Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)

Ms 183, 1907

Sermon/Thoughts on 2 Peter 1

Escondido, California

May 12, 1907

Previously unpublished.

2 Peter 1:1. “Precious faith.” You can see how they obtain it—through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 1

Verses 2, 3. This, you can see, is the great motive for the gift that with the “divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life.” Verses 3, 4. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 2

By thus applying them to ourselves, taking a course in character building, by which we can claim them. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 3

“Add.” Here is a sum in addition. Verses 5, 6. Now you see that he puts diligence and virtue and knowledge and adds to knowledge temperance. Read from cause to effect. If intemperance is practiced, then that beclouds the precious faculties of the brain, so that it is impossible for you to discern between the sacred and the common. It is an impossibility, because you have beclouded the faculties, you have weakened them with the use of tobacco, with the use of liquor, or anything that shall in any way confuse the brain organs. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 4

Now, temperance is to bring us in right relation so that we shall reason from cause to effect. What do we need of the tobacco? What do we need of tea and coffee and all these things that becloud the brain faculty? We do not need them. They are only weakening the brain nerves, and placing man where he cannot appreciate the necessity of working by this sum of addition. He cannot appreciate that he has got to work that sum of addition if he expects that God will work in his behalf to give him the Holy Spirit of God. And if you think that you can arise to any perfection of character without the Holy Spirit of God, you will be mistaken, and you will be left behind. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 5

We are to stand before God as sensible human beings. We have no right to bring into our life and into our character intemperance of any order, because we shall find that we shall have enough to work against without making ourselves weakened so that we cannot reason from cause to effect. Here is temperance brought in. And if we escape the corruption that is in the world through lust, we must be strictly temperate, temperate in all things, in all of our eating, our drinking, our dressing, in every phase of the work that is under our own control. Men are to do what is best on their own account, and depending wholly upon the Holy Spirit. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 6

“Baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” [Matthew 28:19.] What are these three great Powers of heaven? We are baptized in their name. What does that mean? These heavenly Powers are obligated if we will place ourselves in right relation to God, according to the best of our accountability; if we will watch against the temptations of the enemy; if we will resist the devil, that he shall flee from us, if we guard our appetite—man is to do that which he can do for himself. And when he goes down into the water to be baptized and raised up out of the water he is to live a new life, and place himself so these three great Powers can cooperate with Him and He can cooperate with them. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 7

These Powers are to cooperate with the human agency. Unless we have their cooperation we shall just as surely go stumbling along in our own self-sufficiency, and in our own sense of moral independence of what moral independence is. It is a device of the devil to use all these injurious substances, and then suppose that God will counteract that. No, indeed. He has given us intelligence, and He expects every human agent to use that intelligence in reasoning from cause to effect. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 8

[2 Peter 1] Verse 3. We are not to sin, not to practice self-indulgence, not pride of dress, not make God ashamed of us so that He cannot co-operate with us. What example have we? We have the example of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that came to give His life to the world. He laid aside His royal crown, He laid aside His royal robe, He clothed His divinity with humanity. Why? That He might come to humanity and from very childhood be a perfect example, that is why He came to the world. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 9

Now we are called to virtue and to glory. We may have the character of Christ in us. That is what He has come to give us. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 10

Verse 4. “Divine nature.” It was promised to us at our baptism. We were buried with Christ by baptism, and raised to live in newness of life—not the same old life, and to go right on patching up an experience that is defective every day. No, we want the holiness of the three great Powers that are pledged to keep us if we will comply with the conditions. But they cannot keep us unless we do. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 11

The holy beings want you to pray. They want you to be instant in prayer. They want you to work to the point, to perfect a Christian character day by day. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 12

Study the Word of God, and here it says, verse 5. “All diligence”—not a quarter nor a half nor two-thirds, but all diligence. If you are careless in this matter of what kind of a character you manifest, you may depend that God and Jesus Christ will not come to you while you have the precious Word and you feel independent and go on your own judgment and do just as you please. No, you cannot, you cannot overcome. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 13

Verse 5. No right to touch tobacco or liquor. They are poisons. Deadly drugs are mixed with the liquors now, and those that take them are mad; and then they have to go through the courts of justice, and there they have their cases tried, and they have to go all through that business. But the liquor stores are opened; they can go and get what they want; they will get it some way. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 14

Verse 6. “Patience.” Can you talk to a drunken man or to a tobacco devotee about godliness that forbids such things as that, and will you have a converting power over them? No. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 15

Verse 6. Now all this is laid upon us in the plan of addition. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 16

Verse 7. You have got to have a converted tongue. You have got to have a converted voice, a converted voice to appeal, not anger nor malice to come from your lips. You cannot afford it. It is selling your soul, and you cannot afford it. We are preparing for the last great judgment. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 17

