Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 8 (1893)

Lt 35, 1893

Kellogg, Brother and Sister [J. H.]

Auckland, New Zealand

February 19, 1893

Portions of this letter are published in 6MR 222-227.

Dear Brother and Sister Kellogg,

I received your two letters and have read them carefully. I was made sad, my brother, to read your letter written by your own hand. Oh, how glad I would be to comfort you, but I point you to Jesus. His invitation is given to you and to me, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; take my yoke upon you and learn of me, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30.] Grasp this precious promise with the hand of faith and never let go. I know your difficulties and Someone knows them, too, who is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto Him. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 1

One thing is evident, you must now unload even if you do not do the things as you would do them. We are not willing to see you killing yourself. Rest you must have. I think from your description of yourself it is your duty to call a halt. I am pained indeed. I cannot advise you to go on in the same line that you have done, and have been doing these years, violating the laws of nature, but then I will not irritate a mind and soul already bruised and suffering; but you must not, my brother, pursue the same course and extinguish the life that God would have you preserve. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 2

In writing to you in regard to Christian character I did not mean to discourage you, but I have so strong, so earnest, a desire that you should not have run in vain, neither labor in vain, but through the grace richly provided, you should come off more than conqueror through Him that has loved you. At any cost unload. I know and you know that hard battles have been fought to keep the principles of health reform upon a high, elevated platform where it should have stood before our people who have had great light. God has placed in their keeping most sacred, sanctifying truths. O, what a work might have been done far and nigh if we had all stood in our lot and position as faithful sentinels, our banners unfurled as progressive reformers. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 3

How much has been lost because those who should have stood true as a rock to principle have been conformed to the world in their eating and drinking and dressing, rather than transformed. But you have hurt your own soul, and the physical has suffered because of the backsliding of God’s people when they might have been advancing firmly in practicing temperance in all things, and they would have had a free, clear, bold testimony to bear in regard to the requirements of God on this subject. But, my much respected brother, keep in mind that the Lord has not made you a sin-bearer; there is but One who can carry the sins of the world and you cannot bear even your own sins. These are laid upon the Son of the living God. Then your mind must not be irritated and chaffed over the manifold defection of those around you, and especially those whom you think should know better. This hurts the most. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 4

But Dr. Kellogg, will you consider the spotless, pure, holy Son of the Infinite God—He passed through it all and was tempted in all points like as we are, but without a single trace of tarnish; not the faintest blur was discernable upon His character. Through His virtue and through His righteousness imputed to us, we have as His purchased possession to stand in His merits pure and undefiled before the Father. Bear in mind that the undeserving are made perfect through the merits of Christ, while the Saviour, the Son of God, undeserving, is made sin for us. He bore our sins in His own body on the accursed tree, and you, my brother, relying wholly upon Jesus, not trusting to what you have done or may do, through faith in the atoning sacrifice, have life, pardon, and the peace of Jesus Christ. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 5

You may claim all this rich endowment because Christ has borne the punishment of your own sins, all undeserving, that you undeserving may go free and receive the rich treasures of His grace. I bid you in the name of Jesus Christ to lay hold of the assurances of the Word of God. But do not waver, do not look to yourself and doubt; trust the keeping of your soul to God as unto a faithful Creator, and He has promised that He will keep that which you have committed to His trust against that day. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 6

You are accepted in the beloved. I have had the most earnest desire that you should perfect a Christian character, not in your own strength, but in the strength and in the virtue and righteousness of Christ. The donation of the Holy Spirit was the greatest gift God could bestow upon finite man. This is free to all, and in this gift there could be no computation; this endowment especially signalized the enthronement of the only begotten Son of God in His mediatorial kingdom. In this, the gift of the Comforter, the Lord God of heaven demonstrates to man the perfect reconciliation which He had effected between Himself and men, which hope, says the apostle, “we have as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast, entering into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered.” [Hebrews 6:19, 20.] 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 7

Has not God said He would give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? And is not this Spirit a real, true, actual guide? Some men seem afraid to take God at His Word, as though it would be presumption in them. They pray for the Lord to teach us, and yet are afraid to credit the pledged Word of God and believe we have been taught of Him. So long as we come to our heavenly Father humbly and with a spirit to be taught, willing and anxious to learn, why should we doubt God’s fulfillment of His own promise? You must not for a moment doubt Him and dishonor Him thereby. When you have sought to know His will, your part in the operation with God is to believe that you will be led and guided and blessed in the doing of His will. We may mistrust ourselves lest we misinterpret His teachings, but make even this a subject of prayer, and trust Him, still trust Him to the uttermost, that His Holy Spirit will lead you to interpret aright His plans and the working of His providence. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 8

I cannot endure the thought that you are, and have been, slowly removing the underpinning of your house. You must not go another step in this breaking down of your physical and mental forces. I have, you know, been warning you of this for years; and now do not, I entreat you, go straight on. Stop, stop a while, that you shall have not merely one week’s rest or two week’s rest but a thorough rest and entire change. It will be to you like taking off the right arm, taking out the right eye, nevertheless I need not assure a physician that this is positively necessary in your case. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 9

Make some arrangements at once to change your line of labor, and let there be a calling into exercise organs of the brain that have not been having so severe a strain. Will it pay to make the trial which seems so positively essential? Will you run any more risks? Will you venture on the very brink of the precipice? When you shall have months of complete change in your labor, then you may through the blessing of God be a new man. But you cannot be continually drawing upon your future capital and your demand, [and] always meet with success. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 10

A great work is to be done in the Sanitarium. Much more might have been done had the workers felt their dependence upon God and had they brought the Christlikeness into their lives. The Lord calls for consecrated workers. He has not use for the half-hearted lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 11

Many, many souls, had the physicians and helpers been connected with God, might have been channels of light working as if in full view of the heavenly universe. The Spirit of the Lord would have worked with every effort and would have impelled and directed them. But all the grace and efficiency comes in united, persevering prayer. Ask, and ye shall receive. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 12

The Lord move upon the churches! May the voice from the living oracles of God, the startling movings of providence, speak in clear language to the church, “Separate unto me Paul and Barnabas.” [Acts 13:2.] Holy and devout men are wanted now to cultivate their mental and physical powers and piety to the uttermost, and to be ordained to go forth as medical missionaries, both men and women. Every effort should be made to send forth intelligent workers. The same grace that came from Jesus Christ to Paul and Apollos, that distinguished them for spiritual excellencies, can be reproduced and brought into working order in many devoted missionaries. Let not a large number fold their hands and say, O, yes, let such and such an one go to untried fields, while themselves put forth no interested, devoted, self-denying labor and expect their work that the Lord has committed to them to be done by proxy. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 13

There are those who if they will deny self and lift the cross will find that God will communicate with them as verily as He did with Paul and Barnabas. These were representatives of what very many should be. “The Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed, for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him in whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring good tidings of good things!” [Romans 10:11-15.] 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 14

I am glad to learn that there is to be an effort made in Battle Creek. I have long pled for this to be done, and I hope some kind of provisions will be made for a protracted effort to get the reasons of our faith before many. And let there be men chosen to go into the regions round about Battle Creek among those immersed in the shadow of death, and work as Christ worked to save the lost and perishing. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 15

But I must close, as we soon step on the boat. In regard to the Mt. Vernon Institution I would, could you hear my voice across the broad Pacific, say, Let the building be converted into a seminary to educate our youth in the place of enlarging the college at Battle Creek. I have been shown that there should have been a church at Cleveland, Ohio, and that there should be located school buildings in Ohio which would give character to the work. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 16

The Lord bless you and your wife and children. 8LtMs, Lt 35, 1893, par. 17