The Fruitage of Spiritual Gifts

Chapter 24 — Chastened of the Lord

THE BIBLE STORY OF GOD’S people in ancient times reveals that when they departed from Him the Lord dealt faithfully but sternly with them. He permitted war or plagues to overtake them, hoping that these visitations would lead them to repentance. In the past history of the remnant church there is recorded some of these experiences of disaster by which the Lord had endeavored to awaken us and to lead us back into right paths. That God thus speaks to us through fire or persecution is in no sense an evidence that He has forsaken us. Such experiences should lead us to seek God and take new courage. FSG 372.1

In these trials and hardships God teaches His church precious lessons of lasting value. Adventist missions and institutions have on the whole been wonderfully spared from destruction, not only in times of peace, but also of war. Our brethren love to tell how God has mercifully cared for His own. But reference will be made only to the great fires that came to our institutions in Battle Creek, Michigan for nearly half a century the headquarters of denominational work in all the earth. The lessons taught in these acts of God are so striking that they should never be forgotten. We do well to study both the causes of these losses and the results. When the Haskell Home, or orphanage, of the Battle Creek Sanitarium was burned, with a loss of $50,000, February 5, 1909, and when the old dime tabernacle, the largest church building we ever owned, burned in 1922, with a loss of $ 110,000, some members thought there were in these losses certain lessons we should learn, but others said that both places had served their time. FSG 372.2

However, when mysterious fires destroyed our two oldest and largest institutions in Battle Creek, that was an altogether different thing. On February 18, 1902, the Battle Creek Sanitarium, which through the years had done much for suffering humanity, was consumed by fire. The raging conflagration began in the early hours of the morning in an unknown manner and was so strong that it could not be checked. It startled the whole city and was telegraphed all over the country. Though there were many sick patients in grave danger, only one life was lost—a man who went back into the building to secure some personal property. This event made a profound impression on Adventists everywhere, even overseas. Nearly a year later, on the evening of December 30, 1902, another mysterious fire laid low the Review publishing house in Battle Creek, and it was almost totally destroyed. The financial loss in both fires was over half a million dollars, which at that time was an immense sum for a small church. Our people all over America asked one another the meaning and the cause of these two disasters. What made these calamities assume even larger moral aspects was that the Adventist Church had for several years been warned that such calamities might not be far away. It is perhaps impossible today to realize the tension and expectation and discussion there was among Adventists concerning this matter. Not a few families moved away from Battle Creek because of the disasters they felt would come, but others ridiculed the warnings and laughed at such fears or simple faith in the Spirit of prophecy. FSG 373.1

Those who derided the Spirit of prophecy while yielding to pantheistic error were inclined to scoff at the idea that God had anything to do with fires or other calamities. Some even called such faith old pagan superstition. But true Christians, though admitting that fires often are mere accidents, felt convinced that the Lord was trying to teach His children important lessons through His chastening rod. The Spirit of prophecy had warned that both of these institutions would be visited in divine judgment if they persisted in upholding certain wrong practices. The sanitarium, which rejected these warnings and, contrary to the instructions, was rebuilt much larger, left the church, and was in time sold to the Government. The Review, which accepted the reproof of the Lord, moved out of Battle Creek in harmony with divine direction, and is with us and prosperous to the present day. Indeed, no Adventist institution has been more valuable to the advent movement than has the Review, or perhaps as valuable. But these two events should be told in detail, as they are now forgotten by the great mass of Adventists. FSG 374.1

The first institution founded and owned by Seventh-day Adventists was the Review and Herald. It is still doing an excellent work and is one great stay and strength of the Adventist Church. Many of the testimonies of cheer and commendation were sent from the messenger of the Lord to the workers in that institution, but with the prosperity of the years there crept into the institution certain principles and practices of which the Lord did not approve. FSG 374.2

More than a year before the great fire that lay the Review and Herald publishing house in Battle Creek in ashes, on December 30, 1902, the Lord had warned the managers and workers of the Review in most solemn messages that unless things changed and a true reform was seen, calamity would overtake the publishing house by fire. Some little time before the fire, a message was sent from Mrs. White and read to the Review and Herald people in which was stated: FSG 374.3

“Unless there is a reformation, calamity will overtake the publishing house, and the world will know the reason. I have been shown that there has not been a turning to God with full purpose of heart.... I saw heavenly angels turning away with grieved countenances.” “I feel a terror of soul as I see to what a pass our publishing houses come. The presses in the Lord’s institution have been printing soul destroying theories of Romanism and other mysteries of iniquity.” “I have received a letter from Elder Daniells regarding the erection of another building to the Review and Herald office. The answer I make to this is, No, no, no. Instead of making any additions to the buildings already erected, clean the office of the trash of satanic origin, and you will make room in every way.”—Testimonies for the Church 8:96, 91, 90. FSG 375.1

