Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 17 (1902)

Ms 229, 1902

Sermon/Thoughts on 1 John 3

Los Angeles, California

September 13, 1902

Previously unpublished.

(Sermon by Mrs. E. G. White, East Los Angeles campground, 2:30 P.M., Sabbath, September 13, 1902.)

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” [Verses 1, 2.] Only those who are like Him can see Him as He is. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 1

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” [Verse 3.] This is a wonderful purity; this is no low standard set before the believer; it is the highest standard that can be presented. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 2

In the next verse is given the definition of sin: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 3

“And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him”—now bear this in mind. It is not enough to think of Jesus and to speak of Him occasionally; for we are to abide in Him constantly. “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him.” [Verses 4-6.] The following verse brings to view the relation that we sustain to our Creator. The apostle John addresses the church members as “little children.” [Verse 7.] In God’s sight the inhabitants of the whole world are little children. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 4

In the sight of God, the whole world, the greatest men, the most talented men, the very highest in education, He groups them in as little children that believe in Him. They are God’s little children. In comparison with God, we are all little children. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 5

The great and mighty God has pledged Himself at our baptism that He would be our Father. We were baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. What does that mean? It means that we profess by this action of baptism that we are dead unto the world, and we are buried in the watery grave. In the likeness of Christ’s resurrection, we are raised up out of the grave, the watery grave—Christ’s burial was His death—we are raised up out of the water in the likeness of His resurrection. And you know He proclaimed over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, “I am” what?—“the resurrection and the life.” [John 11:25.] 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 6

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.” “Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” [Colossians 3:1.] Now here is where we must have our contemplation, where we must have our thoughts, and where we must “seek those things.” “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 7

Well, how can we do that? Here is the world all busy with their projects and plans, and every conceivable thing. How are they? What are they going to do about the matter? Are they in a position where, should Christ come today, they would be found of Him in peace, wanting in nothing? We are to have a character that represents the character of Jesus Christ. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 8

“Well,” you say, “I have seen a great many church members, and I see that you cannot cross their track; and even if you do not mean to cross their track, yet they think you are doing it, and then they get in a passion at once. What shall we do with them?” We shall invite them to come to Christ and learn of Him, as Christ has said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden.” Are there any here of that class? “And I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you”—My yoke, not anybody else’s yoke. “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.] 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 9

Now you see we are brought right into the educating school. We are to learn of the greatest Teacher that the world ever knew. We are to take His life and study it. We are to take His words and eat them. We are to eat the words of Christ. “Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life.” [John 6:54.] And when there were some of His disciples in trial about it, He said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” [Verse 63.] Now you know what it is to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 10

Well, then what? Christ says to them, “Ye shall find rest unto your souls.” He told them, Come, and take My yoke, and I will give you rest. He says, “Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find.” How? In just that submissive learning of the lessons of Christ, you will find His meekness, His lowliness. Your life is hid with Christ in God, and then what? “Ye shall find.” Why, the yoke of Christ is easy. “My yoke is easy,” He says, “and My burden is light.” [Matthew 11:29, 30.] 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 11

Now do not let any one of us think that in coming to Jesus Christ, we have got to go like cripples, and we have got to go mourning at every step. Why, He says, There is rest for you in Me. It is because you are out of Christ that you have not the rest. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 12

We have come here today to speak to this people and tell them that in Christ is life, eternal life; and if you want to be educated with Christ in God, then you shall find the rest in the living experience so that you have no need to send clear across the waters, as we have had them send to us to Australia. We were there ten years—and the letters came: Oh, what shall I do? I am in perplexity; I am in distress; won’t you tell me what to do? Well, it takes four or five weeks, just according to where the people are located, to get their letters across the water, and four or five weeks for us to send them a return; and here is Christ, who says, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” [Matthew 28:20.] Those were the last words that He spoke, with His hands outstretched in blessings; and then there was the cloud of angels that were singing right above them. Christ was attracted right upward, while His arms were outstretched in blessing, and He was telling them, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Now I want you to remember that. When you are in trouble, you have got One that is close by you. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 13

The Word declares that in heaven the angels, our angels that minister unto us, always behold the face of your Father which is in heaven; and we are told how we must deal with one another; we must be kind, we must be thoughtful; we are Christ’s little children. You see the father and the mother of a family—why, the lesson is that they should begin with these very lessons of Christ to educate and train their children to go to Christ in prayer with all their perplexities. You want to put their hand in the hand of Jesus Christ, and you want to teach them that in all their sorrows and in all their sufferings, and in sickness, that there is an angel that is around them, watching, watching all their sadness and grief. That angel bears the message upward, and the light of God and His presence comes to the suffering little ones. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 14

