Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 21 (1906)

Lt 144, 1906

Church in Mountain View

Mountain View, California

May 4, 1906

Portions of this letter are published in UL 138; CG 272; CC 143. +^Note

To the Church in Mountain View

Dear Brethren and Sisters:

I have been given a message for those who have any connection with Seventh-day Adventists. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 1

During my visit to Loma Linda in April, there passed before me, in the night season, a representation of events similar to those that will occur when the day of God’s wrath shall come, as foretold in the eighteenth of Revelation. Early on the morning of April 17, I arose and wrote out some of the instruction that had been given me in connection with the awful representation. The following morning, April 18, a terrible judgment of God fell upon San Francisco. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 2

At the time this scene passed before me, I thought that the day of judgment had come. My mind was greatly distressed. The angel that stood by my side instructed me regarding the wickedness existing in our world today and the importance of obeying God’s law. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 3

Then the scene changed. I was taken before our churches and given a message for them. One place to which I was taken was Mountain View, and the dangers of many of its members were clearly outlined. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 4

In this important place, where our printing establishment is located, an individual work, deep and thorough, needs to be done. There are some carrying the responsibility of the work here, who have a partial understanding of the work that is to be done; and there are others whose spiritual discernment is so dim that they have but little conception of what the Lord requires. The heart of every one in responsibility in the office and in the church needs to be cleansed, refined, transformed, else the workers will be liable to backslide. There is constant danger of allowing a wrong spirit [to] develop and permeate the entire office and church—a spirit altogether different from that which should exist. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 5

I was charged to direct your attention to the last four chapters of the book of Revelation. Read these chapters carefully. The work that should have been done long ago now needs to be done. Let there be a thorough humbling of the soul before God, on the part of those who are in positions of responsibility. If earnest work were done in seeking the Lord with heart and mind and soul, the present condition of things would soon be entirely changed. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 6

A mistaken, defective standard is being brought in. The Lord requires of His workers deep searching of heart and a cleansing of the soul temple. If some who have been placed in charge of souls as watchmen could understand that as a preparation for helping others they themselves needed a most thorough cleansing of the soul temple, it would be well. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 7

The soil of the individual heart needs most diligent cultivation. The Lord is looking for fruit to appear in the life of every teacher, every worker, in proportion to the light given. If the soil of the soul were carefully, thoroughly cultivated, fruit would appear. But often how disappointed is our Lord! Our position, our supposed wisdom and understanding, may lead men to approve of our work and to give us honor; but God sees not as man sees. Some who are not blessed with spiritual eyesight to discern their own deficiency need to humble themselves before God, that they may have proper discernment. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 8

Think of the disappointment and sorrow of the Husbandman, when He finds no fruit! Our blessed Lord withholds not the true situation from His erring children. He gives them truth, eternal truth, to awaken them to a realization of their need of the pure Word of God. Yet the very men who most need a deep, heart-searching work of transformation in order to be qualified to teach and to lead are the ones who feel the most competent to judge others. Their own hearts are sadly in need of the softening, subduing grace of God. Self must not be allowed to swell to such large proportions. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 9

There is great danger of losing sight of the instruction given by our Saviour in the sermon on the mount, when He said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” [Matthew 7:1-5.] 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 10

The Lord requires pure, untainted service of all who profess to be His followers. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 11

I have a message for the young men and the young women who claim to be Sabbath-keepers. Dear youth, there is great need of your examining yourselves. Many perished in the fearful calamity at San Francisco. How many who were destroyed by that awful earthquake were prepared for death? How many who are still alive will be admonished? None of us can foretell where the next destructive earthquake may be permitted to come. Who are prepared? 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 12

Our young people need to be surrounded with wholesome, uplifting influences. They are to be kept in the love of the truth. The standard set before them should be high. Some feel a desire to be left without restraint, that they may do as they please. Those who are connected with the office in positions of responsibility should take upon themselves the burden of caring for the souls of those placed under their charge. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 13

