Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)

Ms 138a, 1899

A Call for Help

September 25, 1899 [typed]

This manuscript is published in entirety in RH 11/14/1899. +^Note

We are God’s stewards, and it rests with us to say how much the Lord can trust us with. We have a sacred holy trust. Just as much responsibility will be given us as we can carry intelligently and wholeheartedly. On us has shone the light of present truth, and every man, woman, and child who knows the truth is to seek to be sanctified by the truth. Every spiritual gift, every talent, is to be used to advance the work of God. Selfishness must not be allowed to enter. Then we shall be channels of light. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 1

The Lord has a message for His stewards of means in Australia, in America, in Africa, and wherever they may be. He calls upon His people to make faithful returns to Him, that there may be meat in His house. He blesses those who faithfully return to Him all that He calls for in tithes and offerings. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 2

Let us, as stewards, do as Christ would do were He in our place. He did not spend money to please His fancy. From the least to the greatest, we are God’s stewards. What are we doing with His goods? A blessing will come to those who use their God-given means to accomplish good, in the place of spending it in self-gratification. Christmas will soon be here—a season of the year when much money is spent in buying presents. Let us practice self-denial and self-sacrifice. Money is greatly needed to place our sanitarium in running order. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 3

Let us work intelligently and earnestly, and spend in self-gratification nothing that is needed in the work of saving souls. Buy books upon present truth for those who need them. It is not alone ministers who are entrusted with talents and the work of ministering. Every child of God is pledged to do his utmost by self-denial to save the pence, the shillings, and the pounds. Put your means into the Lord’s treasury, that it may be invested in special lines of missionary work. We are to serve God with heart and mind and soul and strength. Every capability is to be put into active exercise. Our talents are to be used to please God, not to glorify self. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 4

When, as a people, our appreciation for the souls for whom Christ died is proportionate to the value of the reward we hope to gain—eternal life—we shall make more earnest efforts to do Christian work. We shall appreciate the sacrifice made by the Son of God to save souls from destruction. Let us teach the truth by practicing it. Let us deny self, that we may have means to give to the Lord’s work. The Lord will greatly bless those who work in faith. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 5

There is altogether too much self-indulgence among us. Money is spent for that which is not bread. Let those who would please the Master listen to His words, “He that will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” [Mark 8:34.] Let us willingly practice these words, and we shall be blessed. If all that has been invested in self-gratification were counted up, the amount would astonish every church in the land. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 6

Let those who believe the solemn truth for this time make this Christmas a season of giving to missions. The Lord is not pleased that the work has been so concentrated among those who already know the truth. God’s people should be wide awake, earnest in their efforts to enlighten others. But the Lord sees that His people are not ready for His appearing. The work that those in Battle Creek might have done in other places has not been done. Instead of carrying the bread of life to perishing souls, the people in Battle Creek sit under the ministry of the Word, content to be hearers only. Their neighbors need the attentions they might give, but so engrossed are they in the unimportant matters represented in God’s word as wood, hay, and stubble, that they have no burden for souls. The experience they ought to gain by helping others to look to Jesus they do not gain, for they do not behold Him themselves. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 7

Display is not religion or sanctification. There is nothing more offensive in God’s sight than a display of instrumental music when those taking part are not consecrated, are not making melody in their hearts to the Lord. The offering most sweet and acceptable in God’s sight is a heart made humble by self-denial, by lifting the cross and following Jesus. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 8

We have no time now to spend in seeking those things that only please the senses. Close heart-searching is needed. With tears and heart-broken confession we need to draw nigh to God that He may draw nigh to us. The hearts of God’s professed people are so thoroughly selfish and depraved, so passionate and self-indulgent, that He cannot work through them. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 9