Well, we are all, as I said to you, God’s little ones. We are only little children in understanding. “Work us a miracle.” That is what the Pharisees kept saying, “Work us a miracle,” They could no more stand the miracles that they wanted to see worked. They wanted to see something so mysteriously wonderful, and they could no more behold it or take it in. They would be stricken to the earth like dead men. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 15

Paul could not stand it. He was an opposer, and as he went to oppose the saints, there was a voice heard, and he was stricken from his horse. Why, he asked, “Who art thou, Lord?” “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” [Acts 9:5.] And then Christ talked with him. Now, I want to tell you that all he could see was the light and the glory, but not the person, of Christ. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 16

Paul heard His voice; he knew who He was; but afterward he was taken up into heaven, and he saw the mystery of godliness, and he said he heard words which it is not lawful for a man to utter; and they had to be content with what?—with the lessons that came to them from time to time by the revival of the light that was given to Paul; and he would tell them. He spoke to them of the revelation that he had had of the Father; and yet he said, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” [1 Corinthians 2:9.] 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 17

You just consider it. There are to be the miracles. If they were to be worked here in this world, such miracles as you want to see, it would take your life away from you. You could not endure it. Why? Because you are sinners. We ought not to be. Why? Because here is Christ, given by the Father, who “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.] 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 18

Well, now, does not God love us? He will take every soul of you to heaven that He can; but He will not take a sinner there. If you choose to keep on in sin day after day, and not keep His commandments—why, Satan originated sin in heaven. And there was war in heaven; Christ and His angels fought, and Satan and his sympathizers in the heavenly courts fought, and Satan was emptied out of heaven. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 19

Now, I want to tell you, there is a battle constantly going on here in this world. It is the powers of darkness against the powers of light, and everything that Satan can institute, he will devise to work with a power that is from beneath to bring perplexity and to clear an entrance to minds, as he led Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden to disbelieve God and to believe the enemy of all righteousness. Now we have their history. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 20

We would have a greater blame to be led by the enemy, because we have the history of the first pair that God created and placed in the Garden of Eden. He gave them the beautiful fruits of the Garden, and gave them angels to talk with them; and God Himself talked with them and visited them in the Garden; and they were favored. But they received the words of the enemy. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 21

Now, we want to tell you, every one of you, saint and sinner, God is in earnest with us. It is this subject of eternal life. It is not child’s play that we may lay hold of it at will, and let it alone at pleasure, yet we can go forth in the strength of the Mighty One to resist the enemy. No. We shall know the power of God. What was pledged to man at our baptism? What was the pledge of heaven? Our pledge was to die unto the world. Our pledge was to not sin against God. And the pledge, the baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, commits every soul that enters the family of God, that binds up with Jesus Christ, that in every perplexity they have a Father; they have the Son, and the Holy Ghost—the three mighty powers of heaven. If they call upon God, He will help them in every emergency. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 22

And if we follow on to know the Lord after our baptism, if we do just as it is told us to do, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” [Colossians 3:1.]—now this is what the Lord wants every one of us to do, to claim the power of the Highest. Make it your first business. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” [Matthew 6:33.] The necessary things of temporal life, He was talking about. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 23

They have to be brought upon men and women that have come up with all the natural traits of their characters; but, fathers and mothers, I want you to hear this: You have no right to let your children come up with all their evil passions educating and training them, so that they will be opposed to God. What you want is to educate them that they can have the peace of Christ. There is to be no quarrelling in the house. I let my family know that there is to be no dissension. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 24

However many my workers may be to help me in the publication of the writing that I put in their hands, yet there is to be in all these elements nothing like dissension. We cannot have it in our home, because my home must be a place where the angels of God can come in, and where the angels of God can bless us, and we will not have dissension here. We cannot have it; and He wants every family to educate their children from their babyhood afterward. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 25

There is to be no manifestation of passion. Who is it that is working them in their passion, when they have no reason? It is the devil. And what are you to do? Take them to God in prayer, and if they still continue, and the rod is necessary, then you are to give them the punishment until the devil is subdued in them. What we want is that our families shall be such that the glory of God can be revealed in our homes. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 26

Do you consider that your business will suffer if you do not take your season of prayer in your home? Do you consider it thus, and that you must leave your family and your wife and children to go out to your business? No; stand in your place of duty, and say, I will commit my family to God. We may never meet again. We know not, when we go out, what will be our condition when we come in again. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 27

