Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)

Lt 17, 1899

Children of Sister Wessels

“Sunnyside,” Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

February 2, 1899

Previously unpublished.

To the children of Sister Wessels:

The Lord Jesus has need of every soul He has created. He died that not one need perish, but that all might come to Him, believe in Him, and have everlasting life. He is long-suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. His mercy, His love, His compassion, is without a parallel. According to His abundant mercy He hath begotten us again unto a lively hope. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 1

Now is our time of probation, in which we can show that we appreciate the great sacrifice of the guiltless, pure, holy Son of God. He gave His sinless life for the transgressor, that the transgressor might, through receiving Christ, stand before the Father innocent, because Christ has taken the sinner into covenant relation with Himself. He bears the guilt and punishment of the transgressor, that His merits, His sinless purity, may be imputed to the repenting, believing sinner. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 2

Can it be possible that one soul will neglect this great salvation, and show by word or action that he has no appreciation of the privileges, the blood-bought privileges, obtained for him by the Saviour? This is the test question for every human being, the test question for every son and daughter of Mother Wessels. God would answer the prayer of mother and friends. He desires the children to give their life-service to Him whose they are by creation and by redemption. The only happiness that any of these dear children can have, in this world or in the future life, is by showing faith in Jesus Christ and rendering obedience to His requirements. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 3

In this wicked and perverse generation, where wickedness and sin are deep and widespread, God calls, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” [Matthew 11:28, 29.] Why did Christ humble Himself to become meek and lowly? Because it was the only way that any of the human family could be saved. God wants men and women to have rest. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 4

Christ says, “He that will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” [Luke 9:23.] He has laid down the conditions of salvation. He gave His holy life to secure eternal life for every one who will come to Him and believe in Him as his personal Saviour. He took the nature of man that He might stand in the form of humanity before the heavenly universe, before the worlds unfallen, and before a fallen world, and make a propitiation for the sins of the world. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 5

Had Christ come to our world with the glory He had with the Father before the world was created, He could not have saved fallen man. He could not have made the sacrifice of His life, that He might in His death pay the penalty of sin, that every transgressor of the law must bear who does not accept of Christ as the ransom, the Sin-bearer. Those who believe in Christ as a sin-pardoning Saviour will show that they appreciate the offering of infinite value, and will reveal to an apostate world that they do not need to be compelled to love Christ, that they choose Him with heart, soul, and voice to be their King, their acknowledged counsellor, their precious, self-denying, self-sacrificing Saviour, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God.” [Hebrews 12:2.] 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 6

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” This is the part man must act willingly and manfully. “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your mind.” [Verses 2, 3.] When the reason is sound and wholesome, every soul will choose that which the heart under conviction tells him is right. The Lord will never force one soul to accept Him. We are to accept Him because we love Him, and because the heart and judgment approve of His requirements, even though fidelity brings self-denial and self-sacrifice, inconvenience and poverty, shame and reproach. He, the Lord of life and glory, bore all this for fallen man, and all who would be partakers of Christ’s glory must be partakers with Him of His suffering. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 7

All who consider it inconvenient to sign their names as believers in the truth as it is in Jesus will never have their names recorded as overcomers in the Lamb’s book of life. They choose the society and association of worldlings, and will have their portion at last with them. The public acknowledgment of the truth proceeds from the inward working of the Holy Spirit upon the heart and character, which consecrates every faculty to God’s service. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 8

I see your danger; therefore I am entrusted with a message for you. The talent of speech is a gift of God. It is not to be abused, not to be placed on the side of Satan. It is to be used as God’s gift, to declare His wisdom, His wondrous works, His great love wherewith He hath loved us. The treasures of His grace and wisdom are to be communicated through the human agent. The cultivation of the intellect is to be appreciated, for this is to do service for God. The treasure of means, likewise, is not to be used, as was the rich man’s in the Word, to glorify self, to destroy by self-indulgence his God-given manhood. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 9

You are not to lay your powers on the altar of self-pleasing and self-gratification. At any time when man reaches this place, the words may be spoken to him: “This night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure to himself and is not rich toward God.” [Luke 12:20, 21.] You may place yourself in the society of those whom you do not realize are mischievous deceivers. You may spend your means unwisely, thinking to do some great thing, and thus double that which you have. Or, you may increase your earthly treasure by making a right use of your means. You may see the wants of the cause of God, and say, Dear Lord, of thine own I freely give thee. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 10

I borrowed means from your mother, and we have invested this in the work of God! It is left with you to say whether you will lay up this treasure as God’s own money, or withdraw it and invest it in worldly enterprises. You are the stewards of this means. I could wish for your sake that you would willingly pass back to the Lord His own lent treasure. But what you do we would have you do willingly and gladly, as though for God’s service. I received your word that this means, now invested in buildings in Cooranbong, could be retained here just one year longer. If you cannot bring your minds to transfer this sum to the cause of God, will you let the school have this means for five years at interest? I will be responsible for this. If you will do this, please let me know, and papers will be made out regarding this at once. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 11

I know that should you make this gift, you would not lose it in an unwise investment, but would place it in the bank of heaven. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 12

You may think Sister White very free to write you thus. I am God’s servant. I am engaged in His work. I see new fields opening all round us here, and money taken from the work just now means much to us. In Brisbane a meetinghouse is to be built. A company of no less than forty have taken their stand for the truth. There have been most wonderful conversions of entire families. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 13

These people are laboring men and women. They have not a large amount of this world’s goods. Many of them have large families to support, but they have accepted the truth and run the risk of losing their situations, because they will not work on the day which they now see to be God’s memorial. Many of these conversions were made right out of the world, among men and women who had never known what it means to love God and keep His commandments. The interest in Brisbane continues. I have secured one hundred pounds for them to begin to build with. Another hundred we expect the Lord will send in answer to our prayers. The old tent they are using leaks like a sieve, and they have no place in which to preach the Word of God in season and out of season. 14LtMs, Lt 17, 1899, par. 14