Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)

Lt 257, 1903

Kellogg, J. H.

“Elmshaven,” St. Helena, California

November 26, 1903

Portions of this letter are published in OHC 102; TDG 339; 7MR 151-152; 12MR 61. +^Note

Dr. J. H. Kellogg
Sanitarium
Battle Creek

Dear Brother,—

I received a letter from you yesterday and read it carefully. I am very thankful to learn that your eyes are being opened and that you [are] beginning to understand the perilous position in which you have been standing. Nothing will give me so much joy as to know that the Holy Spirit is doing its threefold work in your heart—the work spoken of in John 16:8. “When He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 1

With this I am sending you an article I have written on leadership. It is incomplete, but I write it now in order that, should I suddenly be removed by death, those in the world who have any knowledge of Mrs. Ellen G. White may know that she did not engage in controversy with you or with any one else in regard to the leadership of the denomination. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 2

I will now send you a letter written several days ago relative to the immovable character of the pillars of our faith and a copy of what I have lately written to your associates about Christ as our example in medical missionary work; also an article from my diary written November 17 and 18, which you may read as if written to yourself. I am sending also to yourself and to your associates a caution about any effort to interfere with the Washington work and a caution that they shall not influence you in wrong lines, whereas they should be helping you to get into the light. I am sending you also copy of a letter which I recently wrote to Brother Burden. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 3

I have an intense longing for your prosperity and the welfare of your soul. I am praying that the Lord Jesus will break down every barrier between you and Him. Learn for yourself how to appreciate Christ. Learn how to glorify Him. Cease to please the enemy by cherishing suspicions of your brethren. Let self be hid with Christ in God. Learn the lesson of rejoicing, and no longer bring suspicion upon the gospel. By performing the work to which you have been appointed, let piety and faith have their natural growth in your life. Let the truth reign in your heart and sanctify your soul. Give room in your thoughts for the gospel. Let Christ dwell in you richly, leading you, guiding you, influencing you. Learn the note of praise and thanksgiving. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 4

Let the Lord teach you His will and His way. It is a great misfortune for you to have been associated with those who credit all you say, receiving your assertions as the counsel of God. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 5

I entreat you not to make surface work, but to make sure work for eternity. Remember that you are God’s by creation and by redemption. “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall man give in exchange for his soul?” [Mark 8:36, 37.] 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 6

My brother, I wish to repeat to you the word of God as it was spoken to me for you. One of authority called you by name and said, “You are to avoid the beginnings of sin, else there will be no hope for you in the future. You have mismatched medical missionary work with human philosophy. The medical missionary work is sick, and is not acceptable to God.” 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 7

If you had heeded the light given you, you would not have ventured to do the work you have done, exalting yourself and trying to bring the medical work under your control. This effort has advanced decidedly since the General Conference of 1901. I have been instructed that had you at that Conference made confessions that would have cleared your soul, had you humbled yourself in the presence of God as a little child, the medical missionary work would stand very much higher than it does today. The reproach would have been rolled away. The power of the Lord would have been exerted to cure the disease of the soul. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 8

God disciplines His children. He requires from them obedience, full and complete. He will not allow them to have their own way. To this the laws of His kingdom say, No. He expects them always to obey Him, and sometimes without any reasons being given. You have had reasons, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; but for a long time you have followed your own way, refusing to submit to the Lord’s discipline. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 9

My brother, as surely as you live, you will have to be very decided and thorough in the changes that you make in your practices if you are numbered at last with the members of the redeemed family. You must reveal to angels and men that you are born of God, living definitely for God, working with an eye single to His glory. You are not to uplift and magnify yourself. Thus saith the Lord, “This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise.” [Isaiah 43:21.] To serve and honor God—this is to be our highest object. When it is, the prudence and wisdom of our words and acts will be a constant witness for God. Our lives will reveal Him to the world. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 10

When this experience is yours, you will understand perfectly that you must speak the truth only, and you will dread anything that would detract from the glory of God. You will realize that those who are engaged in the solemn, sacred work of ministering to the bodies and souls of human beings—a work that means so much to those for whom it is done—are to be separate from the world in spirit, in principle, in character. You will have a deep insight into spiritual things and a comprehension of that which words cannot express—the love that passeth knowledge, the love spoken of in the words, “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. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” [1 John 3:1-3.] 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 11