You will see the accidents that are befalling us in our world, those that are on the cars, and the games, and that are on the water, and the flame and the fire, and the blood, and the volcanoes, and all these things. They are perishing. Why? The Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 28

Christ is soon to come with power and great glory, and we want to tell you, we do not want that the Lord in heaven shall find a people that are in rebellion to the laws of His kingdom. We want you to become acquainted with Him. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 29

When we go to a country, we want to know all about it. We want to understand all about that country. Had we not better learn and teach our children about the heavenly country? Had we not better educate and train them to prepare for the future life? Had we better not educate them to prepare for that life that measures with what? The life of God; to stand in the city of God; to live through the ceaseless ages in the city of God. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 30

And yet your business here in this world, and the amusements, and the visiting, and all these things that take your mind, is of such consequence in the little period of your lifetime that you cannot begin at the very commencement of your family relation to educate your family to love and to serve God. The husband and the wife are to unite together, and say, We will pray; we will pray at morning, we will pray at noon, as did Daniel, and the angels of God will protect us, as they protected Daniel in that emergency when he was cast into the den of lions because he prayed. We want to prepare for what is coming upon our world. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 31

Well now, every preparation has been made for us that could be made. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 32

Our Lord Jesus Christ was given to our world, and He came—why did He not come in such power and splendor and importance as the kings from place to place and from country to country, so as to show their superiority? Why did not the Lamb of God come in that way? Why did not the King of Glory, that created the world, and created the human beings through God, and populated the world—I ask you, why did He not come with the whole train of the heavenly host? 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 33

Oh, He had taken humanity. He could not die unless He had taken humanity; and He came to yield up His life for your transgression. He bore the sins of the whole world, that the world should believe on Him, that He could come and take away their sin, and in its place what would He put? Oh, He would put His righteousness; He would put His salvation; He would put His peace. Oh, He would give them to drink of the waters of life. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” [Isaiah 55:1.] Now they can come; they can drink if they will. The choice is given them, that they may have life, everlasting life, in the kingdom of glory. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 34

You may drink of that water of life and never thirst, because it never dries up. The water is constantly flowing in the richest streams, and if at any time your soul is barren, if at any time you are thirsty, it is because you have lost sight of the living spring. Now will you find it? Will you find it? 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 35

God grant that we accept the enormous sacrifice that was made by the Son of God who laid off His royal crown, stepped down from the throne and His high command, laid off His royal robe, and clothed Himself with humanity, that humanity might touch divinity. With His long human arm He encircles the race, while with His divine arm He grasps the throne of the Infinite. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 36

Why, He says, it is His will that those who have been with Him, suffering with Him in this world, (He tells His Father) they shall be with Me where I am, that they shall behold My glory. That is why He wants you—every one—to behold His character, because you have a character that you have been forming after the divine character. Well, will that make you unhappy, very unhappy, to form a character after the divine Pattern, that you may become a member of the royal family, and children of the heavenly King? Do you think it will make a disturbed family for you to watch your words when you speak, to watch and see how much happiness you can bring into your family by patience, and kindness, and love? 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 37

All these miserable tempers are making all the wars in our world, and they are making all the dissension in the churches, and all the difficulties in the families. Well, now, suppose we begin with the family, begin to educate and train the children to have Christian politeness. Are we training these children that they are in view of our heavenly family, and that they are watching, and they want to give help to everyone who needs help? 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 38

Christ Himself has said, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” [John 16:24.] Do you believe His Word? You have no need to send away over to Australia to ask some friend to help you out of your difficulties, when Christ says, right here, “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” [Isaiah 27:5.] That is what we want. We want the peace of Christ in our hearts. Let it abide with you. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 39

The apostle Paul states, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” [Colossians 3:15.] Let it into your soul. It is all waiting to take possession of the heart. The threefold powers in heaven are waiting to lift up for you a standard against the enemy, as you draw nigh to God in humble prayer, and let your petition take right hold of the Mighty One. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 40

The day is coming when you will want a Protector. The day of God is right upon us, the day when the plagues of God are coming upon our earth everywhere, and we want you to be ready. That is why we are here to ask you if you will not seek the Lord. He says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” [Isaiah 55:7; 1:18.] 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 41

