Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 24 (1909)

Ms 89, 1909

Talk/A Work of Preparation

Madison, Wisconsin

August 18, 1909

Previously unpublished.

Talk by Mrs. E. G. White to the helpers at the Madison Sanitarium, Madison, Wisconsin, August 18, 1909. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 1

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them,and shall be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 2

“And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. And He said unto me, It is done, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.” [Revelation 21:1-7.] 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 3

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb. And in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse; for the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him. And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.” [Revelation 22:1-4.] 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 4

Moses asked that he might see the face of God, and the Lord said to him, “There shall no man see My face and live.” [Exodus 33:20.] But here is presented a people who are prepared to see even the face of God. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 5

“And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” [Revelation 22:10-14.] 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 6

“The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.” [Verse 17.] 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 7

It has been presented to me in clear lines that as a people we are to prepare for a grand and final review of character that will decide our fitness to enter the city of God; and at such a time as this, it behooves us to purify our souls through obedience to the truth. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 8

The workers in this sanitarium have the benefit of gaining and understanding of the truth. The Lord desires that every one of you shall know what is written in the Word and what is required of you individually if you would be prepared to enter upon the future, immortal life. There are many who will not enter upon this work of preparation; it is not expected of the worldling that he will do it; but those who are expecting to see the King in His beauty are required to wash their robes of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. As you seek for sanctification of life through obedience to the truth, the principles of truth, working in your heart, and the co-operation of heavenly angels will make your heart tender and give you an increasing desire to know what you shall do to be saved. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 9

I have read these Scriptures to you, that you might consider what is the preparation required of you in order to be ready to meet the Lord. Are you ready for that event? Are you preparing for it? There are some here who are quite young and inexperienced; but the Lord desires to give these wisdom and knowledge. He wants to take them into a sacred nearness to Himself and to increase their faith. Do not encourage foolishness; let no hasty words be spoken, no unpleasant spirit manifested. Christ wants your words to be select. Let the youth who have given themselves to the work of the Lord put away from their lives everything that is displeasing to Him. Then the light of heaven will come into your souls. The judgment is set; the coming of Christ is rapidly drawing near; we cannot afford to lose one opportunity for preparing for these solemn events. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 10

I would say to these young people: You can be a help and blessing to one another if you will. It is your privilege to get together and pray and study the Word of God. This is what we would do in 1844 when we looked for the Lord’s coming very soon. We would go into the groves and pray to God until we realized His blessing upon us. Pray together; let the light of heaven fill your hearts. Be truly converted; do not make any mistake in this matter. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 11

You can help and bless and strengthen those around you. There are some here who have gone through a certain training in order that they might gain a certain position. So the one who would gain the life that is promised to every true believer must work for his reward. We do not know how soon the Lord will come. You do not know that your lives will be spared till you have finished your training here. You have no time to lose in getting ready for the coming of Christ. What God requires of you is to bring your life into harmony with the life of Christ. He requires that you be true, that you humble your hearts before Him, that you open your hearts to the reception of His grace. To all who will seek Him with earnest purpose, He will impart His grace and power. It is your privilege to make of this sanitarium a place where angels will love to dwell, and through which God will work for the honor of His name. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 12

Our sanitariums are established for the purpose of carrying out the principles of Bible truth. If the workers will humble their hearts before God, and seek Him with full purpose of heart, they will be able to reach the men and women who come to this institution. This will not be because of any virtue in you, but because heavenly agencies are working through you. If with an eye single to the glory of God you watch unto prayer, Christ will accept your service for Him. He wants you to be strong in His strength. He says, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” [John 16:24.] 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 13

I have read to you this description of the city of God, that you might realize how well worth striving for it is, and that you may help others to seek for it with you. There is a heaven for you to win. The preparation you are making is for eternity. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 14

God has given us the blessed Word, and Christ has given His life, that we might have eternal life in the kingdom of glory. All the host of Satan worked against the Saviour during His earthly life, that He might not accomplish the work He came to do. But Christ did not fail nor become discouraged. Christ suffered on Calvary’s cross for you. How much are you willing to deny self? what efforts will you make that God’s name may be magnified in the earth? We are to overcome and put away the habits and practices that are indulged by the worldling. We do not, must not let these have a place in our lives. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 15

The Lord wants us to come to Him in the simplicity of true godliness. He wants us to feel our responsibility to form a character for the future eternal life. Christ gave precious lessons to young and old when He said: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust doth not corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ... Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? ... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ... Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” [Matthew 6:19-21, 25, 28, 29, 33.] 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 16

“He that heareth” is to say “Come.” [Revelation 22:17.] Whosoever will may take of the waters of life freely. This message is to be borne to the world; we each have a work to do. May God help us to put away our cheapness of character, and our foolishness. Let those who have come here to learn how to labor put all their capabilities to work. Let them ask themselves the questions: Am I fitting myself to stand in the grand review of God? I pray that we each may seek most earnestly for this preparation, that we may gain that life that measures with the life of God. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 17

This is the last time I expect to meet with the workers here. I do not expect to visit this place again; but wherever I am, and wherever you are, let us be preparing to wear through eternity the robe of Christ’s righteousness and the crown of the overcomer. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 18

Prayer: My heavenly Father, I have spoken a few words in Thy name to these workers. Thou knowest, Lord, what is before them; and we do not. We commit them to Thee. We pray Thee, for Christ’s sake, to sweep back the mists of darkness with which Satan is trying to becloud the mind. Teach them how to strive successfully for everlasting life. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 19

Send the baptism of Thy Holy Spirit upon these students, that they may press the battle to the gates. Give them higher views of what it means to be a follower of the meek and lowly Saviour. Refine, purify, sanctify the whole being; let them not fall into temptation. Move upon human hearts, that they may strive with all their being for that life that measures with the life of God. Help those who are weak; help those who are strong. There is a heaven for these workers to win. If we never see them again in this life, grant that we may meet them in the world to come. We want to see the crown placed on every brow. We want to see them receive the harp of gold and hear them sing in the kingdom of glory the triumphs of the grace of Christ. Take them into Thy care; watch over them, and Thy blessed name shall have all the glory. Amen. 24LtMs, Ms 89, 1909, par. 20