Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)

Lt 18, 1889

H., Brother

Battle Creek, Michigan

January 5, 1889

Portions illegible. Previously unpublished.

Brother H:

I received your letter this morning, and have [but a moment in which] to write you. My dear brother, I am sorry that [things are] as they are, sorry that the church has felt it their [duty] to act in reference to your case. I have not seen the church, or heard what course of action on your part has given them occasion to deal with you as they have. You do not give any particulars, but I have been shown some things in your case, which I will mention, though I cannot write particulars. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 1

Your course has not been an honor to the cause of God. You have not left correct impressions upon minds in reference to our faith. You talk much against your brethren, and find fault with them, and your words have been of a character to give wrong impressions of us as a people. I am sorry for this, because the Spirit of the Lord is grieved. If our brethren have failed in their duty or have not taken those steps marked out by Christ Himself, I am sorry. I know not what they have done. But I hope you will not take false views of their attitude towards you, but that you, with every member of your family, will seek the Lord and try to see your own wrong, for you all need the converting power of God and His transforming grace. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 2

It is your duty to walk more humbly before God and your brethren. You entertain ideas in regard to the course your brethren have taken that are not sound, and your conversation and Christian deportment have not been praiseworthy, or such as would be a blessing to others. Your work is to humble your own heart before God. [Self must be emptied] out of your heart before Jesus can be [enthroned as Lord.] O that you could be a humble, devoted follower of Christ! 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 3

You need the humility that would make you teachable, and the firm resolution that would bring you into harmony with [your] brethren. Do not consider it your duty to advance your ideas, for that will help no one to a right understanding of the truth. You should not criticize others or pronounce judgment against them. God has not given you this work to do. Here is where you have failed again and again. If you correct your own defects of character, then you are doing the personal work which is essential for the development of such a character as will leave the mold of Christ upon it. It is the ungainly attitude, gestures, words, and works, the result of careless inattention and bad training of yourself, that make you objectionable to others and hinder your usefulness. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 4

If sanctified through the truth, you could, through painstaking culture, be useful to your family and [to] others with whom you are brought in contact. You have some good qualifications, but you take strong positions and are too harsh, too sharp and dictatorial. Your mind is not receiving that culture which will fit you for a holy heaven. Your natural faculties are not used to the very best account; they are not trained to follow Christ. A coarseness and carelessness have become habitual with you, and they leave an unfavorable impression upon others. Without the refining influence of the grace of Christ, all the influence you can exert will be limited; you will achieve nothing worthy of being held in honorable remembrance. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 5

If you did not feel that it [was your right and] privilege to have your own way, and take pride [in singularity], considering it an evidence of Christian virtue, you [would more] clearly see the necessity of having God’s way, and [receiving] the mold of Christ. The religion of Jesus Christ will not make man proud of [their] oddities. Your failures have been mostly because of an unteachable spirit. Your negligence and recklessness have left a bad impression upon the minds of unbelievers. Learn of Christ meekness and lowliness of heart. This will never lead to degradation or want of Christlike manliness. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 6

There are very many like yourself who are not as efficient as they might be, because they have cherished petty faults and indulged strong traits of character. They have been unwilling to admit these wrongs, which make them offensive to God, to their brethren, and to the world. They desire to be teachers, when they should be only learners. They want to impart knowledge, when they need one to teach them the first principles of the knowledge of the ways and will of God. Now, the religion of Jesus Christ never degrades the receiver, never makes him coarse and rough in spirit, harsh and denunciatory in manner, but it refines his taste, sanctifies his judgment, and fits him for the society of heavenly angels in the kingdom of God. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 7

My brother, we are in this world during this God-given probationary time, fitting up under the hand of God’s discipline for the purer, higher life. We are to be hewed, squared, and polished, and the rough edges must be removed. The love of Christ must pervade our souls. We shall find that the culture given by the [grace of God is essential] for the refinement of character. [Benevolent actions, tenderness,] and forbearance in the home life [reveal the] great work done for you. Think no evil of others, talk no evil, but carry with you the love and sympathy of Jesus. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 8

The Lord wants to save you and also your family. He wants [you] to [be Christlike] in spirit, in conversation, and influence. Cease to dwell upon the errors and faults of others, for this brings to you only weakness, and you have all you can do to set your own heart and house in order. Your natural and cultivated tendencies need close watch care. You want Bible religion—not your own notions woven into your religious life, but the sound principles of that truth which sanctifies the soul. You have become rigid in your habits, but the grace of Christ can make you a new man. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 9

