Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)

Lt 120, 1898

Haskell, Brother and Sister

“Sunnyside,” Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

December 5, 1898

See variant Lt 120a, 1898. Portions of this letter are published in 1NL 31-32.

Dear Brother and Sister Haskell:

Never did I see as now the necessity of thorough sanctification to God. We teach the truth, but do we practice it? Is the Word of God eaten by us? Do we drink the water of life in the rich current of love? Do we practice the Word of God by seeking for that perfect unity that should exist. “Sanctify them through thy truth, Thy word is truth.” [John 17:17.] We must have a deeper experience, which will lead us to let go [of] self and hold fast to Christ. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 1

If we keep a firm hold of self, we cannot possibly get hold of Christ. Let us now who believe that the end of all things is at hand seek the Lord most earnestly. It is no time [to] be depressed. There is no safety in trusting in self. We must educate our souls to trust in God. I see that Satan will contest every step of progress we may make. There is no safety for us only as we walk with our hands in the hand of Christ. Our feet will sometimes slip upon the supposed safest path. But the only safe path is to be sure we love God supremely, and our neighbor as ourself. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 2

Not one thread of selfishness must be drawn into the fabric of character we are weaving. To go on without fear we must know that an Almighty hand will hold us up, and an infinite humanity in Christ pities us. But do not let us pity ourselves, for this is not the thing to do. It is not enough for us to have faith in law and force, things which have no pity, and never hear the cry for help. We need to clasp a hand that is warm, and trust in a heart full of love and tenderness. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 3

We are never to feel that there is no danger, thinking, I have a large experience; I shall never fall. God permits the wisest to be brought into circumstances which reveal their human weakness. We shall meet with obstacles all along the path heavenward, but if we abide in Christ, self will not appear in so many ways. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 4

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught.” [Colossians 2:6, 7.] Through faith we receive the Lord Jesus. Through faith we are united to Him. Through faith we are rooted and established in Him. We are united with Christ. We are not to lose our first love. He will each day do for us, who are repenting, believing sinners, just as much as He did when we first surrendered our hearts to Him. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 5

We are to live a life of faith in Christ Jesus. That love that He has manifested for us is to be an increasing love. Self must die. We find that this is hard, for self dies hard. It is not our work to uphold self. “Without me,” Christ says, “ye can do nothing.” [John 15:5.] The life of grace is always a life of faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. My brother, might you not better look to the Source of your strength, and take Christ at His word? Feeling is nothing; praise of men good or bad is nothing. Whatever men may say or think of me, it cannot make me white or black. I am not changed in character at all by what others think of me. Looking unto Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of my faith, I can overcome all things—my guilt in the past He has forgiven. Saying the words in faith, I am in Christ, He is the parent stock, according to my faith I unite fiber to fiber with the living Vine; the parent stock bears me, not I, the parent stock. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 6

All things are possible to him that believeth. We need not try to lead ourselves. He leads, He guides, He sanctifies through the truth. We need now, just now, to surrender self, and all its worries and perplexities. If we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, we possess the richest grace mortals can have. But if we look on the dark side and talk unbelief, we shall have plenty of unbelief. Throw this rubbish overboard, and taking the oars of faith, row as for your life. Do not think of self, but of Christ. Draw nigh to God, and then you will draw nigh to one another. You will love as brethren. Remember that Jesus intercedes for erring souls. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 7

You need not be surprised if everything in the journey heavenward is not pleasant. There is no use in looking to our own defects. Looking unto Jesus, the darkness passes away, and the true light shineth. Go forth daily, expressing the prayer of David, “Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” [Psalm 17:5.] All the paths of life are beset with peril, but we are safe if we follow where the Master leads the way, trusting the One whose voice we hear saying, “Follow me.” “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” [John 8:12.] Let your heart repose in His love. We need sanctification, soul, body, and spirit. This we must seek for. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 8

I feel sorry indeed that you have no more helpers, but in every emergency the call of the hour is answered by the coming of the man. It may not be just after the pattern we may choose, for the Lord often puts it into the heart of the man he has appointed to help in the emergency to respond, “Here I am, send me.” [Isaiah 6:8.] He does not consult our preferences. He requires us to unite our wills with His will. The Lord would have us all ready to be controlled by Him. We are not to say, “I cannot work with this man.” Humble the heart before God; be of good courage; trust in Him who knows just what we need. Our faith must be renewed; self must be submerged in Christ, for the man that teaches the Word to others, in order to accomplish the most good himself, must be the embodiment of the power, and a living illustration of the principles of the Word of God. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 9

In regard to money, it is very scarce with us now; but I expect the condition of things will improve soon. We have not yet seen the book, The Desire of Ages. It was sent to Melbourne. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 10

The Lord sees our situation. He knows just what we need, and I mean to trust in Him. The cross of Calvary is the precious, unchanging testimony to the greatness of our Father’s love. It reveals to us that the Lord submitted to self-denial and self-sacrifice in our behalf for the divine joy of seeking and saving the lost sheep. He wants to save you and me. Just believe this, and set your face like a flint against all the falsehoods and flatteries of the enemy. The lowliest paths of human life are made sacred where Jesus has led the way. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 11

We must do our work purely and faithfully even though there is no one in the world to say “It is well done.” Our lives must be just what God designs they shall be—faithful in good works, in kind and thoughtful deeds, in the expression of meekness, purity, and love. Thus we represent Christ to the world. On our own peculiar phase of character, whatever it may be, Christ can imprint His own image if we will allow Him to do this. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 12

The toilworn men who are now first and foremost in the great work of saving souls are the ones whom God will honor. They have wrought righteousness and subdued their own hearts. They have learned the sacredness of work and the joy of self-denial and self-sacrifice, and this knowledge brings an eternal reward. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 13

Look up, look up, not down, for guidance and protection. You will find it. 13LtMs, Lt 120, 1898, par. 14