Well, now, do you believe it? Come just as you are, sinful and polluted. You have not a moment to lose. You know not how soon death may come, and you want to be all prepared, so that they can lay you away in the grave for the morning of the resurrection, that when Christ shall come, He will break the fetters of the tomb. He will call the righteous dead to come up in the first resurrection, and He will take them to Himself. Those who are alive shall not prevent those who are asleep. They shall come up and unite together and ascend to the city of our God, and His arm shall swing back the pearly gates upon their glittering hinges, and the nations that have kept the truth shall enter in. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 42

Fathers, mothers, can you take your children right with you, as they come up in the morning of the resurrection, and say “Here, Lord, am I, and the children that Thou hast given me”? [See Isaiah 8:18.] Now they are God’s property; they are the younger members of the Lord’s family; and every soul of you that has brought children into the world is under obligation to God to educate and train those children for the future, immortal life. Will you take a course of idolatry and of sin, that these children shall follow your example, and you lose life, eternal life? I beg of you—for your soul’s sake, for the sake of your present happiness that you will have in your home, for the sake of the peace of God that you will have—follow the leader, Jesus Christ. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 43

“I am the light of life,” Jesus Christ says. [John 8:12.] When Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us,” “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works’ sake.” [John 14:8-11.] The Saviour was the express image of His Father’s person. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 44

Now, our Saviour took every step requisite to conversion that every soul should take. He placed Himself at the head of humanity, and repented of the sins of humanity, that you may repent on your own account, and in your own behalf, and that pardon may be spoken against every repenting, believing soul. When He came up from the water, then the glory of God, like a dove of burnished gold, encircled over the Son of God, while from the highest heaven was heard the words, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” [Matthew 3:16, 17.] 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 45

What was Christ doing? Praying in behalf of the people that were encircled in His arms by the steps He was taking, in repentance and baptism, in their behalf. What does that say to you and to me? Heaven is open before us. Christ has cleared the way by the prayer after His baptism. Thus He said to John, as John forbade to baptize Him, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” [Verse 15.] Now, repentance and faith and baptism, are the steps requisite in conversion, and we want souls here today to inquire, How is it with my soul? Am I fitting for heaven above? Am I making a heaven in my home for my family? Am I putting away the hasty speech, the hasty temper? Am I controlling myself, that the Spirit of God shall be in me and abide with me richly, and that the rich current of grace and love shall flow forth from me to my children and all that shall come into our house? 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 46

We want a heaven here below to go to heaven in, and we can bring our children up so that they can help father, and they can help mother, and there will not be so many slaves in the family. Children will not be educated to go to parties of pleasure and all these amusements. They are a part of the great web, a part of the family circle. They must bear their part of the burden; and then the mother is not worried out and dying, to leave her children for someone else to come and take care of. What we want is the mothers’ lives preserved. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 47

Teach the little ones to do duties from their babyhood up. Then what are you to do? You are educating them to bear their burdens, and how to pray. Christ offered this prayer, that you may understand that He has cleaved the way for your prayer to follow to the highest heaven to take right hold of His strength and make peace with Him, so that you can make peace with Him. This is what He is educating you to pray, as His prayer is offered to heaven, as the voice of God is heard, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” [Verse 17.] It tells you that every prayer that shall be offered from a sincere heart is accepted in the Beloved. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 48

Well, praise God for that. I want you to praise God, brethren and sisters, for that assurance. It has been life to me when it has seemed as if I have not had any strength, and that I must die for my affliction; yet my petition was offered to my God and the prayer has been answered, the trouble removed, and recovery has taken place. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 49

What we want is to be, every one of us, laborers in the home to bind the children to our hearts. Many fathers do not know their children, nor the children their fathers. The fathers are so engaged in making money. It is a terrible loss that you never can recover. You want to bring your children just as they are to the Lord, and say, I have done my best for them, Lord. Touch their hearts, Lord. Let Thy converting power come upon them, that they may become children of God. How many prayers have been offered in our home, my husband and myself, that our children might be trained for the future immortal life! 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 50

Well, then, there is the school. Here you begin to work in your home, and then you will simply find the Word of God, and bring it into their practical life, even in their childhood. And then what? Here you have got a little church in the home. The father is the priest in that household, and the houseband. Whether he is or not, he ought to be. That is what God designed he should be from the beginning—the houseband of the family; and here are the children that are to be educated. It is your duty to do it. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 51

If you are bringing children into the world, they are the younger members of God’s family, entrusted to you to train with beautiful characters, that they may join the heavenly family in the courts above, so that Christ shall not have died for them in vain. He does not want to be robbed of His glory. He wants that every family to show the world the difference between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not. We want to have—what is it we want? Life insurance papers. Have you got them? What are they? I will just read a few words, and you will see what they are. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 52