Those who will obey the words of inspiration, “Go work today in my vineyard” [Matthew 21:28], who will study how they can co-operate with Christ in causing the light of truth to shine to those near and afar off who are in the darkness of error, will receive special aid from God. But this work cannot be done without self-denial and self-sacrifice. Seek to promote the happiness of all with whom you come in contact. Take the truth to the neglected, educating the ignorant, encouraging the despondent, comforting the bereaved, and relieving the needy. Through you God will help the afflicted. This is the fruit God calls upon His people to bear. The members of His church are to be laborers together with Him, and as they work for others, God will impress minds and hearts. Let both men and women engage with their whole hearts in this missionary work, and holiness to God will be the result. All who will train themselves for the Master’s service may obtain a rich, golden experience. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 10

My brethren and sisters, what shall we do in this matter of self-denial? If in this field we had the facilities you have in America we could enter many new places with the truth. The Lord calls upon His people to arise and shine because His light has come, and His glory has risen upon them. We call upon those in America, in Battle Creek and all our churches, to help us. Under the present circumstances we can advance but slowly. The work of the sanitarium in Summer Hill has been carried on in a private dwelling house, and recently another large house has been rented to accommodate the patients. But these houses are unfit to give treatment in. We need a building of our own, but we cannot erect this till we have funds. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 11

Count up the sanitariums you have in America. Count up the schools you have; and remember that in this wide harvest field we have not one sanitarium. Our school buildings are not completed, but they must do for the present. The Avondale Health Retreat, a modest building of fifteen rooms, has been erected, but this is not completed. At our last Union Conference our brethren pledged nine hundred pounds for the Sydney Sanitarium. This was a large amount, considering the ability of those present. All our churches will be visited and solicited to swell the amount. But help from abroad will be required. I now appeal to our brethren in America to help us in erecting a sanitarium. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 12

The Lord has instructed me that the first work of the Battle Creek Sanitarium is to help sister institutions in new missionary fields. I was directed to present the situation to our people in America, and call upon them to help us as years ago I called for help in establishing the work in Battle Creek, and as I called for help to start the work in California. To establish the work in California we made every sacrifice it was possible for us to make, and our efforts were successful. All alone and in feeble health, I left California to attend the camp meetings to be held in the eastern states, that I might lay before the people the needs of the work there; and I expect that now my brethren in California will respond to my call for aid. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 13

The Lord has given me light that the institutions in America, which are now so liberally furnished with facilities, should cease adding building to building, and help to establish the work in Australasia. A plant should be made here before any money is invested in additional buildings in America. A sanitarium must be erected somewhere in New South Wales, and another in the great city of Melbourne. It costs twice as much to build here as in America, but build we must, and at once; and we call for donations [from] our people in America to come to this new field. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 14

I am instructed that there are those who can help us, and that they would be greatly blessed in helping their work here just as the work in America was once helped. I tell you in the name of the Lord that in this field we have need of your assistance. In the work we are doing we are not trying to colonize and leave the Lord’s vineyard unworked. We want to do the Lord’s work at once, for we know not how soon the work will close up. We want to plant the standard of truth in new places each year. We wish to add new churches to our conference. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 15

We have been spreading our strength and energies as far as we could. I have used every penny that I could spare from my royalties to push the work forward and organize churches. We must leave workers to strengthen the things that need strengthening, while we push the triumphs of the cross in new territories. Wherever the truth is introduced, and new companies of Sabbathkeepers raised up, meetinghouses must be built in which they can worship God. This is necessary to spiritual life and prosperity. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 16

We have received some help from America. At the General Conference a liberal sum was pledged by those present for the work in Australasia. And about three thousand, five hundred dollars have been sent to us. This has been thankfully received, and used with holy rejoicing to advance the work. The work begun at the General Conference should have been carried forward in all the churches. This was the intention of our brethren at the meeting, and this may still be done. One thousand dollars was sent by Dr. Kellogg, which we will accept as a loan. I did not call upon him personally, but upon the institutions in Battle Creek to help us. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 17

The light I now have is that many are losing faith in selling what they have, to help the cause of God in missionary fields, but the Lord would have those in America send us help in our emergency. 14LtMs, Ms 138a, 1899, par. 18