Manuscript Releases, vol. 7 [Nos. 419-525]

MR No. 514—In Selected Messages 3:337, and Manuscript Release No. 869

MR No. 515—Counsels Regarding Medical Work

I then saw a lack of cleanliness among Sabbathkeepers.... I saw that God was purifying unto Himself a peculiar people. He will have a clean and a holy people in whom He can delight. I saw that the camp must be cleansed, or God would pass by and see the uncleanness of Israel and would not go forth with their armies to battle. He would turn from them in displeasure, and our enemies would triumph over us and we be left weak, in shame and disgrace. 7MR 368.1

I saw that God would not acknowledge an untidy, unclean person as a Christian. His frown was upon such. Our souls, bodies, and spirits are to be presented blameless by Jesus to His Father, and unless we are clean in person, and pure, we cannot be presented blameless to God. 7MR 368.2

I saw that the houses of the saints should be kept tidy and neat, free from dirt and filth and all uncleanness. I saw that the house of God had been desecrated by the carelessness of parents with their children and by the untidiness and uncleanness there. I saw that these things should meet with an open rebuke, and if there was not an immediate change in some that profess the truth in these things they should be put out of the camp. 7MR 368.3

I then saw the corruptions of these last days. Even some of those who profess the truth are corrupt and the same sins exist now that existed before the destruction of the old world by a flood. The world is almost ripe now for destruction, as it was then. I saw that when they were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, the flood came and took them all away. (See Matthew 24:38, 39). I saw that the hearts of the young are now filled with the thought of getting married. Some of them become disobedient to their parents, become wanton, and marry without the counsel of their parents or the church of God. Not having God in all their thoughts, not inquiring whether it is according to His will or pleasure or not, they do not marry to glorify God but to gratify their loose passions and their depraved lusts. Such sins as these brought the flood upon the old world, and destroyed those sinners who would not bear God in their thoughts. Awful sins of these last days are to bring the unmingled fury of God upon the world. 7MR 368.4

I then saw that the appetite must be denied, that rich food should not be prepared, and that which is spent upon the appetite should be put into the treasury of God. It would tell there and those that denied themselves would lay up a reward in heaven. I saw that God was purifying His people. 7MR 369.1

Pride and idols must be laid aside. I saw that rich food was destroying the health of bodies, was ruining constitutions, destroying minds, and was a great waste of means. 7MR 369.2

I saw that many were sickly among the remnant who have made themselves so by indulging their appetites. If we wish good health, we must take special care of the health that God has given us, deny the unhealthy appetite, eat less fine food, eat coarse food free from grease. Then as you sit at the table to eat you can from the heart ask God's blessing upon the food and can derive strength from coarse, wholesome food. God will be pleased to graciously bless it and it will be a benefit to the receiver. 7MR 369.3

I saw that we should pray as Solomon did—Feed me with food convenient for me,” (Proverbs 30:8)—and as we make the prayer, act it out. Get food that is plain and that is essential to health, free from grease. Such food will be convenient for us. 7MR 369.4

There are some Sabbathkeepers who make a god of their bellies. They waste their means in obtaining rich food. Such, I saw, if saved at all, will know what pinching want is unless they deny their appetites and eat to the glory of God. There are but few who eat to the glory of God. How can those who have cake and pie crust filled with grease ask God's blessing upon it and then eat with an eye single to God's glory? We are commanded to do all to the glory of God. We must eat and drink to His glory.—Manuscript 3, 1854, 8-10. (“Testimony for Churches in New York State,” February 12, 1854.) 7MR 370.1

Again, do not let the idea prevail that the Health Retreat is a place where the sick are healed by the prayer of faith. There are instances when this will be done, and we need to have faith in God constantly. Let no one think that those who have abused themselves and taken no intelligent care of themselves can come to the Health Retreat and be healed by the prayer of faith, for this is presumption. I see so little wisdom, so little good common sense exercised by some of our brethren that my heart is sick, sore, and distressed. They do not have sensible ideas and do not honor God. They have need of a divine touch. If the idea should once prevail that the sick can come to the Institute to be cured by the prayer of faith, you will have such a state of things there that you cannot now discern even if I should point it out to you in the best English language I could command. We need more of God, brethren, greater humility.—Letter 57, 1886, pp. 2, 3. (To Brethren Rice and Gibbs, December 17, 1886.) 7MR 370.2