The fathers and mothers, too, in the church, are under sacred obligation to watch for the souls of their children as they that must give an account. Let none, neither parents nor the youth, begin to believe that amusements are essential and that a careless disregard of the Holy Spirit during hours of selfish pleasure is to be lightly regarded. God will not be mocked. Let every young man, every young woman, consider, “Am I prepared today for my life to close? Have I the heart-preparation that fits me to do the work which the Lord has given me to do?” 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 14

Every youth should make God’s Word his guide and daily gather from the Word the instruction that is given. If some refuse to be guided by this instruction, they are sowing seeds that the enemy has placed in their hands, and they will not care to reap the harvest of the seeds sown. In view of the abundant opportunity given every one to walk in the light of God’s Word, is it not sad to think that some even here in the Pacific Press are choosing their own way of careless pleasure! 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 15

There are many things which are right in themselves, but which, perverted by Satan, prove a snare to the unwary. The gathering together of our youth for a singing exercise sounds very harmless; but it has been my experience, during half a century, that these singing exercises often prove a source of much harm to souls. If the hearts of all who attend were right with God; if all loved God supremely and desired to keep His glory in view; if all would strive to please Him, then such exercises would not prove harmful. But usually there are present many who do not realize that they are becoming more and still more unconcerned regarding their duty to please God. Their souls become indifferent. One has an influence over another, and the indifference manifested toward spiritual things increases. God’s holy Word is not studied diligently day by day; and because of lack of spiritual food, they grow weak in moral power. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 16

This spirit of indifference is leavening the Mountain View church and the Pacific Press office. Oh, that every member, every worker might realize that this life is a school in which to prepare for examination by the God of heaven, with regard to purity, cleanness of thought, unselfishness of action. Every word and act, every thought is recorded on the record books of heaven. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 17

I am now instructed to speak to all, including the youth: We are still spared; and now we have a precious opportunity to think to some purpose. Some of our Sabbath-keepers who have had great light have allowed their children to have very much their own way, until the leaven of an evil influence has permeated other households. The parents are to be called to an account, if they do not bring sound doctrine into their home life; for only by doing their duty faithfully may they hope to see sound practices in the lives of their children. The form of sound words is to be fully appreciated; but unless these words lead to right acts, the work has been left unfinished. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 18

Fathers, mothers, we would give you the word of the Lord that has been communicated for you: Take the truth of God in your hand, and let it be inwrought in mind and soul. Let your prayer be, “O Lord, preserve my soul, that I shall not dishonor Thee.” Let your prayers ascend to God, that He shall sanctify the soul in thought, in word, in spirit, in every transaction. Plead with God that not one thread of selfishness shall be brought into the life practice. Let the prayer be offered: “Sanctify my heart through the truth. Let Thy angels keep my soul in strict integrity. Let my mind be impressed with the simple, searching maxims that come from Thy Word, given to guide me in this life for the future, eternal life.” Let every one acknowledge, It is through the power and prevalence of truth that I must be sanctified and elevated to the true dignity of the standard set forth in the Word. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 19

Now, just now, I am instructed to say to men of years and experience, and to young men: Now, in the year 1906, the way of the Lord can be learned only through most careful obedience to His Word. Study the Word. Everything else, apart from the Word, will prove inefficient to elevate men, or women, or children in the home. The truth of God, revealed in His Word, has been given all the world as the true standard of character. Unless the mind of God comes to be the mind of men and women and children, those without this guidance of the Holy Spirit are just as much under the influence of the great deceiver as were Adam and Eve after they had yielded their minds to his mind. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 20

Oh, how much deformity that man cannot discern is developed under the all-saving eye of Jehovah! He who judges righteous judgment has given us His Word as the perfect, unerring rule of action. Let every one try his actions in the home, and his actions in the church, by this God-given rule, to see whether these actions are not deficient in many respects. Let every one individually correct these evils and then apply the Word, as the unerring rule, in all the acts of life. Then the human agent will be able to live in accordance with a system of mingled holiness and truth, mercy and love, which will enable him, in word and act, to be a safe guide to other erring mortals whom he may save if only he has experienced in his own heart and life the curative process through a practice of the Word. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 21

