Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 23 (1908)

Lt 158, 1908

White, J. E.

St. Helena, California

May 14, 1908

Portions of this letter are published in TDG 143; 3SM 295-296.

Elder J. E. White
Edgefield, Tennessee

Dear Son Edson:

I would urge you to bear in mind that the Lord, He is God. Do not allow yourself to be thrown into perplexity. During His earthly life the Saviour ever had helpful words to speak to those who needed help. He was the helper of every soul who felt the need of His grace. He has not changed. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 1

I sincerely wish that I could help you financially, but I have not yet succeeded in getting means to pay my workers and to settle my indebtedness at the bank. I am paying eight per cent interest on the money I have hired from the bank. I have just received small loans at six and four percent interest; but this will not settle my obligations. I will be greatly relieved when I can get my books into circulation. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 2

I feel very thankful that the work of circulating Christ’s Object Lessons is being taken hold of in Southern California and that so many of these books are being sold. Every dollar that this little book can bring in is needed for the support of our school work. And the same may be said of Ministry of Healing for our sanitariums. I am very thankful for this ingathering of means for our institutions. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 3

I was much pleased with the camp-meeting in Lodi, of which I have already written you something. There was a strong wind blowing most of the time, and a few showers fell, but no damage was done. The results of the meeting were encouraging. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 4

Valuable help was given by several of our sisters, who took a prominent part in the health and temperance work. These were Sister Bainbridge, Sister Haskell, Dr. Maria Edwards, and Dr. Lillis Wood-Starr. These workers made the meetings very interesting, and this relieved me somewhat from the work of speaking. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 5

A special work was done for the youth by Elder Luther Warren, and at the close of the meeting a number were baptized. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 6

We left Lodi Sunday morning, hoping to get to St. Helena that evening. But at Sacramento our train did not make connections with the St. Helena train, and we decided to go on to Oakland that evening. I was expecting to go to Sebastopol the following day to look at a prospective site for the Healdsburg school; but our cars were delayed so long that we did not reach Oakland until 9 p.m. I was very weary and suffered much with pain in my hip. We therefore concluded, instead of going to Sebastopol the next morning, to come directly home. Thus far I have [not] been able to make this journey to the proposed school site, but my strength is returning, and I hope to go to Healdsburg at the end of this week. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 7

In all His habits of life, the Saviour gave an example of what God designs His church on earth to be. Tell this to the people. Christ desires to present His church before the Father without spot or blemish. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 8

From His earliest years the Saviour’s life was one of poverty. His childhood days were spent in toil. Working at the carpenter’s bench, bearing the burdens that came to Him as a member of the family, He often became weary. He lived in a corrupt age. Yet He was uncorrupted by the evil that surrounded Him, uninfluenced by the characters of those who were artificial and wicked. In the open fields and amid the scenes of nature, He found rest from toil and food for spiritual life. Looking beneath the surface, He gathered knowledge from the mysteries of nature that filled Him with peace and joy. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 9

During the years of His public ministry, the Saviour was continually watched by crafty and hypocritical men. Spies were continually upon His track to catch something from His lips that they could use to create prejudice against Him. Again and again they tried to make Him appear guilty of wrong. There were occasions when they laid traps for Him by presenting to Him questions, the answers to which they hoped to use to cause His condemnation by the people. But at every attempt they were compelled to retire from the field confounded; their actions were revealed in their true light by the answers of Christ. The Saviour’s discourses presented a power of truth to the multitudes who listened. Even the men who were sent to spy upon His actions were forced to return with the report to those who sent them, “Never man spake like this man.” [John 7:46.] I am instructed to say to the Nashville church, Pray, pray. Let your conversation be with grace; for Christ is listening to the words you speak. Let compassion for one another be blended with all you say; then you will reveal the character of Christ. The manners of Christ were gentle and unassuming; as His followers we are to partake of His nature. We need to be daily learners of the great Teacher, that the atmosphere surrounding the soul may be filled with spiritual life. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 10

The question has been asked by some, Has Sister White healed the sick? I answer, No, no; Sister White has often been called to pray for the sick, and to anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord Jesus; and with them she has claimed the fulfilment of the promise, “The prayer of faith shall save the sick.” [James 5:15.] No human power can save the sick, but through the prayer of faith the Mighty Healer has fulfilled His promise to those who have called upon His name. No human power can pardon sin or save the sinner; none can do this but Christ, the merciful physician of body and soul. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 11

It has often been my privilege to pray with the sick. We should do this much more often than we do. If more prayer were offered in our sanitariums for the healing of the sick, the mighty power of the Healer would be seen. Many more would be strengthened and blessed, and many more acute sicknesses would be healed. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 12

The power of Christ to stay disease has been revealed in the past in a remarkable manner. Before we were blessed with institutions where the sick could get help from suffering, by diligent treatment and earnest prayer in faith to God, we carried the most seemingly hopeless cases through successfully. Today the Lord invites the suffering ones to have faith in Him. Man’s necessity is God’s opportunity. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 13

“And He went from thence, and came into His own country, and His disciples follow Him. And when the Sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto Him? that even such mighty works are wrought by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and of Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not His sisters here with us? And they were offended at Him. And Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And He could do there no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.” [Mark 6:1-5.] 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 14

With all our treatments given to the sick, simple fervent prayer should be offered for the blessing of healing. We are to point the sick to the compassionate Saviour, and His power to forgive and to heal. Through His gracious providence they may be restored. Point the sufferers to their advocate in the heavenly courts. Tell them that Christ will heal the sick if they will repent and cease to transgress the laws of God. There is a Saviour who will reveal Himself in our sanitariums to save those who will submit themselves to Him. The suffering ones can unite with you in prayer, confessing their sin and receiving pardon. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 15

Sister White has never claimed to heal the sick. It is Christ who has healed in every instance, as it was Christ who, in the days of His ministry, raised the dead to life. It is Christ who performs every mighty work through the ministry of His servants. This Christ is to be trusted and believed in. His blessing upon the means used for restoration to health will bring success. The mercy of Christ delights to manifest itself in behalf of suffering humanity. It is He who imparts the ministration of healing to the sick, and physicians are to give to Him the glory for the wonderful works performed. 23LtMs, Lt 158, 1908, par. 16