There is scarcely an operation of nature but we will find reference made to it in the Word of God. The Word declares, “He maketh His sun to rise” (Matthew 5:45), and causes “it to rain on the earth” (Job 38:26). He “maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains.” (Psalm 147:8.) “He giveth snow like wool; He scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes” (verse 16). “When he uttereth his voice there is a multitude of waters in the heavens.... He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures” (Jeremiah 10:13). 7MR 371.1

These words of Holy Writ say nothing of the independent laws of nature. God is the superintendent as well as the creator of all things. The divine Being is engaged in upholding the things which He has created. God has laws which He has instituted, but they are only His servants through which He effects results. It is God who calls everything in order and keeps all things in motion.—Manuscript 92, 1898, 5. (“The Revelation of God,” typed July 6, 1898.) 7MR 371.2

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:2). 7MR 371.3

When Isaiah predicted the birth of Christ he declared, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever” (Isaiah 9:6, 7). 7MR 371.4

Again speaking of His work, and its results He says: “There shall come out a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots; and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:1-9). 7MR 372.1

Those who read and listen to the sophistries that prevail in this age do not know God as He is. They contradict the Word of God, and extol and worship nature in the place of the Creator. While we may discern the working of God in the things He has created, these things are not God. Nature's voice is heard in its influence upon the senses. Her voice, the Word declares, is heard to the end of the world. The physical creation testifies of God and Jesus Christ as the great Creator of all things. “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:3, 4). The psalmist bears witness, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3).... 7MR 372.2

There are many issues in our world today in regard to the Creator not being a personal God. God is a being, and man was made in His image. After God created man in His image, the form was perfect in all its arrangements, but it had no vitality. Then a personal, self-existing God breathed into that form the breath of life, and man became a living, breathing, intelligent being. All parts of the human machinery were put in motion. The heart, the arteries, the veins, the tongue, the hands, the feet, the perceptions of the mind, the senses, were placed under physical law. It was then that man became a living soul.... 7MR 373.1

This living God is worthy of our thought, our praise, our adoration, as the Creator of the world, as the Creator of man. We are to praise God, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Our substance was not hid from Him when we were made in secret. His eyes saw our substance, yet being imperfect, and in His book all our members were written when as yet there was none of them. He breathed into our nostrils the breath of life. The inspiration of God has given us understanding. (See Psalm 139:14-16; Genesis 2:7; Job 32:8).... 7MR 373.2

The system is made up of different parts fitted to work harmoniously, and so arranged and proportioned as to make one complete whole. It is the misuse and violation of nature's laws that keeps some parts of the human machinery in action, while others are left to become weak through disuse. God designs that the whole being shall be proportionately worked, that every part of the wonderful machinery may act in harmony with the other. While God is speaking to the senses, telling us to preserve the organs in their beautiful arrangement that they may do service for God, and glorify the giver, we are to do our part by cultivating every organ in the order of God. We are not to act in accordance with perverted ideas and customs, but in the intelligence which God has given. We are to preserve simplicity, to maintain the natural form and motions of the body, and not educate the mind and body to meet the customs and fashions of this degenerate age. 7MR 373.3

This world is our educating school. The apostle Paul writes: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1, 2.) “For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.” (1 Corinthians 4:9.) 7MR 374.1

All the heavenly universe is waiting about the throne of God to hear His voice, and go forth to minister unto those who shall be heirs of salvation. They are watching every movement made, and are prepared to cooperate in every good work—for the relief of the suffering, and for the enlightenment of those who are ignorant of the truth. The arch enemy is on the track of every soul, that they shall not be overcomers through the blood of the Lamb, and through the word of their testimony. But if we make the Lord our teacher, when Satan comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard for us against the enemy. 7MR 374.2