Verse 7. Would that we have a hundredfold more that we have in exercise today. We want that power, that heavenly power that will be with us if we will comply with the conditions. We must have it if we are Christians. A Christian is to be Christlike. What did God do? He gave as a gift to our world His only begotten Son, and to what a life of self-denial! One said, I will follow thee wherever thou goest. Said He, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests. When we think of these things, how that Christ took His position in the world among the poorest. Why? Because these poorest would say He did not know the temptations of poverty, so He came to the very humblest of poverty. His parentage, His mother, was poor, and the family of Joseph was poor. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 18

Verse 7. It will not blister your lips to speak kind, tender words, and it does not cast any more burden on you to speak kind words. Fathers, God has made you priests in your family to guide that family. You are not to so engage yourself with the cares of this life that your children will stand neglected. You must give them time; you must give them attention; you must train them from their very babyhood how to overcome passion. It is not to be allowed. But it can be done in a very gentle way if you will keep yourselves from manifesting passion. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 19

Verse 7. “Love.” Now the Lord Jesus has given us an evidence of the love of the Father for us all in that He gave His Son. He laid off His royal robes and came into our world to stand from youth unto manhood, and His character was formed. There was no fault in His character. He was a man after God’s own heart. The fathers should be kind to their children, that they will practice kindness, be forbearing, patient; and the love that should dwell in the heart of the father for the child, will have a great influence to form his character after the divine model. Keep Christ before them. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 20

Verses 7, 8. Well, that is just what we want. We want knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We want the knowledge of our Lord. We want the cleansing, the beautiful cleansing of God’s Holy Spirit, from everything that will tend to weaken the brain nerve power or the physical power. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 21

Verses 8, 9. “Cannot see afar off.” He cannot reason from cause to effect. “And hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” Forgotten he had pledged himself to die to the world, to be dead to the world and alive unto Jesus Christ. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 22

“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure.” [Verse 10.] Now you see, it does not all rest with the power that is promised. You must harmonize with that power; you must take right hold of it by a living faith, that the application of self-denial and self-sacrifice may come to you, and you will realize everyday in the self-sacrificing process, a power that is taking you out of yourself and placing you in living connection with what? Verse 9. You have done something that has spoiled your record. You have forgotten that you were purged from your old sins. You run right in the same channel that you did before. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 23

Verse 10. “You shall never fall.” If you go right ahead, adding strength to strength and carry a Christian character, seeking the Lord for strength at every point, and let those lips be sanctified. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 24

The mother is the queen of the household, and she should stand there, not a slave; just as soon as the children can be educated to lift some of the little burdens, they are to begin. When they are very young, they can help mother. Mother needs help. Do not let mother take up the whole responsibility of several members of the family, and after a time her life goes out, and they have to have a new mother perhaps, that they cannot agree with so well. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 25

Now, we want to be in a position where the husband can reverence the wife. She is the queen of the household. Encourage her; never discourage her; never make a slave of her. Educate the children to take up their little burdens and carry them day by day until they know that that is a part of their household duty, and in doing that give them praise. If they make a mistake, and if they commit an error, do not magnify it before them. Tell them, we have to learn just in that way. We made mistakes when we were your age; do not feel abused because you have missed a few times, no. What we want is patience, godliness, and loving kindness that is brought through the life of temperance in all things. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 26

Verses 10, 11. Just think of that. What is that, what shall we call it? It is your life insurance policy that is given you for patience and faithfulness. Here is your eternal life insurance policy. If you will work on the plan of addition, as the Lord designs that you shall, then help will be furnished you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have pledged themselves at your baptism, and when you rise up out of the water, you pledged yourself to go under their jurisdiction, and that you would watch and pray, and would be grateful every day for the power that was given you to keep you in the right path, so that you should not fall. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 27

Fathers, mothers, wake up. Never scold; never fret; it never will help your children a particle. Just talk to them kindly and tenderly, and they will respond to it if you begin early enough. And here is the life insurance policy for yourselves. Just think of it, a life, eternal life, everlasting life insurance policy if you will comply with the conditions. But if you do not comply with the conditions, you will be all failure in your religious experience. You will have a hard time of it. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 28

Verse 11. Isn’t that your life insurance policy? Improve it, for Christ’s sake improve it. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 29

Verse 12. The theory of the truth. Verses 13, 14. By persecution his life was taken. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 30

