light, great opportunities, great privileges and we now need to walk with the light and have a faith proportionate to the great and living truths we are handling. We must not trust in our own powers or in the powers and smartness of our speakers. We must lean our whole weight upon One who can help us in every emergency. Our work is aggressive, there must be no halting. There must be less, far less, hovering about the churches, and far more lifting the standard in new fields. Our ministers must give the trumpet a certain sound, lifting up Jesus and saying, “Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.” [John 1:29.] 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 8

The light of truth must flash forth upon the pathway of many who have never heard the message of warning. We want light to go forth everywhere. I am pleading for physical strength, mental clearness, and spiritual power. The Lord is my helper. He can be efficiency. He will be our strength. We have no time to lose. The end of all things is at hand. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 9

I wish now to speak in regard to matters of communication sent to Battle Creek. Before I left America I attended, as you well know, the camp meeting at Lansing. I returned to Battle Creek, then a second time visited the camp meeting at Brother Olsen’s request. This gave me very limited time to prepare to leave America en route for Australia. I had a large package of matter written for the men who were carrying responsibilities in the Review office. This I took with me to Lansing, hoping to have an opportunity to read it to the one that should hear them, but there was no time or favorable opportunity given. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 10

I took them back to Battle Creek, hoping to have time there to read them, but it seemed impossible. Then I entrusted them to Elder Olsen and told him to make no delay, but to read these communications to the responsible men in the Review and Herald office. He promised me he would do so; therefore, I supposed he had done it, yet no response came to me. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 11

After some months I wrote again directly to A. R. Henry, speaking to him plainly, but I got no response to that letter. Then I wrote again, sending a copy of the second letter to A. R. Henry in the package of letters to Elder Olsen. Then I wrote to Elder Olsen, but while I was expecting to hear from him in regard to the communications I had entrusted to him, and which he was to read to those assembled in councils and board meetings, light came to me from the Lord that Elder Olsen had <neglected> the trust given him, and had failed in doing his duty to read the things that I had given him to the ones who must have them. A letter came to me that he had not placed these matters before them but that he had been wanting a favorable opportunity. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 12

I then wrote to Brother Tait, always giving directions to use very carefully these matters. I knew that the brethren in the faith, the presidents in the conferences, should have the light that God had given me, and this is the history of the matter. I have carried a heavy burden. The receiving of no response to my letters from A. R. Henry led me to suppose that it made no difference upon him whatever. I might write, but if he would take no heed I must let others know the dangers that were threatening the cause of God at the head of the work in America. The only thing that I now regret is that I did not, as I have done in the past, get out a testimony especially for our own people, that they might not be left in darkness in regard to the movements in Battle Creek—the perverting of principles which would disconnect God from those who were handling sacred things. This burden was upon me day and night. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 13

I have done that which I believed was my duty to do under the circumstances, only I regret that in the place of entrusting the light given me with a few men in Battle Creek, I did not issue testimonies which would have come before the leading men throughout our conferences. I supposed that the men at the heart of the work, when receiving the warnings and cautions given, would in a careful manner use these more private matters to enlighten our people and guard them. I did not suppose that those who claimed to believe the testimonies would lay them away, and make no use of them to prevent a condition of things that was imperilling the cause of God. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 14

I had presented before me the dangers of Elder Olsen and wrote to him personally in regard to them, and I thought he would take heed to the light given. He was the president of the General Conference, and, as A. R. Henry made no response to several letters sent to him, I saw no other way to do than to address the letters to the president of the General Conference. But as he went directly <contrary> to the cautions and warnings given him, I was left to try some other way to get the light before the people and place the communications in other hands in order to prevent what has come, for the Lord has withdrawn His favor from those who followed their own wisdom and relied upon the wisdom of men who were not worked by the Holy Spirit of God, but by a power that was from the inspiration of the devil, that the means coming from the people should be so handled that the Lord could not give success to the cause entrusted to their hands. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 15

I have communications which I have had no courage to send. There were so few consecrated to God to do His will that whatever I should send would be perverted, misinterpreted, misstated, [and] misunderstood. There were those who would use these communications to counteract the influence of anything that I should say to them that did not coincide with the methods, plans, and principles which the Lord set before them, and which, if they heeded, they would cut away from the things which they were seeking to inaugurate; but I had sent line upon line, warning upon warning, that seemed not to be heeded in the least. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 16

Letters came from some of the brethren, stating that the leading men were expressing that they did not believe the testimonies. Who these leading men were was not stated, the names were not given, but I knew who they were and that this was no false report. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 17

The question may arise, Why did you not get out a testimony as you have done in the past? For the very reason that it would be an exposure of corruptions at the very heart of the work that I was not willing should appear, to be used by our enemies. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 18

Now when I see that the very men are inspired by Satan to express themselves, and make the most of this state of things, and expose this course of action to our enemies, it is a revelation of how much such ones have respected the sacred work of God. They would cast [the] truth and righteousness of God’s commandment-keeping people to those who have no sense of truth, of its importance or its sacredness. The Lord would have had all such men separated from His work long years ago, for their connection with the work was to act a Judas and betray the work when the inspiration of Satan came upon them. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 19

The warnings God sent were unheeded. Had they been heeded, these men who now are to all appearances where nothing can have the least influence upon them might have been saved, but the reckless, stubborn rebellion has placed them where some will never be reached, they will never know at what they stumble. But everything should be done for them that possibly can be done peradventure that God may give them repentance. If they are determined to sell their Lord, to destroy His cause and work, those who have with them acted their part in securing this blindness better walk very softly before God. The Lord will punish them, then the one that He permitted to pursue this course to humiliate them He will also punish to their own discomfiture. All this might have been saved had the men claiming to be Christians taken heed to the Word of the Lord, and set their face to seek the Lord confessing their sins. 12LtMs, Lt 51, 1897, par. 20