Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)

Ms 179, 1897

Diary, December 1897

Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

December 3 - 28, 1897

Previously unpublished.

Friday, December 3, 1897

Cooranbong, New South Wales

The rain has continued for one week. It has fallen very gently and will do the earth much good. All vegetation will now express its improvement, for the rain was much needed. But for the rain, I should have been in Stanmore today to speak to the people according to appointment. There will be but few to attend the meetings. I may be needed to bear my testimony in Cooranbong. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 1

I learn there is not all the interest and talent brought into the meetings there should be. The Lord requires more of His people here, for whom He has done so much, than they evidence that they give Him. He has made the infinite sacrifice in their behalf. It seems that the followers of Jesus Christ are not careful to keep close to their leader. They follow at a distance. Soldiers cannot be off guard at any time for the lurking enemy is always watching his chance to secure an advantage. Better, far better, leave some temporal matters undone than to leave our eternal interest in a haphazard shape. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 2

My heart is sad and sore as I consider the course Brother Metcalfe Hare is pursuing, to the injury of his influence and his soul. I cannot have fellowship with his spirit, and how he can have fellowship with his own spirit is a large mystery to me. O self! self! self! What a tyrant it is! All who choose their own way will have the satisfaction of walking in the sparks of their own kindling, but will lie down in sorrow. My heart aches, aches, aches, and then I consider Jesus is bruised. My Saviour is dishonored. Can my brother think he is right? Can he suppose God sustains him in his treatment of Elder Haskell? Has he lost his spiritual eyesight? Those upon whom God lays the burden of His work are not left in darkness. But I feel so sorry for Brother Hare. He is deceiving his own soul, to his own spiritual disadvantage. When will he see aright? 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 3

Sabbath, December 4, 1897

Cooranbong, New South Wales

After the Sabbath has closed, I write up my diary. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 4

I awoke at two o’clock. I am so thankful that we have Jesus as our Saviour. We may lay our whole weight upon His mightiness. I will praise Him for He is the health of my countenance and my God. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 5

I attended meeting and spoke to about sixty who had assembled. I am not much encouraged as I see the church is not growing. I had not been in the church since the dedicatory service. It is with great satisfaction I look upon the chapel built under the supervision of God. He sent His light, He signified to us, Arise and build, and angels of God were with the workmen. We know the good hand of the Lord was with us. And now we desire to see the people who shall assemble to worship God. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 6

Will we obey the summons of God, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee”? [Isaiah 60:1.] Unless the members of the church shall arise and shine, the Lord God will bring them to an account. He wants that in every sense of the word every man shall be at his post of duty. Everyone is to become intelligent as to what his talents are, and consecrate himself to God, soul, body, and spirit. The Lord has given to every man his work. There are to be no idlers in the Lord’s vineyard. Will the church arise and shine? Will they be “not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord”? [Romans 12:11.] We must make the consecration of ourselves to God, and then we only return to Him the service which is His own. All is His, and we can misapply our powers to self-service, but in that we rob God. All we render to God is His, just as really His whether we recognize the fact of not. It is best for our present and eternal interest to demonstrate that we understand “Ye are not your own.” “Ye are bought with a price.” [1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.] Being the Lord’s property, His interest always comes first. The talent, of the unprofitable servant, wrapped up in a napkin and buried in the earth is a lesson to us. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 7

Sunday, December 5, 1897

Sunnyside, Cooranbong

I could not sleep past half past one. Many thoughts are in my mind in reference to many things in regard to the work at Stanmore. I am casting about in my thoughts how we can now arise and build a house for God in Stanmore. He certainly would be glorified in our thus acting, showing our faith. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 8

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, and if we as His faithful servants shall do our very best, the Lord will open ways before us, just as He has done in Cooranbong. Impossibilities were kept constantly before us. There were some few who said, “You can’t, you can’t,” but we looked to the Source of our strength and said, Let us arise and build. The house is built and not a debt upon it. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 9

Now we see not how the means is to be obtained, but the Lord can spread a table for us in the wilderness. He did do this in Cooranbong. Now we come to Him. The gold and silver is the Lord’s and we ask Him to supply our necessities. He will do it and we will not distrust Him. We will move right straight forward. We will not fail nor be discouraged. The lot will be purchased, the house will go up. We will cling to the Mighty One by faith. The world is His. He owns it. Men may build palaces to gratify their selfish ends, but how quickly can the Lord consume these grand idols and make a heap of ruins of their gods which they worship. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 10

The law of the Lord must be exalted. The standard of character must not become obliterated. The truth must triumph. God wills that we should raise the standard in Sydney, more decidedly proclaiming the third angel’s message. Here are they, said John, who “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” [Revelation 12:17.] Truth will triumph and we want to triumph with it. The work is advancing. We must advance with it or be left behind. God help us to arise and shine, for our light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon His true people. We need more, far more living faith. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 11

Monday, December 6, 1897

Sunnyside, Cooranbong, N. S. W.

