Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 19 (1904)

Lt 271, 1904

Kellogg, J. H.

Washington, D. C.

July 29, 1904

Portions of this letter are published in 12MR 62; 5Bio 349.

Dr. J. H. Kellogg

Dear Brother,—

I will in the name of the Lord make a solemn appeal to you. As a sinner you have a case pending in the courts of heaven. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 1

By the power given to me at the General Conference held in Oakland, and at the Union Conference recently held in Berrien Springs, it is evident that He designed that a transforming work should be wrought upon hearts. You might have gone from the Berrien Springs meeting a very different man had you understood the real situation, had you realized that Satan in a masterly way was playing the game of life for your soul. Had you seen your peril as it was presented to me, you would have fallen on the Rock and been broken. Your only hope is to fall on the Rock. If you do not, it will fall on you, and will break you beyond remedy. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 2

He who has given His life for you, that you might be saved through faith in His name, is at the right hand of God, still interceding for you. He is the only one who can avail as your intercessor. But He will soon give into the hands of the angels around His throne the vials of His wrath, with the commission to pour them out upon His rebellious subjects in this world, until everything that is opposed to the principles of God’s government shall have been consumed. But He is still standing at the altar of incense, presenting the prayers of His saints. Thus it was presented to me at the Berrien Springs meeting. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 3

In this meeting every one present should have been confessing his own sins instead of speaking of personal grievances and charging others with guilt. God was dishonored in this meeting. Had you been worked by the Holy Spirit, you would have come to the front, when Hiland Butler was challenging Elder Daniells for a change of attitude, and would have said, “Brother Butler, you are out of your place. I have confessions to make before God and before Christ, who died for me, and before man. I will now humble my heart before the Lord and no longer submit to the ruling power of the accuser. I declare that the hope of eternal life with Christ in His kingdom, as I once believed it, is worth more to every soul than all that can be obtained by justifying self and denouncing others. If God will break the spell that for years has been gathering about my soul, I will be willing to work in any position to which He may assign me. I must have heaven, even though it be at the loss of all else.” 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 4

Had you done this, Dr. Kellogg, you would have stood a free man in Christ. Things would have been adjusted. The Lord would have pardoned your transgressions. Bonds of unity would have been formed with your brethren, and there would have been rejoicing in heaven. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 5

Those who interposed to call attention to themselves little realized the advantage they were giving the enemy. Oh, if poor, weak, erring self had been kept out of the experience, how different the result would have been! 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 6

It now rests with you yourself to decide whether in the future you will be under the guardianship of heavenly angels or of satanic agencies. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 7

Do you realize how the Lord Jesus regards your boastings that you and your supporters did not confess, but that it was Elder Prescott who made confession? All this is written in the book that will be opened in the last great day, when every man will be judged according to the deeds done in the body. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 8

These words were given me to give to you: “This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” [1 John 1:5-10.] 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 9

“It is Christ that died” is an argument that cannot be refuted. [Romans 8:34.] To it nothing can be added. To the repentant soul it is Yea and Amen. Christ leads the penitent soul upward step by step and gives to the mind His peace. “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:9.] Angels of God guard the penitent, believing soul, that evil angels may not intrude. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 10

I was listening to words spoken by God’s servants in their humiliation. They were working out their own salvation with fear and trembling. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 11

Daniel was a man greatly beloved of God, but he did not say, “I did not confess.” “I set my face unto the Lord God,” he says, “and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments; we have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments; neither have we harkened unto Thy servants the prophets, which spake in Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day.” [Daniel 9:3-7.] 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 12

“In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. ... I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and His face as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes were as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of His words like the voice of a multitude. ... And there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet I heard the voice of His word: and when I heard the voice of His words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 13

“And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And He said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when He had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. Then said He unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. ... Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for the vision is for many days. And when He had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and became dumb. And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth and spake, and said unto Him that stood before me, O my Lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my Lord talk with this my Lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 14

“And there came again and touched me One like the appearance of a man, and He strengthened me, and said, O man greatly beloved, fear not; peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when He had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my Lord speak; for Thou hast strengthened me.” [Daniel 10:1-3, 5, 6, 8-12, 14-19.] 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 15

It is the man who has humbled himself, and whom God has honored, who understands what true greatness is. In the sight of God exalted position does not amount to anything; it is righteousness and truth that give honor to the man. God calls for sensible men who will walk before Him in humility and with contrition of heart confess their sins and receive forgiveness. Not far hence the ruin of souls now being accomplished, because men have refused to confess their sins, will be far from a boasting matter. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 16

This Scripture was repeated to you: 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 17

“The good man is perished out of the earth; and there is none upright among men; they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire; so they wrap it up. The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge; the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.” [Micah 7:2-4.] 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 18

It does not make a man a Christian to have his name on the church books. Christ says of His people, “Ye are the light of the world.” [Matthew 5:14.] But the light does not originate with themselves. Their light comes from heaven. “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” [2 Corinthians 4:6.] This light is a heavenly principle, to be carried out in every phase of the religious experience. Love for God is definite and positive in its action and puts into the heart of men an unselfish love for his fellow beings. It leads him to set a noble, Christlike example. It is a heavenly gift, and is always at work, leading its possessor to pattern after Christ. This love is shown in discipleship. “If any man will come after Me,” said Jesus, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” [Matthew 16:24.] “So shall he be My disciple.” [See John 15:8.] Christ’s love was enduring. It came from God and enabled Him to endure sacrifice and privation that God might be glorified. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 19

Let physicians and ministers remember that true righteousness bears fruit that is a blessing to others. God would have His people at this time in a repentant, contrite state of mind, confessing their sins and asking forgiveness. This is the work of preparation that we are to do for His coming. As did the children of Israel in the typical day of atonement, we are to stand before Him, confessing our sins. No one needs to be ashamed to say, “I have done wrong. I have made a mistake. I have sinned.” 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 20

I am given a decided message to bear to all our medical missionaries. For a long time you have been losing a sense of the exalted virtues of a Christian life. You have been bolstering yourselves up in self-righteousness. You have listened to deceptive, subtle reasonings and human sophistries. Will you now clear the King’s highway by taking yourselves in hand and seeking the Lord? Will you confess your sins as did Daniel? Never, never regard it as a virtue to be able to say, “I did not confess.” 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 21

Was it because you had naught to confess that you could say this? Oh no, no, no! The boastful and unrepentant man by his attitude is closing the gates of the Holy City against himself. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 22

The day of test and trial is upon us. Every man’s character is being weighed. Examine yourself and discern what kind of a conscience you have. Examine and see if your theology, your religion is a mixture of odds and ends, arranged to serve your own purpose. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 23

Now, just now, is the great day of preparation. We have no time to serve in Satan’s ranks. Already many have learned to follow false methods, but may the Lord help us so to confess our sins that they will go beforehand to judgment, that when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, these sins may be blotted out. 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 24

“These things write I unto ye that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” [1 John 2:1-4.] 19LtMs, Lt 271, 1904, par. 25