Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Ms 71, 1911

Talk/Remarks by Mrs. E. G. White at Glendale Sanitarium, on Sunday, April 23, 1911.

Glendale, California

April 23, 1911

Previously unpublished.

Isaiah 55:1-3. Will you consider this when you begin to feel somewhat discouraged? 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 1

Verses 4-6. How important it is that we do not neglect the most solemn, the most gracious, call that could be given to human beings. You must control your thoughts. You cannot let them run right along just as they would. If you are a servant of the living God, you will just as surely have the sanctification of the Holy Spirit upon mind and upon character, and what then? Why you have a sanctified influence. Your very words are under the control of the Lord Jesus Christ who gave His life for you. If you call upon Him, He is near. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 2

Verses 4-7. Will we keep these things in our memories when we go out and when we come in? 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 3

Verses 8-13. Blessed, blessed promise. I might read here one or two chapters. When you want to get comfort and encouragement, just go to the 55th, 56th, 57th, and 58th chapters of Isaiah, and you will find that there is a whole field of encouragement for you. You will find that there is an open door where you can enter, where you can meet with God, where you can seek Him earnestly, and He will be found of you. But what we need is that meekness that Christ represented in His life and in His character. He has brought it to our minds here in His Word, and He wants each soul to humble his heart before God and to stand in right relation to Him. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 4

When they are in that position, you may depend that there will be, in the church where they are, faithful work done. They will hunt for souls not only in the church, but out of the church. They will be working for Christ in Christ’s order. He went about traveling on foot, and as He went, He was giving the word and His light, and His life, as it were, He was giving to the people. Finally they became hungry, and He said to His disciples, Have ye any food? They answered that they had a few loaves of bread and a few fishes, but what are they, said they, among so many? Bring them along, said Christ. So they brought them along, and Christ blessed the food; then He put it into the hands of the disciples to distribute to the five thousand people who were following. That little morsel was increased as it was distributed, and they all had all that they desired. And then what was the astonishment to hear the word, “Gather up the fragments; let nothing be lost.” [John 6:12.] And they gathered up basketsful of food. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 5

Now, we are a people that are not to narrow down the work of God. We are not to sit comfortably as we do today, but there are to be those who will go out and reach after people and who will seek to open the Scriptures to those that do not know the precious promises. Why, if we only would work in accordance with the light we have, we would see the salvation of God in a marked manner. We want the truth, and we want that every one of you should have it. Why do we want the truth? Because the truth makes us free. We want the truth because we want to practice it. And we want to gather in the outsiders that do not come near us. We want to get where they can hear our voices. Let the people go to the different places as Christ went on that journey. He gathered 5,000 people as He went, and then He gave them evidence that He could feed them, and through His infinite power there were no hungry ones. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 6

We have not the power to do that multiplying of food, but I will tell you what we can do. We can every one put to use the capabilities that God has given us. We need not sit down and feel that there is nothing we can do for those that are around us. We want the light of heaven to dispense to the people. We want the strength of the Mighty One to work in and by and through us, and if we have this, let me tell you, we are united to the heavenly throng. By living faith we can draw the blessings to our own selves and we can draw the people to us, to be helped by the light that we have. Truth is sown for the righteous, and the living faith that takes hold of the mighty arm of Jehovah is ready to clasp in its embrace those who are unbelievers, if they will hear the blessed Word. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 7

We see that wickedness is constantly increasing everywhere. We want every one of us to be in order, and if we see an opportunity that we can get a word to souls that are perishing, gather them in. Invite them. Have your meetings in fields or somewhere where you can gather a company. Get the most beautiful truths that you can present, and there let them have a knowledge of them. What we want is the spirit of the great Worker. We do not want indolence. We want you to wake up to the character that Christ represents. We want every one of you to be converted, to draw with all your capabilities the souls that are ready to perish. Wake up, brethren. Wake up, sisters. There is a world to save, a world to labor for. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 8

We had been pleading for years for this work to be done. And then we started it ourselves. We started out to work, and the old warrior that had stood by my side for so many years wore out his life, and is lying waiting for Christ to come and raise him from the dead. What we want now is to do as much as we possibly can in the line of the work that the old general who is now sleeping did when he was alive. He went everywhere, and he went to give the notice of truth and righteousness in every line. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 9

What we want is a living experience daily. We have a blessed, compassionate Saviour, and we want now to draw nigh to God, that He may draw nigh to us, and we work in harmony do draw perishing souls. What we want is that light, that life, that cometh from Jesus Christ. They would not let Him live on the earth. Why? Because He was gathering souls under His banner. They did not take it in that if they took His life there would multitudes be raised up to follow, as far as possible in their experience and in their labors, the One sleeping until the resurrection morning. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 10

I am glad that I have a hope in Jesus Christ, and we want every one of you to lay hold of the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want you to come while the sweet voice of mercy is being heard. Christ invites you to come. In the 58th chapter of Isaiah you will find such invitations. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 11