Your present course of action is determining your future destiny. Oh, that the molding, transforming power of divine grace may make you a new man, in taste, in inclination, in habits, in customs, in spirit, in word, and in conversation, that you may be a vessel unto honor! The truth deeply rooted in the heart will sanctify the character. Will you give up this coarse independence? Will you be a learner in the truth? Will you come under the hand of God, to be proved and tried, molded and fashioned, after the divine similitude? 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 10

I tell you, my brother, it is not a work of humility to be uncleanly in your house or premises. The Lord gave special directions to the children [of Israel] in regard to their sanitary conditions, “lest the Lord should pass by and see your uncleanness.” [Deuteronomy 23:14.] This commonness and untidiness in your home is an offense to God. You are [readily available] to the cause of God, but your duties in your home life are thoroughly neglected. You have your Bible, and should teach the lessons of strict cleanliness and order in your [home.] How can you expect the pure, heavenly angels to love to [enter] into your dwelling and minister to you, when it is in such a condition? You should keep your bodies, your clothing, and the atmosphere of your home cleanly, and also the premises about your dwelling. Then will the Lord deign to come into your house and bless you. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 11

You do not correctly represent the truth. If we are to be the inhabitants of a pure, holy heaven, where there is not one taint of impurity, we must be obtaining an experience in this line here, during the precious hours of probation. If your tastes and your habits are so unlike the pure society of heavenly beings, how can you expect to join that heavenly company? You cannot be excusable for being coarse and uncultured, with God’s Word before you as your guide. You are required to obey every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Study your Bible with reverential awe. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 12

To profess faith in the Bible and yet to withhold obedience in those things which God requires shows great inconsistency. In doing the duties which devolve upon us in every department of life, however humble, we are performing a part assigned us of God, and, in accordance with his own heaven-established order, thus are becoming elevated. None of these home duties can be safely neglected. The truth of God sanctifies, elevates, ennobles, cleanses, and purifies those who live it. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 13

My brother, you need to wake up to your duty, and devote [effort to making] your family comfortable, neat, orderly, and tidy, with healthful food and warm clothing. It is not your duty to give means into the treasury, when your family are in need of [the] things necessary to have an orderly home. You are ready willing to give means to the advancement of the truth and to give hard labor, if necessary; but, my brother, you do not place on the Lord’s side an influence that will build up the cause of God. You follow strong impulses and will make sad work in any church where your lot may be cast. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 14

You do not connect with your brethren in church capacity, but are always at variance with them. You pick flaws and find fault; you question and criticize and condemn. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 15

Did you know this is the business of the enemy, to be an accuser of the brethren? You accustom yourself to find something to condemn in your brethren. They are mortal, erring men like yourself. If you should see the defects existing in your own character, you would not be so ready to seize upon these things which you consider as faults in them. You need to bring your own life and character daily to the test of God’s Word. Study your Bible with a humble mind. Make no superficial work in its perusal, and do not neglect self-investigation. “Learn of me,” says the great Teacher, “for I am meek and lowly in heart.” [Matthew 11:29.] 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 16

You must reach a higher standard if you make a success of overcoming. Do not erect a standard of your own and try to bring your brethren to it. You have failed to reach the divine standard and have been satisfied with one which is low and [degraded], and have thought well of your attainments. [Words missing.] If you could only see as God sees, if you only had the mind of Christ, you would see depths beyond [the] measurement of your own short line. From your very ignorance of what God requires of you, you grow conceited and egotistical. You call your manner of life humility and have urged upon your family that self-denial which has carried things to extremes, and the minds and manners of your children have not been cultivated. They would have a different mold if you had given them different training. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 17

God wants every home to be one of meekness and order, a little model here below of heaven above—no harsh words, no dictatorial commands, no overbearing. Peace should reign throughout your home. Make the most of the powers entrusted to you. Cultivate the habits of doing your very best in all your undertakings. Never quarrel with anyone. Never feel that you are all right and your brethren are all wrong and that you must fight your way through. Will you now bring earnestness into your life and endeavor to be right with God? 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 18

I must close to take the cars. 6LtMs, Lt 18, 1889, par. 19