Manuscript Releases, vol. 5 [Nos. 260-346]

MR No. 341—In Manuscript Releases 1:175

MR No. 342—A. R. Henry and Lawsuits

While I respect ... your capabilities as a businessman, which led me to urge your coming to the great heart of the work in Battle Creek, I still shall urge that you may in some respects greatly improve. I know that this coming was not your choice, yet notwithstanding, God had lessons for you to learn that were essential. You need a different mould of character. There is need of your bringing into your character more of Christ.... You need the love of Christ. The winning charms of Jesus. Compassion, tenderness, and love need to be cultivated. This will not make you a less successful businessman but will give you greater success. You have valuable traits of character, but without this love, this compassion, you will only be a one-sided, imperfect man. 5MR 441.1

If all your intrusted capabilities are submerged in Christ and you take on the mould of Christ's character, you will grow up into the full stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus. You need this love in your family. You need it woven into all your plans, and into all your words and actions. You need to be often tender and express sympathy but there is none allowed to come into your life.... 5MR 441.2

Carry sunshine into your home, restrain threatenings, put away your criticism, and do not rule too much. Let mercy and love bear sway. Do not cover these up. Oh, my brother, you want more of Jesus in dealing with the minds of your children. You are so stern, so severe; the law of love is so little regarded that in dealing with your wife and children you raise their combativeness and place them beyond your reach. There should be altogether a different atmosphere in your home. They do not respect you or your words or government. Bitter words are passed from one to another. This has a depressing influence upon you. Let all the sunlight into your family you can, in pleasant words, in commendation, but don't criticize and censure and threaten, all this will be reflected back upon you.... 5MR 441.3

The Lord loves you, but He wants you to love Him, to meditate upon Him. Reflect upon the purity, the loveliness of His character and be like Him. He wants you to be a kind, loving, affectionate husband, and father, and brother and friend.—Letter 39, 1886. (To A. R. Henry, March 28, 1886.) 5MR 442.1

Brethren A. R. Henry and Harmon Lindsay, God is in earnest with you. Your duty is plain and imperative. Your minds need cultivation—that you may discern heavenly things, and choose them above the common and the earthly. Let not the present opportunity pass unimproved. Unless the warnings that God in His mercy is sending to you are heeded, before a long time shall elapse you will make shipwreck of faith. You have sown the seeds of unbelief all along the line. And you have so long refused the evidence of the operation of the Holy Spirit that it is questionable whether you will ever again recognize the light from heaven.... 5MR 442.2

Again I appeal to you: will you now be zealous and repent? You have shown your zeal in strong words and oppressive measures toward your brethren. Now I beseech you to give evidence of earnest repentance before it shall be forever too late.—Manuscript 18, 1896. (“Danger of Self-Sufficiency in God's Work,” May 30, 1895.) 5MR 442.3

The very same power has been working upon you, A. R. Henry, leading you to betray Christ as verily as it led Judas to sell Him for money. You are selling your Lord, and betraying His cause to His enemies, irrespective of consequences; and thus reproach is brought upon the truth. By so doing you demonstrate the truth of the warnings and admonitions that have been given you.... 5MR 443.1

Could your eyes have been opened as you with others sat in counsel, you would have discerned the unseen Watcher marking your words and noting the hasty, overbearing spirit which controlled your decisions, especially when something took place to arouse your combativeness. A sufferer from indigestion, you have brought the results of this into council meetings and board meetings. You have presided when, owing to your diseased imagination, you were not fit to preside. You were not always in this frame of mind, but at times were conciliating and conceding. Angels of God were present to help you when you did wish and strive to do the will of God.—Letter 41, 1898. (To A. R. Henry, May 6, 1898.) 5MR 443.2

I have a deep interest in you. I love the souls of those in whose behalf Christ died on the cross of Calvary. What are you about to do? Be assured that you are not setting yourself against men, but against God. If you realized what this means, you would no more do the work you are purposing to do than you would sever your right hand from your body. 5MR 443.3