The Lord wants us to be living workmen, and He wants us to bring our children with us, to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The time you spend with your children is not lost. Take time to kneel down with your children when they get crooked and are inclined to be disobedient, and speak to the Lord in their behalf. Let your heart break and let your tears flow for the souls of your children; but do not pound them. That does not do any good. Just talk with them and work with them and read to them, and do everything you can to bind their hearts to your heart, so that God may give you your children, and they may follow on with you to know the Lord, and to know that His going forth is prepared as the morning. The light is constantly increasing. You have no liberty to bring children into the world to neglect them. God wants every one of us to humble our hearts before Him, to take right hold of the arm of infinite power, and He will work His promises out. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 12

2 Peter 1:1-3. Christ has made the provision. He God sent His only begotten Son into the world that He might reach perishing souls. But the world would not have Him. He wants you to grasp these promises, and work on them. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 13

Verses 5-14. This is an urgent business. It is not something that you can get hold of and let go at pleasure. I want to show you that we live on the plan of addition constantly if we are overcomers, if we are preparing to meet the work of the enemy who is constantly striving to obtain the victory over us. It is to live on the plan of addition, adding grace to grace, and then we shall not complain. Why? Because we have something that we have received from God that we are holding fast. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 14

Verse 15. Now this is an eternal-life promise given to those who will follow on to know the Lord, that they may know His going forth is prepared as the morning. It is an everlasting promise. “For if these things be in you, and abound ... in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Verse 8.] 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 15

Well now, will not the Lord be pleased to see every one of you making every effort possible to overcome daily, that whatever may come into your life, if you should fall in death by accident, you have the promises that the light will constantly be given to you as long as you live? But you must co-operate with God. You can never give up the battle. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 16

Verses 16-19. Here we have the assurance that if we do these things, we shall never fall. But we are to practice them, and let not passionate words escape from our lips, fathers and mothers. No; your children are to learn from you what you have learned from Christ, and if you get impatient and shake them and make them angry, and they cannot see the beauty of holiness in you. But father and mother can go away and offer prayer for their children that God may grant that they shall not perish with the wicked. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 17

I understand this business; I have taken children right into my home. I have prayed with those who had known nothing but the rod over them. I do not know that I ever had to strike them but once, and that was after repeatedly telling them what the right was. Most always they would submit, and throw their arms around my neck, and with tears confess their wrong. We must not let our children go. We must keep hold of them by living faith in a living God; and if we do this, let me tell you the future. The gates of the city of God will be thrown back upon their glittering hinges, and the nations that have kept the truth will enter in, and the crown of gold will be placed upon the brows of your children. The golden harp will be placed in their hands, and there will go forth music and rejoicing and triumph in the city of our God. But it must be as overcomers. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 18

There is a world to be saved. We must work for the interest of souls everywhere, and the light of heaven will come upon us. I have considered it to be my duty to travel just as long as possible. The Lord wants us to be wide awake right where we are, and to speak a word in season. Do not let your children get angry and then not attend properly to them. It will be a battle for every one of us if we get into the heavenly courts. But we must be there. We must not lose the privilege of having Christ number us in His family. He died that He might bring eternal life to every one of us, and we must be present to acknowledge the crown of glory and sing the songs of victory that we shall sing in the heavenly courts. Let us, every one, try. The Lord will help us, We must bring up our children to love God, to love His service, and if we do this, we are helping souls in our own family so that the gates may be open to them and they, right by our side, will be welcomed in and receive the crown of eternal life. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 19

Let us labor to get the truth before the people in the cities. Work for them. Pray for them. Make every effort in your power to save souls. And if you do this, you will see the saving power of grace, because angels are working right around you. The angels of God are right around you, making impressions that you could never make; but they make the impressions when you do your very best. Let every one of us know there is a heaven to win and a hell to shun. We want to meet you in the kingdom of God. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 20

I may never have the privilege of meeting you again on earth. I do not know when the time will come that I shall lay off my armor, but I am going to work just as long as I can stand on my feet. And then I can do as I did in the other countries when I suffered sickness on account of exposure to the open drains. They would make their appointments all around for me, and I would go into their families and open the Scriptures to them. I could not kneel, but I would plead with God in my chair that souls might be brought to a knowledge of the truth. I am now so thankful I can use my limbs. I praise the Lord with heart and soul and voice. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 21

I want every one of you to be in that position that you can take your children with you into the heavenly courts. Teach them, guide them in every way possible, that they shall not miss eternal life. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, and know that it is a sorrow to them when you do wrong. Try in every way to help your parents so they will not be obliged to punish you. Fathers and mothers, let us work intelligently for the souls of those who are around us. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 22

And now I will say, The Lord bless you; the Lord strengthen you. What you must do is to consider the whole time, fathers and mothers, that you have a battle to fight. Consider this all the time, and if you obtain the victory and have the crown, how glad you will be that you did not allow the enemy to come in and take possession of mind and character. We have something to do for those around us. For Christ’s sake, pray. Pray in faith that the Lord will help you to comprehend your mission, every one of you that are here present, that souls all around you may not be lost by your lack of diligence. 25LtMs, Ms 71, 1911, par. 23