Every God-given faculty is to be wisely and intelligently used. Every part of the human machinery is the Lord's, to be used, not under the dictation of Satan, but under the wise counsel of God. Man has a work given him to do, and in order to do that work, he must depend upon God. He must allow the Lord to take the supervision of himself, and, having asked the Lord for wisdom, believe that it will be given him. The promise is, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8.) 7MR 375.1

Every human being is of consequence with God. The apostle says: “He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved: in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth; even in him: in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh in all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.... The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye might know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but that which is to come.” (Ephesians 1:4-21, 18-21)—Manuscript 117, 1898, 1-3, 5-9. (“A Personal God,” typed September 21, 1898.) 7MR 375.2

Commit the keeping of your soul to God as unto a faithful Creator. Praise Him who is the health of your countenance and your God. The favorable result of our work comes from Him just as verily as if the blessing had dropped directly from heaven. We are to thank Him as though the relief had been direct and instantaneous.—Letter 66, 1901, p. 9. (To R. M. Kilgore, June 26, 1901.) 7MR 376.1

We desire to see the healing power of God in this sanitarium. Let those who are sick have hope and courage to bring their cases to the Master. The angels of God are here. While the physicians and the helpers are doing everything they can on your behalf, Christ Himself is the Healer of your diseases. He it is who combats the disease you have brought on yourself by an imprudent, sinful course of action. He, the Sin-bearer, is the only One who can successfully combat disease. Oh, link up with the Great Physician! He is ready to place His everlasting arms underneath you.—Manuscript 102, 1901, 14. (Sermon, September 21, 1901.) 7MR 376.2

In this age of the world it is important for every family to understand the science of life. The wonderful machinery of the human body is supplied by the Lord and is kept in motion by Him. It is the human agent's part to keep this machinery in a state of purity and soundness. To do this, an intelligent knowledge of every part is required. It is a great responsibility to care properly for all the God-given faculties, to keep the entire system in as complete order as possible.—Manuscript 113, 1901, 3, 4. (“Canvassers Needed,” typed November 4, 1901.) 7MR 377.1

In order to be truly successful, the physician must live in close relation to Christ. He must cherish a constant sense that he is one of the Lord's chosen instruments, appointed to bear to the sick the word of life, to declare to them that if they receive Christ as a personal Saviour, they will be given power to become sons of God. It is in the power of every physician, in his work for the sick, to be a gospel teacher, bearing to those to whom he ministers, the sure cure for sin, pointing them to the Lamb of God, who alone can make successful the physical treatment given. In the simplest of language he is to speak of the Saviour, his heart filled with a longing for the salvation of the one to whom he is speaking.... 7MR 377.2

If physicians only realized it, they could often do more to restore the sick to health by ministering to the needs of the soul than by confining their efforts to the body.—Letter 275, 1903, pp. 7, 8. (To “My Brethren Laboring in Battle Creek,” November, 1903.) 7MR 377.3

The remark is often made, by one and another, “Why depend so much on sanitariums? Why do we not pray for the miraculous healing of the sick, as the people of God used to do?” In the early history of our work many were healed by prayer. And some, after they were healed, pursued the same course in the indulgence of appetite, that they had followed in the past. They did not live and work in such a way as to avoid sickness. They did not show that they appreciated the Lord's goodness to them. Again and again they were brought to suffering through their own careless, thoughtless course of action. How could the Lord be glorified in bestowing on them the gift of health? 7MR 378.1

When the light came that we should have a sanitarium, the reason was plainly given. There were many who needed to be educated in regard to healthful living. A place must be provided to which the sick could be taken, where they could be taught how to live so as to preserve health. At the same time light was given that the sick could be successfully treated without drugs. This was the lesson that was to be practiced and taught by physicians and nurses, and by all other medical missionary workers. Drugs were to be discarded, because when they are taken into the system, their after effect is very injurious. Many suffering from fever have died as the result of the drugs administered. They might have been alive today had they been given water treatment by those competent to administer it.... 7MR 378.2