In this same statement sent to the Review office, we find these words by Mrs. White: “I have been almost afraid to open the Review, fearing to see God has cleansed the publishing house by fire.”—Testimonies for the Church 8:91, 92. I remember well how the churches of God in Chicago received these earnest warnings. We wondered what would happen to the Review when Adventists everywhere heard of the fire, they said, “It is just what the Lord has told us might come.” FSG 375.2

Just as the Review was our first publishing house, so the Battle Creek Sanitarium, though established much later than the Review, was the beginning of our world-wide medical missionary work. It had greatly prospered, but there came a time later when some leading men in that place adopted pantheistic errors and departed from the right plan of organization’ and spiritual leadership. The Lord visited this institution with the disaster of fire nearly a year before the destruction of the Review. FSG 375.3

There were those who laughed at the idea that these visitations by fire, which came to our institutions in Battle Creek and which stirred our people deeply and called them to repentance and a new consecration, were permitted by the Lord for that very purpose. But those who believed in the Spirit of prophecy read with the deepest interest a message from Mrs. White printed in the Review of January 27, 1903. They knew that she had spoken before the fires came and had said that the Lord would visit these institutions with burning flames, and now they wondered just what message would come after the fire had occurred. She wrote: FSG 375.4

“I pray that those who have resisted light and evidence, refusing to listen to God’s warnings, will see in the destruction of the Review and Herald Office an appeal to them from God to turn to Him with full purpose of heart. Will they not see that God is in earnest with them? He is not seeking to destroy life, but to save life. In the recent destruction, the lives of the workers were graciously preserved, that all might have opportunity to see that God was correcting them by a message coming not from a human source, but from heaven. God’s people have departed from Him; they have not followed His instruction, and He has come near to them in correction, but He has not brought extinction of life. Not one soul has been taken by death. All have been left alive to recognize the Power that no man can gainsay.... FSG 376.1

“When the Battle Creek Sanitarium was destroyed, Christ gave Himself to defend the lives of men and women. In this destruction God was appealing to His people to return to Him. And in the destruction of the Review and Herald Office, and the saving of life, He makes a second appeal to them. He desires them to see that the miracle-working power of the Infinite has been exercised to save life, that every worker may have opportunity to repent and be converted. God says, ‘If they turn to Me, I will restore to them the joy of My salvation. But if they continue to walk in their own way, I will come still closer; and affliction shall come upon the families who claim to believe the truth, but who do not practice the truth, who do not make the Lord God of Israel their fear and their dread.’”—The Review and Herald, January 27, 1903, page 8. FSG 376.2

Many of those who read this word in 1903 remarked that for years testimonies had come to our institution in Battle Creek, reproving them for their lack of faith and obedience, and pleading with them to return to God. Of the many testimonies given, a special testimony to the Battle Creek church in August, 1896, will be quoted: FSG 376.3

“The Lord has a serious account to settle with those who have done exactly opposite to that which He has counseled them to do. The money they have bound up in Battle Creek is needed in missionary fields, to supply even the most meager facilities. The work cannot be advanced because there is no money to work the fields. Will you in Battle Creek, who have spread yourselves contrary to the expressed will of God, in your buildings, and in your selfish acceptance of wages, allow the treasury to be robbed that the laborers shall not be sustained in home and foreign ministerial work? God looks with disfavor upon your selfish appropriation of the means that is consecrated for a special purpose. You have followed this plan that you might have a better opportunity to indulge self, and make little self denial for Christ’s sake. This is something you need to adjust quickly. Make no delay. Will a man rob God? Will he steal God’s means to settle outgoing expenses when the ministry needs every dollar?”—Special Testimony to Battle Creek Church. FSG 377.1

The results that follow the chastening of the Lord depend wholly on our response to these calls to reform. If we harden our hearts, the chastening is unto death; but if we accept the correction in genuine repentance, it becomes the beginning of a new and brighter experience. When the Chicago daily papers, the day after the fire, in great front-page headlines told of the burning of the Review, our members in that city came together for a special counsel. Some wept and felt discouraged. Others said, “We knew it was coming; the messenger of the Lord has warned us again and again.” There was no disposition to be critical or to condemn others, but nearly all were downhearted, so that the atmosphere of the gathering was most pessimistic. Just then two young preachers spoke up and said, “You have forgotten the text, ‘Blessed is the man whom thou chastens, O Lord.’ Psalm 94:12. We feel sure something great and good will come out of this thing. Let us wait and see what the General Conference will do. We want to know what word comes from the General Conference and from Mrs. White.” The people at the meeting listened dubiously, but an old pioneer, a true saint of God, said, “Brethren, I have noticed that the optimism and courage of youth is often better than the unbelief of experience which we older and wiser folks have.” Our church members all over America looked at things much as they did in Chicago. And thus it proved to be. Our leaders in the General Conference, as well as the messenger of the Lord, appealed to our people everywhere to bow in faith to the correction of heaven. They rallied the whole church to plan for a large advance step. Thus this chastening of God brought to His people a bigger and brighter day through the Spirit of prophecy. FSG 377.2