Now I want to go back to the second verse. Verse 2. It is multiplied grace according to the knowledge that you have of God’s ways and God’s work. “According,” Verse 3. Now you see how we work on the plan of addition, adding grace to grace, gift to gift, virtue to virtue, seeking knowledge all the time. Here is grace multiplied unto you, through the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. I want you to consider these things, because Satan has taken the position that he will beset every soul that is possible, and he cannot do a more effective work than in saloons, that in keeping them open for temptation. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 31

O, I have been laboring in San Francisco. I have been laboring in Oakland, since these awful fires, and the record is horrible. I expect another rod will pass through that will extinguish life. They had an opportunity to repent, and have established their saloons. There is a drugged liquor that makes men mad, and they know nothing of what they are about, and the work goes on to poison society. I never will close my lips while these things are in existence. I will speak in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and I long to see the salvation of God. I long to see the church what she should be. The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are promised to us. Jesus came here to take human nature upon Himself, and here He was to live a spotless life. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 32

As He took His disciples out with Him, teaching and giving instructions as they walked, He would say, Tarry here a little. There they would be seated on the ground, and while He was away from them, there came the sound of agonizing prayer and tears offered up to the Father of heaven for the people that God had sent Christ to give His life for, to backset the enemy of righteousness. And He pled with God, and He was kept through all these temptations, He was content to live a life of poverty and humility, that He might build up a people, and He demands of us to give Him more than we give Him. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 33

Now, there are a few words that I want more to read, and then I will stop. In Hebrews. I have been surprised to see that so many did not believe in the personality of God. Hebrews 1:1-3. Here are two personalities. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 34

Verses 4-7. God wants you to connect with these heavenly Powers. Then you can pray and believe and receive and be a partaker of that divine nature, having temptations, but yet not yielding to them. You stand in the position that you are a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Now, there is a great, world of influence that we can have, and there is world to save. God help us is my prayer. I want you to remember that God and Christ are both personalities, and I want you to remember that we can have a life insurance policy if we will comply with the conditions. If we will add to our “faith virtue, and to virtue ... charity.” [2 Peter 1:5-7.] Now I leave this with you. God help you to work to the line. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 35

A few words more. What does all this help us to do? It helps us to save our pennies, to save our dimes, and our silver bits, when we are purchasing. Be sure and not lay out in the very largest amount of money to get what would be and indulgence on our part. There is a world to save, and I speak to our people in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I speak to them in the name of the Lord. If you have money invested in lands, I ask you in the name of the Lord to dispose of a part of these lands. Why? God wants the money. We are carrying on missionary work east and west and north and south. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 36

I stayed in Australia ten years lacking two months, in order to lay the foundation of the work. My husband died in the work. He could not help us there. I said, as I held his hand in mine as he was dying—he could not speak—“Do you wish that your wife should become a pioneer? If you do, press my hand.” He pressed my hand three times. In an hour he was dead. But my two sons and myself have worked in the missionary fields, and I want to tell you we have tried to help in every way possible, that we could get some of the colored people to learn to read. And we have arranged that there should be little contribution boxes made after the pattern, and put into every house where our people are, and also those who are not our people if they desire them. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 37

Now we ask you to teach your children self-denial, not to spend every penny on something to eat or to gratify the appetite or the appearance, but just put your offerings into these little boxes. Here, we do not know how to get meetinghouses for the colored people. Since I have come back from Australia, I have worked with all my strength, with the influence that I have had. And let me tell you it has been a success. It has been a blessing in every family that has carried it out. Why shouldn’t we teach self-denial to our children? Why shouldn’t we teach them to help the cause? We are establishing sanitariums, that we may work for the recovery of the sick all through the places where we go, to teach the invalids. And I like to stand before them and speak to them courage and hope and confidence, and God blesses it to the people. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 38

Now the work that we are trying to do, we want all our brethren, wherever they are, to help us in this work. We want that they should have a part. Why? Because the blessing of the Lord comes in. Because it is just as Christ did. Christ was a living missionary, and He went from place to place. Now we are to exercise our power all that we can to bring people to the knowledge of the truth that are nigh and afar off. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 39

I shall be eighty years old next November 26, and yet my work had not ceased. The Lord gives me strength to bear the living testimony. And now I will not hold you any longer. Brother Ballenger may have some words to speak to you. They used to hang on the words of instruction from our Saviour. Men and women would follow Him great distances, hungry and fainting for want of food. Then He would create food for them. His miraculous power would provide them food. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 40

I want to say it is time that we woke up. It is time that we should work intelligently to bring souls to a knowledge of what temperance means, and then we want that we should have the Holy Spirit of God upon us. We cannot do anything without it. We must have it in our churches, and we shall see the reformation that will come from one part of the world to the other. We are seeing it. I know about it. If I ever have an opportunity, I can tell you something about it after this. 22LtMs, Ms 183, 1907, par. 41