Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 20 (1905)

Lt 367, 1905

Arthur, Judge Jesse

1905

Not sent.

Judge [Jesse] Arthur:

I have a message during the past night for you. I have hoped and hoped in vain that Dr. Kellogg would break from the snares of Satan. His only hope for his soul is that he does now the work of repentance. But you are in this snare and you have permitted yourself to come under the rebuke of God, “Woe unto ye lawyers.” [Luke 11:52.] The forbearance and charity that you have been exercising in the specious and determined efforts of Dr. Kellogg have brought the spell of Satan’s delusive reasonings upon you. Break this spell now before you go one step farther. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 1

I am instructed, permit not yourself to become spiritually blind through the sophistries of Satan. You are moving under the control of a specious deviser who tempted our first parents. You are being betrayed to mislead and betray and serve the purposes of Satan. Why do you thus do? You know better than to act the lawyer against Christian principles. Will you array your energies to do deeds which will have to stand the test of the judgment? 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 2

You know this work you have entered into is not at all righteous and conscientious. Will you sacrifice truth and imperil your soul to do unjust things, to appropriate that which the cause of God shall and is now demanding to save souls from perishing in their sins? Have we not suffered enough in the hindrance of our work through the leadings of Dr. Kellogg into any scheme he desires to do—dishonest things? Again the words were spoken, “Woe unto lawyers.” 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 3

Prudence and discretion are now to be exercised if you value your soul. Do not, for Christ’s sake, sell your soul at the price now offered you. The soul of Dr. Kellogg is in the balance. Will you help him in his unjust course to turn the scale and satisfy the devil’s triumph? Will it pay? What is a man profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 4

If you cannot [keep] a lawyer’s business without sacrificing righteousness and truth, give up that business. Break the spell now. Become a heroic reformer. Touch not one case that comes to you that will make you a partaker of the evil work to plague and discourage and make difficulties for the Lord’s people who are doing His work. Will you set yourself, Judge Arthur, to oppose the gracious designs of God, in preparing a people to stand in the time of trouble, such a time of trouble as has never been since there was a nation? Your eternal interest now is at stake. Break away from the controversy of the doctor. His spell is upon you. His science of influence is exerting on every occasion where he dares. But this spell will soon be broken by all who will take a decided stand. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 5

The legal side of the question is now to be weighed with the instruction of the “Thus saith the Lord,”—the Bible, the Bible standard. You are working contrary to whatever is done. You must stand the test of the judgment. Give up forever the system of dishonoring God, going contrary to His gospel. Will you help Dr. Kellogg to do this work he is contemplating? Will you array your influence to defraud any branch of the work of God? Whatever stand you take, let it be that which will stand the investigation of the judgment. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 6

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the reform J. H. Kellogg refuses to accept. Whatever action shall place an impediment in the way of advancing the truth of heavenly origin in the way of its progress and triumph is dangerous innovation destined to result in the ruin of the soul of J. H. Kellogg. The result will be the same in your case, for blindness—spiritual blindness—will come upon you that you cannot break. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 7

A work is before us to save a lost world. Your action in connection with the work of Dr. Kellogg is soon to be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary so that his course of action will react to the loss of his soul. He may ignore all warnings God has given. He may misconstrue, as he has done, in saying when I gave the first three talks in Battle Creek at the last General Conference (when he tried to turn aside the evidence given at that time ), “I gave Sister White that inspiration.” He knew that was falsehood, but every misconstruction will be devised to make the testimonies of none effect—that which God has given to His people to declare His word and purposes in reform and for His own name’s glory. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 8

I have been shown the base presentations that have been preparing for a length of time to make of none effect the testimonies. There will be no means left untried through the counterfeits of infidelity and to destroy the confidence of the people of God. Falsehoods after falsehoods will be fabricated and stated as truth to beguile souls to exalt Dr. K. Will it pay? No liar can inherit the kingdom of God. The Lord has charged me to set these things before you. Your duty is plain against a system that can be called a legal lawyer production. But does it bear the completion of the Bible standard? 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 9