You may plead that your brethren have not treated you as they should. No; in all things they have not done as they should. You yourself in connection with others have departed from pure principles. As a result of this, a strange spirit has entered the institution with which you were connected. Human principles have taken the place of justice, mercy, and the love of God. This inauguration of wrong principles has been an offense to God, and His work in the institution has gone crookedly; for He cannot serve with the sins of any man.... 5MR 443.4

My brother, will you increase the wrong you have done by robbing the cause of God of money to which you have no right? Are you willing to make yourself responsible for all that this action will entail. Satan has such control over your mind that in your own strength you have no power from the snare to go. You think that if you follow his suggestions, you will increase your means. But every dollar thus extorted means robbery of God. The course you have planned, if followed, will place you where no one will envy you. It will be disastrous to your eternal destiny.... 5MR 444.1

If you had any realization of what is involved in the suit for which you are planning, you would not advance one step farther. I have an earnest desire for the salvation of your soul. I want you to change your course of action. Then you will be at peace and rest, knowing that the Lord has had compassion on you, and has cleansed you from the sins so grievous in His sight. But if you do as you have purposed, you will not only betray yourself; you will betray the cause of God into the hands of its enemies, and you will crucify the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame. If you do this, how will you meet your record in the day of judgment? ... 5MR 444.2

Remember that you are making a mistake when you think that your conflict is with human agencies. Will a man rob God? Will you in a court of unbelievers carry on a trial against one of God's institutions, saying that it has injured you? Soon, in a higher court than any on this earth, all will see that by the inauguration of wrong principle's God's institution has been crippled, bruised, and wounded. It will be seen that you in association with others by injustice and wrong management, have hurt the Lord's instrumentalities; and that thus the work which should have gone forward in prosperity was brought into confusion.—Letter 18, 1901. (To A. R. Henry, January 20, 1901.) 5MR 444.3

My Brother A. R. Henry, I have a message for you.... I have a message for those in Battle Creek who have been overcome by the temptations of the adversary. I call upon those who are accusing their brethren, and who are taking an attitude that hinders the Lord's work, to come into harmony.... I beg of you, for Christ's sake, not to find fault with others, but to deal with your own mistakes. Notwithstanding the trouble and perplexity you have made for others, the Lord is very merciful, and if you repent, He will pardon you. But you cannot gain favor with God by trying to make your brethren appear in the worst light. Your only hope is to deal honestly with yourself. Keep away from worldly lawyers. This is the rock on which many have wrecked their barque.... 5MR 445.1

Remember that to a large degree you have originated the difficulties that have reacted on you. Improve the opportunity offered you to turn to God in repentance. You are not to convince others of their wrongdoing, but to take yourself in hand, and seek the Lord with all the powers of your being.... 5MR 445.2

Your desire to obtain money has been your snare. You have allowed this desire to lead you to embarrass the work of God. But is the money that you have obtained worth the anxiety, the toil, the misconception, the perplexity, that it costs? 5MR 446.1

You are needy, helpless, undone. Plead the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Cease your rebellion against God. Open the door of your heart to the knock of the heavenly Guest. Your prayers are worthless unless you have faith in the One who gave His life for you. He died on the cross of Calvary that you might not perish. This is the great day of atonement, in which all are to humble their hearts before God, trusting in the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice. 5MR 446.2

The gifts of the Spirit, the promises of pardon, of consolation, the proffers of assistance, the invitations of love—all the provisions peculiar to the gospel—are for you. However sinful you may have been, God will receive you if you will now repent. Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Open your cold, proud heart to the Saviour. Confess, confess your sins. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confess your own sins, and leave others to confess theirs. Make everything right between your soul and God. Accept Christ's gracious invitation.... He is calling on you to repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Let your heart break; let your love go out to Him who gave His life that you might live. Let your will become submissive to the will of God. Then you will drink at a purer fountain, even the fountain of living water.—Letter 209, 1904. (To A. R. Henry, June 24, 1904.) 5MR 446.3

Released October 31, 1973.