Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)
Lt 51, 1901
Caro, E. R.
Oakland, California
June 17, 1901
Portions of this letter are published in MM 49-50. +Note
Dr. E. R. Caro
My dear brother,—
I have written some straight things to you, because I dared not withhold them. You have been inclined to think that your influence in Sydney depended on your not being identified as a Seventh-day Adventist. This feeling has greatly weakened your influence. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 1
Christ was a Seventh-day Adventist, to all intents and purposes. It was He who called Moses into the mount and gave him instruction for His people. “The Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount; and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord, to gaze, and many of them perish. And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them.” [Exodus 19:20-22.] And in awful grandeur Christ made known the law of Jehovah, giving among other charges, this charge, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” [Exodus 20:8.] My brother, you have not placed upon the Sabbath the sanctity that is required by God. Irreverence has come in and an example has been set that the Lord does not approve. He is not honored and glorified. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 2
There will always be duties which have to be performed on the Sabbath for the relief of suffering humanity. This is right and in accordance with the law of Him who says, “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.” [Matthew 9:13.] But there is danger of falling into carelessness on this point and of doing that which it is not positively essential to do on the Sabbath. Unnecessary travelling is done on the Sabbath, with many other things which might be left undone. “Take heed,” saith the Lord, “to all thy ways, lest I remove My Holy Spirit because of the lax regard given to My precepts.” “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” [Exodus 20:8.] Bear in mind the charge to remember. Do not carelessly forget. “Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work.” [Verse 9.] In this time all the duties necessary to prepare for the Sabbath are to be done. Shoes should be cleaned and all such work finished before the Sabbath comes. “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” [Verses 10, 11.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 3
This is the reason we are Seventh-day Adventists. This is why we honor the seventh day. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 4
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” [Genesis 1:31-2:3.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 5
Thus the Lord proclaimed His will to all the earth. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 6
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you; every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord; whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” [Exodus 31:12-17.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 7
“And he gave to Moses when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai two tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” [Verse 18.] Never could this be blotted out; for it was written, engraved in stone, with the finger of God. It was never against us, because God declared that we were to obey His commandments as a perpetual covenant. At His death Christ blotted out the handwriting that was against us, “and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” [Colossians 2:14.] In every ceremony, in every sacrifice, His death had been prefigured. He was the foundation of the sacrificial system, which was to last till in His death type should meet antitype. He “abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” [Ephesians 2:15-20.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 8
The Sabbath of the fourth commandment has not been changed. The Lord has declared that it is forever to have a claim upon men. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 9
Speaking in regard to the giving of the commandments, Moses says, “When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water; and the Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words which the Lord spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.” [Deuteronomy 9:9-11.] The Lord made a covenant with His people, declaring that if they would obey His law, He would give them life and prosperity. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 10
“Therefore,” He said, “shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand and that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.” [Deuteronomy 11:18.] Their hands were not to engage in any action which would violate the holy principles of the law of Jehovah; they were not to commit idolatry by looking upon and coveting that which the Lord had forbidden them to desire. In all that their hands handled and their eyes beheld, they were to remember their close connection with God and the pledge they had made to obey His law. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 11
“Therefore shall ye lay up these words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates; that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours; from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. There shall no man be able to stand before you; for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God; which I command you this day; and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.” [Verses 18-28.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 12
These words come sounding down the ages to our time. And in the history of Israel we see that the Lord did as He said that He would do. Their disobedience was their destruction. The Lord is just as particular now as He was then. Shall we be careless and negligent? Shall we make it impossible for the Lord to prosper and bless us and glorify His name through us as a people? 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 13
Speaking of the nations the Israelites were to drive out the Lord said, “Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give to his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.” [Deuteronomy 7:3-5.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 14
Let these cautions be lessons of warning to us. Instead of mingling with those who have no respect or appreciation for the truth, instead of confederating with them, we are to take special pains to be separate from them. Why?—“For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people. But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them; he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.” [Verses 6-11.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 15
Mark the words, “To a thousand generations.” [Verse 9.] To what would the end of a thousand generations bring the people of God? To the mansions Christ has gone to prepare for them. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 16
“Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers.” [Verse 12.] Let us take heed to these words; for on our obedience depends our salvation. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 17
Seventh-day Adventist! The name is true to the letter. And the Lord calls for a decided reformation among His people. God desires His servants to be known by their religious belief. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 18
“Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” [John 14:1-3.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 19
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” [John 5:25-29.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 20
“Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” [1 Corinthians 15:51-55.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 21
“Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee; when I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. And the Lord of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people; for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.” [Zechariah 9:12-16.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 22
“And I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” [Daniel 7:21, 22.] “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap; for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even to the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” [Revelation 14:14-20.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 23
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” [Daniel 12:1-3.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 24
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. ... And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” [Revelation 19:11, 16.] “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” [Revelation 20:12-15.] 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 25
This is the reason we give for being Seventh-day Adventists. We have an entirely appropriate name. 16LtMs, Lt 51, 1901, par. 26