You have pledged the gospel standard yourself before the three highest authorities in the heavenly courts at your baptism, that whatever shall interfere with your spiritual and eternal interest you will be dead to its plausibility. The Bible and the Bible alone is our great reformer to make good our baptismal vows. No substitute or reasoning can evade this pledge. You are to come out and be separate, and not to act in harmony with lawyers’ schemes, but to stand for truth and righteousness. Whatever is inconsistent in the action of the righteousness of Christ in any case is not in accordance with the baptismal vows. Those who ignore and disregard the teachings of God’s Word and its supreme authority violate their baptismal vows and the teachings of the Word to save a lost world; for it never can be done in harmony with truth and righteousness and the reformatory power promised by the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, while men are voluntarily linking themselves with the agents and ministers of unrighteousness. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 10

Reformatory action is the humiliation of self. “Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God and when He who is your life shall appear then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” [Colossians 3:3, 4.] Is not this again worth obtaining? Having determined what reform means, every soul, for their own present and future eternal interest, should labor to promote these reforms—not [acting] according to the unsanctified, selfish measurement of man guided and controlled [by] science of satanic origin. Will God’s people open their eyes and with fearfulness and courage stand up for Jesus? This will provoke opposition, calumny, and bitterest hatred. Selfish interest, lustful ambitions for advantage will clamor for the supremacy, [from] conservatives whose craft is in danger. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 11

O that the heart of Dr. Kellogg would become changed, for he is ready to sacrifice whatever is dearest to retain as a man and to carry out his selfish and corrupt principles on the altar of his greed. God will give him another opportunity to show himself a man and not sacrifice truth and righteousness [which] for the last time is upon him. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 12

But Judge Arthur, you are drawn into a net of deception to help a man that is sacrificing mercy and the love of God for ungodly advantage. With the help you are giving him you may gain the case in his behalf, but [only] to secure gains which will promote himself. Thank God there are men who will be converted to the truth, and men who are now in the cause of truth and righteousness who cannot agree to sell their souls for any advantage. In the cause of truth and godliness they will not make a compromise for any man’s advantage. They will recognize the most hard and trying duties [to be] the highest and safest. There are men who are now to fear not and do not after Satan’s policy. They will relinquish all praise that was apparently within their grasp, all applause which they might have received from Satan’s side of the question and who will now in these last days so estimate righteousness, truth, and justice, [that] they will not consent to be beguiled by Satan’s sophistry. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 13

God calls upon every man that lives to become a reformer to support righteous actions. Some will be flattered by the prospect of position or gain to keep silence when it is heavenly eloquence to speak. They are smothered with pretended friendships. Their mouths are stopped from speaking the truth, to lay things just as they are, open to the light of day. They climb into office and find it convenient to overcome. The true, reforming Bible points [away] from all guile. They are seduced in Satan’s net to flounder [and be] caught. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 14

The Son of God is revealed, yes manifested, that He might draw all men unto Him. He said, “I came not to send peace on earth, but a sword.” [Matthew 10:34.] His followers must walk in the light of His glorious example at whatever sacrifice or peril of property or life itself. The true reformation must be after the heavenly order, bearing the divine signature and push the triumph of the cross of Christ. The reformers of today, 1905, must be decided, resolute, and unflinchingly stand in the light of the cross of Calvary. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 15

Let all be as cheerful as possible, while willing to endure the cross and despise the shame. Avoid the danger of a censorious spirit and bitterness as you contemplate the injustice and the wickedness of those who are imbued with the spiritualistic science of Satan. The work of God needs to be advanced in the spirit of Christ. It needs not the devil’s wisdom or the devil’s roughness—denunciation of sin may be and should be called by the right name. “Get thee behind me, Satan.” [Matthew 16:23.] Yet seek to do all possible to reform. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 16

Christ denounced all pretensions to godliness that was made the garb of hypocrisy. There are those who cover their true condition as did the Jews; having position and authority they supposed they had the staff in their own hands. They would not enter the kingdom of heaven themselves and those that would enter they threatened to denounce and turn out of the synagogue. They did not have a sense that they needed Gospel reform, and yet Christ worked in all their cities as long as it was safe. His life must be preserved until the time appointed. Many may be deceived by men who make pretensions to godliness, whose hearts are overflowing with deceit and with iniquity. These Christ openly denounced as hypocrites, blind guides, serpents, a generation of vipers doomed to the damnation of hell. They repeated tradition after tradition and long spun theories, talking of Abraham. 20LtMs, Lt 367, 1905, par. 17