Here we have, in the second epistle of Peter, from the first verse, in the first chapter you will read—and it is a wonderful chapter. “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ (now, mind who they are), to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 53

Do you care to have your children attain it? Teach it to them “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” [Isaiah 28:10], and you can have a whole household rejoicing together in the peace of Jesus Christ. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 54

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you (remember the word multiplied) through the knowledge of God.” [2 Peter 1:2.] It is multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God. Then let all this superficial knowledge that does not amount to anything, only to confuse the mind, and make it go astray; let that go, for our learning is only in the Bible and we do not know half of what the teachings of the Bible are. We want to make that our lesson book in our home and in our schools. We want to educate our children and to teach them that as they know God, they will live on the plan of addition. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 55

A little farther: “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” Has He drawn a line here? “All things.” “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge”—(are you teaching that knowledge in your home and gaining it yourself?)—“through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” [Verse 3.] How? By hanging on Calvary’s cross and dying for us and for our children. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 56

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” [Verse 4.] That is how you are to overcome—not by fretting, not by scolding, not by pounding your children’s flesh, but by sitting and leading and praying with them, and you will get the Spirit of Christ. You will get that sympathy, love, tenderness, and compassion that dwelt in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 57

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith (faith is not enough) virtue”—a virtuous character. Begin today, this very day, if you have never begun before. “And to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance.” [Verses 5, 6.] Intemperance is stalking through our land, because the devil has the ruling of it. We cannot afford it. We cannot afford to put out one jot of our reason. God wants our capabilities, all the powers, all the light, all the knowledge, that we can give, that we may be His laborers to the world and let our light shine upon the world. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 58

“And to temperance patience.” [Verse 6.] Oh how little patience! God help us to get into Christ as soon as possible. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 59

“And to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (love). For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence. ...” [Verses 6-10.] A few minutes now and then to read a chapter in the Bible, or to pray now and then? More than that. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 60

“Give diligence to make.” You are to make it. Here is not an election independent of you, but you are to make your election sure. “Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.” [Verse 10.] 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 61

These are your life insurance policy papers, it is life insurance papers that you will have that life which measures with the life of God. “For if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” Do you believe it? I do. “For so an entrance” (now you are to find what your insurance policy papers will give). “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” [Verses 10-12.] 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 62

Now, here I have given you just a touch, only just a little touch, and we want you to begin to search the Scriptures for yourselves. We don’t want one of you to perish; but who is it that has shown that He does not want you to perish? Why, it is your Saviour. He loves us with a love that is infinite. There is no language that can express that love; then shall we disappoint Him? 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 63

Shall we act like the sinner here, when we profess to be Christians? If we act like sinners, we shall be treated like sinners; if you act like righteous men, if you cultivate the grace of God in humility and meekness and lowliness of heart, and will seek the Lord, you will be a light to shine amid the moral darkness of this depraved, sick, sin-polluted world. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 64

Now, God wants every professed Christian to put on the armor of righteousness. He wants you to stand with that armor on, and He wants you to be laborers. He wants your words to be of that character to invite; and to win souls, that they will come to Jesus Christ; be laborers together with God. “Ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” [1 Corinthians 3:9.] Now God is building the temple in you, and you are to unite with Him, to cooperate with God, to protect this building, this temple, that it shall be made perfect, that He can work in and dwell in us, and that He can give us a supply of grace and sufficiency, that we can sing all day long in our homes. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 65

How much praising God is there in this world? How much glorifying Him whom God has given to die for a world to be saved? How much do you honor God by thanking Him for His everlasting Gift? Oh, what does He look upon? What does all heaven look upon? I have seen it, and I know. All heaven is waiting for souls to be converted, and just as soon as they are converted here, there is singing in heaven. The God of heaven rejoices over them with singing. That is the very work that is going on in heaven. And when you are laboring for the conversion of souls, and they turn to the truth, why then they strike up the singing heaven, and there is the melody that is carried on in the heavenly courts. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 66

Shall our tongues be silent? Shall we act as we did not comprehend this matter? God help us that we may overcome all sin and have the crown of life that we can cast at the feet of Jesus, and then touch the golden harp and fill all heaven with rich music and with songs to the Lamb. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 67

Come, dear friends, come just as you are, sinful and polluted. Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. He is in our midst today. Angels of God are here, and evil angels are here; but we want you to resist the evil angels. We want you to lay hold upon the hope that is set before you in the gospel of Jesus Christ, that you may be a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 17LtMs, Ms 229, 1902, par. 68