I have slept until three o’clock a.m. Thank the Lord for this blessing of sleep. This morning my heart yearns after God. We must have an abiding Christ in the soul, for unless we do have Christ in our hearts, we cannot reveal Him. We want every word we speak to be a kind and courteous word. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 12

There is much we may do to please our Saviour if we will learn His meekness, His lowliness. This is the testimony we may bear to the world of the Saviour’s grace. We must receive daily, else we cannot impart to others. That which we receive from God will be accumulating only as used to bless others. The talents God has given us are given us to use, and He expects us to use them and improve them, increase our talents because we do use them to bless others. How much we may leave out of the reckoning of our talents! We may become careless and indifferent, forgetting the account to be rendered. God does not forget. This account must be rendered for each, individually. Day by day we are laying up material for the rendering of our accounts. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 13

Our whole life work is connected with the second appearing of Christ to our world. He says, “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12. Solemn thought. The Lord Jesus loves us. He wants us to be partakers of His trials and sufferings, that we may be partakers with Him of His glory. They that suffer with Him shall reign with Him in His kingdom. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 14

I plead with God for Stanmore. The work is going forward. There is good work being done. The truth will be accepted by many souls. God forbid that the work shall be limited because of our weak faith, and it be said of us, God could not do many might works in this place, because of their unbelief. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 15

Tuesday, December 7, 1897

Sunnyside, Cooranbong, N. S. W.

I arose very early, at two o’clock. My heart was drawn out after God, in my room alone and at the season of morning prayer. The work now going forward in Melbourne and Stanmore calls for most earnest prayer to God for His Holy Spirit to work upon human hearts. Can we make the church sense her responsibilities? Will she arise and shine in Melbourne, in Sydney? Will she, in her members, be a faithful steward for the Master? Will the church of Seventh-day Adventists consider that the reckoning with the Lord must be an individual work? 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 16

Proportionate to the talents bestowed must be the returns in results and increase of the talents by trading with them. Will we not exercise faith? And will not our united prayers bring the needed blessing to His church? 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 17

If there was ever a time for real earnestness and zeal it is now, and there should be no sleeping upon the enchanted ground from this time onward. There is no excuse for our stupor. The church should consider, every individual member, that the rewards in the future kingdom are proportioned according to every man’s work, of what sort it is—all that he has done heartily unto the Lord, or what he has not done because of his unbelief and worldliness and indolence. “My reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.” [Verse 12.] 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 18

“By grace are ye saved through faith.” Ephesians 2:8. We need a living, acting, increasing faith and zeal. The whole life is to be consecrated to God. We must bring earnestness into our works. The Lord will accept of no divided service. Each day we live we are deciding our future eternal destiny. Solemn thought. Let not Satan steal a march upon us. We are to be always abounding in the work of our Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 19

Sara and I rode up into the woods several miles to get Mr. Cunall to plaster for us. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 20

Thursday, December 16, 1897

Sunnyside, Cooranbong

I could not sleep. Rose at two o’clock and wrote quite a number of pages—twelve. I was trying to be prepared for American mail. I expected to spend Sabbath and Sunday in Sydney. I was taken suddenly ill and was for a time very, very sick. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 21

Friday, December 17, 1897

Sunnyside, Cooranbong

Accompanied by Sister Sara McEnterfer, left our home for Morisset station. We took the cars for Stanmore. We were favored with a ladies’ compartment that was as nice as the first-class compartment. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 22

Sabbath, December 18, 1897

Stanmore, Sydney, N. S. W.

Spoke to the people. There was a goodly number assembled and the Lord gave me freedom in speaking from (John 15), presenting to the people the evidence that the human agent loves God because he keeps His commandments. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 23

Sunday, December 19, 1897

Stanmore, Sydney, N. S. W.,

Spoke in the tent one hour and a half to a good congregation who listened with intense interest. I dwelt upon the simple truth which must be received to constitute us individually the light of the world. “Ye are,” said Christ to His disciples, “the light of the world.” [Matthew 5:14.] He intended to teach them that they were chosen for a special work, and that in their spirit and in their words and influence they were to represent the character of the truth. They were to keep humble, not striving for the supremacy, and then they would rest in His love and be happy. The lamps that give light have no light in themselves. We must first receive our light, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then that treasure in our hearts will be revealed. Our hearts are to be constantly replenished with the acceptance of he love, the grace of Jesus Christ. They cannot reveal that which they do not possess. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 24

Monday, December 27, 1897

Sunnyside, Cooranbong

In company with my son, W. C. White, I left Stanmore for Cooranbong. There was a very great crowd elbowing their way through the hundreds of people. There was a mother with four or five children unable to look out for themselves, and an infant in her arms. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 25

The little ones were hustled this way to the right, next the other way to the left, and lost in the crowd. Oh, what a mistake! Home should have been the haven of rest. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 26

Tuesday, December 28, 1897

Cooranbong, N. S. W.

W. C. White was weary and brain taxed. I was very glad to be at home. This place is much better than in Sydney. 12LtMs, Ms 179, 1897, par. 27