Christianity in the heart will develop in the life. Christianity in the home is a requirement of God. Men may be preaching the gospel, but unless the authority and power of God’s Word be brought to bear upon the individual minds of these teachers of righteousness, their words will have but little weight. The special grace of Christ alone conforms the will of man to the will of God; and as the result of heart-transformation, the love of God, His pity, His compassion, His mercy are revealed through the human agency. And as the heart is kept under the control of the divine will, man is enabled to honor God and will surely know of the doctrine. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 22

Abraham was chosen of God to leave his kindred and his country and go to another land, there to dwell among strangers. He heeded the voice of God. He paid strict regard to the doing of God’s will. “I know him,” said the great Searcher of hearts, “that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to justice and judgment.” [Genesis 18:19.] Shall we not remember that it is God who blesses the habitation of the righteous? Of Abraham God said, “I know him”—it is the Omniscient that speaks—“that he will command.” There will be no betraying of truth, no yielding to the temptation of Satan to allow the children and the household to control. The man who follows the example of Abraham will command—not by any act of violence, but kindly, firmly. He will allow no oppression, no filial disobedience. By the combined influence of decided authority mingled with love, he will rule his household in the fear of God. If necessary, he will administer punishment. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 23

There is no greater cruelty than to allow children to control in the home. Parents are not to indulge their natural affection at the expense of truth, duty, and righteousness, by putting the lines of control in the hands of the child. Read the history of Eli. Eli, the father, was a priest and a judge in Israel. His sons did wickedly, and he restrained them not. To indulge a child when young and erring is a sin. A child should be kept under control. But Eli did not correct the evil ways of his children. He suffered the evils to grow, and even went so far as to place his children in sacred office. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 24

This was a sad crisis in the history of Israel. What saith the Lord? “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.” [1 Samuel 3:11-13.] 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 25

Here is portrayed the sin of neglecting to restrain and of failing to enforce obedience. This neglect on the part of a parent in high office was the result of blind affection—a passing over of sin with merely a mild remonstrance. The iniquity that was practiced by Eli’s sons was of long duration—oft repeated, and not forsaken; and the Lord cannot pardon those who manifest no desire to forsake their evil course. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 26

Eli had been placed in sacred office by the Lord, and his delinquency in the matter of commanding his household after him afterward proved the ruin of his sons and brought great sadness into the life of the aged priest. He knew that their transgression would never be forgiven, forevermore. There are some who persist in sinning, despite the efforts made to check them on their course of evil. Those who continue to disregard the reproofs of God will sometime reach a point where there is no more forgiveness of sins, neither by sacrifice nor by offerings, forevermore. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 27

In contrast with the story of Abraham’s faithfulness, and the words of commendation spoken of him, is the record of Eli, who kept his sons in office while they were committing great iniquity. Here is a lesson for all parents. They are to keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment always in dealing with the members of their households, as did Abraham. He walked in the way of the Lord. But evil, without restraint, was tolerated by Eli. The result was sin that would not be atoned for, by sacrifice or by offerings, forevermore. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 28

This matter of obedience and disobedience is a subject never to be forgotten. No father or mother will be excusable, for any cause, in dishonoring God in the home life. I have written out this instruction because we see so much neglect. The Lord calls for His Word to be appreciated and His law to be obeyed. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 29

*****

I have a message from the Lord to give to my brethren and sisters in Mountain View. The Lord has a controversy with you. He would not have you criticizing one another, when you are not individually working in straight lines. Remove from the heart everything that bars the door against Christ’s entrance. Let every soul humble himself and break away from Satan’s snare. 21LtMs, Lt 144, 1906, par. 30