Lectures should be diligently kept up as a means of teaching the patients how to prevent disease by a wise course of action. By means of these lectures the patients may be shown the responsibility resting on them to keep the body in the most healthful condition because it is the Lord's purchased possession. Mind, soul, and body are bought with a price. “Ye are not your own, ... for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20).... 7MR 379.1

I think that I have answered the question, “Why do we not pray for the healing of the sick, instead of having sanitariums?” The education of many souls is at stake. In the providence of God, instruction has been given that sanitariums be established, in order that the sick may be drawn to them, and learn how to live healthfully. The establishment of sanitariums is a providential arrangement, whereby people from all churches are to be reached, and made acquainted with the saving truth for this time.—Letter 59, 1905, pp. 2, 3, 5, 8. (To Elder and Mrs. John A. Burden, February 4, 1905.) 7MR 379.2

In the past, decided failures have been made in the institutions established for the care of the sick because so much business has been crowded in that the main object for which our sanitariums are established has been lost sight of. Great loss has thus been sustained. I am to urge upon our people that the proclamation of the principles of truth must be kept prominent, as the main line of work for which our sanitariums were instituted. 7MR 379.3

The Lord calls for a solemn dedication to Him of the sanitariums that shall be established. Our object in the establishment of these institutions is that the truth for this time may through them be proclaimed. In order that this may be done, they must be conducted on right lines. In this, business interests are not to be crowded in to take the place of spiritual interests. Every day devotional exercises are to be held. The Word of God is in no case to be given a secondary place. Those who come to our sanitariums for treatment must see the Word of God, which is the bread of life, exalted above all common, earthly considerations. A strong religious influence is to be exerted. It must be plainly shown that the glory of God and the uplifting of Christ are placed before all else.—Letter 183, 1905, p. 2. (To Elder and Mrs. George I. Butler, June 23, 1905.) 7MR 379.4

This morning I am roused up to repeat the instruction that the Lord has given me in regard to establishing sanitariums. Again and again this matter has been presented to me.... 7MR 380.1

Wherever the last message of warning is given combined with medical missionary work and lessons on the right principles of living, wonderful results are seen. Our sanitariums are to be the means of enlightening those who come to them for treatment. The patients are to be shown how they can live upon a diet of grains, fruits, nuts, and other products of the soil. I have been instructed that lectures should be regularly given in our sanitariums on health topics. People are to be taught to discard those articles of food that weaken the health and strength of the beings for whom Christ gave His life. The injurious effects of tea and coffee are to be shown. The patients are to be taught how they can dispense with those articles of diet that injure the digestive organs. These things are to be treated from a health standpoint.—Letter 233, 1905, pp. 7, 9. (To Dr. and Mrs. D. H. Kress, August 9, 1905.) 7MR 380.2

I told the people how we were working to establish in various places sanitariums for the sick. I told them that Christ was our physician. We are asked by some, Do you have power to work miracles and to heal the sick? I answer, I have never worked a miracle in my life; but I have presented many suffering ones in faith to Christ, and the mighty Healer has rebuked disease and raised the suffering ones to health. Christ alone can heal the sick and raise the dead.—Letter 278, 1908, p. 2. (To Sister Kerr, February 21, 1908.) 7MR 381.1

I would say to our physicians, Never allow your patients to think that in the human being is power to heal the sick. You are to depend much more than you have done on the cooperation of the great Physician in the work of healing disease. Your faith is to lay hold upon the efficacy of Christ to make effectual the effort put forth for the recovery of the sick.—Manuscript 73, 1908, 1, 2. (“Counsels Repeated,” typed June 19, 1908.) 7MR 381.2

The human agent should act intelligently in cooperation with divine power, using the beneficial means that He [God] has provided, and work in harmony with natural laws. To do this is not the slightest hindrance to the exercise of faith.—Manuscript 29, 1911, 6. (“Fragments on Old Testament History,” typed November 17, 1911.) 7MR 381.3

Released January 18, 1977.