The Son of God does indeed call men, uniting them with Him as brethren, conferring upon them the honor of divine sonship. What wonderful condescension on the part of Christ. He became our elder brother, that we might become the sons and daughters of God. We have been bought with a price, and what a price! Christ volunteered to come to this earth and stand at the head of fallen human beings, who were heirs of guilt, under sentence of eternal death. We must have perished had He not borne our guilt and the wrath of God. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 12

My heart aches as I see how faint a realization human beings have of what has been done for them. How I wish they could see as I see what is meant by the punishment of the guilty. The invitation comes to us, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” [John 1:29.] Those who do not believe in Christ, receiving Him as a personal Saviour, must die in their sins. They must suffer the punishment of the second death. Those who remain in unbelief cannot appreciate the love that Christ has expressed for them, and they will never have an experimental knowledge of the suffering that Christ endured in order that their sins might be pardoned and they be received as children of God. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 13

Those who in this earth become sons of God sit together with Christ in the preparatory school, getting ready to be received into the higher school. Day by day we are to make an individual preparation; for in the courts above no one will be represented by proxy. Each one must heed for himself the call, “Come unto Me, ... 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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30.] 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 14

The Lord Jesus has paid your tuition fees. All that you have to do is to learn of Him. The Christlike politeness practiced in the higher school is to be practiced in this lower school by both old and young believers. All who learn in Christ’s school are under the training of heavenly agencies; and they are never to forget that they are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. They are to represent Christ. They are to help one another to become worthy of admission into the higher school. They are to help one another to be pure and noble and to cherish a true idea of what it means to be a child of God. They are to speak encouraging words. They are to lift up the feeble hands and strengthen the feeble knees. Upon every heart there is to be inscribed the words, as with the point of a diamond, “There is nothing that I fear, save that I shall not know my duty, or shall fail to do it.” 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 15

We are living in a time when we should seek the Lord most earnestly. I have a longing desire that you shall be true to principle. I do not mean what you have called principle; for your course since the Conference of 1901 bears its testimony that your definition of principle is not safe or correct. Do not allow yourself to be persuaded that the course which you have followed is the course of sound, sanctified, holy principle. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 16

There are many ways in which human beings can crucify the Son of God afresh and put Him to open shame. The worship of worldly business so confuses the mind that Satan stealthily approaches and insidiously gains entrance. He has many theories by which to lead astray those who will be led. The erroneous views of God that the world is entertaining are skepticism in disguise, preparing the way for atheism. By hasty words and selfish deeds, men often grieve the heart of Christ. Thus Satan works untiringly to lead them to disloyalty. As he gains control of minds, he makes upon them lasting impressions, and the realities of eternity fade away. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 17

A self-controlled spirit, words of love and tenderness, honor the Saviour. Those who speak kind, loving words, words that make for peace, will be richly rewarded. We are the appointed ministers of Christ, and we are to let His Spirit shine forth in the meekness and lowliness learned of Him. As a result, because we have not exalted ourselves, we shall find the rest that Christ gives. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 18

Christ took human nature upon Him and bore it, pure and spotless, into the heavenly courts. He will bear this nature through the ages of eternity. In ascending to heaven with a glorified humanity, Christ has declared what man can become if he will do the will of God, but it is only through the mediation of Christ that any human being can overcome. Of the redeemed we read, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” [Revelation 12:11.] God will honor those who accept Christ, making them witnesses of Him to the world. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 19

Those who do not lay hold of and appreciate this power stand in their own light, keeping themselves from thorough consecration. My brother, you have been losing a most valuable experience. Study to develop a sensitive appreciation of what Christ has done for you. Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith. There is danger that your mind will continue to be so filled with business cares that you will not give yourself time to receive the grace of Christ. Your eyes have been so blinded that you have not seen your danger. But it is not too late for wrongs to be righted. 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 20

Your imperfections are not few, and your failure to obtain the heavenly treasure will make you bankrupt for eternity unless you buy of Christ the pure gold tried in the fire. Keep your eyes fixed on Christ. Study His life—a life filled with goodness, grace, and truth. Follow His example. Ask yourself, Am I, in purpose and character, like Christ? The contemplation of the Saviour will attract you more and more strongly to Him. It is the beholding of the love of Jesus that gives light and life to the soul. Study the excellence of the character of Christ. Remember that to Him has been given all power. This power is for you, if you will have it. As you become a humble, faithful witness for Christ, you will be able to say, “Thy gentleness hath made me great.” [Psalm 18:35.] 18LtMs, Lt 257, 1903, par. 21