Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 8 (1893)
Lt 94, 1893
Hare, Elsie
Wellington, New Zealand
July 17, 1893
Portions of this letter are published in ML 283.
Mrs. Elsie Hare
Kaeo, New Zealand
Dear Sister:
Your letter was received with pleasure. I thank you for writing, also thank you for the nice present you sent me, the silk net. It is a good fit. I was much pleased with the good spirit which was evidenced in your letter. I am very pleased and thankful to our heavenly Father that His Holy Spirit has been moving upon your hearts to decide that John should go to school. It will be best for him, and for you in the end. I knew his peril, for the Lord had impressed this upon my mind and opened before me his great danger. And now the Lord has been pleased to work in His providence in bringing around matters so that he is now in attendance in the school. Let us still supplicate at the throne of grace that John may be while thus favorably situated, soundly converted. There are excellent traits of character in John if they could be developed and trained, and be brought to his Saviour. But while in the company he has been keeping only hopeless ruin was before him. We will now exercise faith that he will give himself to Jesus, and love and serve Him. 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 1
You must miss your children; but you have quite a little flock requiring much patient instruction, much persevering teaching, line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. In your efforts to patiently discipline and bring up these children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, you are doing the greatest, grandest work ever committed to mortals. You cannot do this of yourself, but you can do all things through Christ strengthening you. Cling to Jesus, walk in all humility of mind before God. Watch unto prayer, and you will have grace because He has promised it. How thankful we should be that we are not left to stumble our way alone. Jesus the precious Saviour leadeth us. 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 2
When tempted, when sorrowful, take it to the Lord in prayer, and believe that He hears you. Believe ye receive the things ye ask for and ye shall have them. I am so glad that we have not to walk the narrow path alone. You are a teacher in your family, and then, bearing this responsibility, be as well a learner. Daily learn in the school of Jesus meekness and lowliness of heart, and how to wear His yoke. The Lord will bless every one just in accordance with their capacity to receive and make a right use of His rich and heavenly gifts. Learn then of Jesus, my dear sister. 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 3
We must daily trust in Jesus as one who knows our every weakness, one who has a heart that can feel the deepest sympathy, for His heart was ever touched with human woe. In all our afflictions He was afflicted. He was tempted in all points like as we are, and He knoweth how to succor those who shall be tempted. Thank God for such a Saviour. My heart is filled with gratitude and thanksgiving every day. Let us cultivate that faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Let us educate our lips to praise God. Let us not cherish murmuring or complaining or fault-finding, for it always tends to soul poverty. 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 4
It is our privilege to establish habits of looking unto Jesus who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He hath promised to be the widow’s God and husband. You need in seasons of trial all the support and consolation which can be drawn from righteous principles, from fixed religious convictions, from an abiding trust and confidence in One who loves you and hath said, “Lo I am with you alway.” [Matthew 28:20.] 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 5
Let the heart go out in strong earnest yearning for the Spirit of God, educating your mind and heart to unwavering trust and holy endeavor, of increasing strength, of faith and willing cheerful obedience. For your children’s sake this is essential, that they may be in their home in an educating school, their mother the kind, patient loving teacher. Jesus will help you as you learn your lessons how to be a faithful child of obedience to God, to educate your children to do His will by being obedient to His wise directions. O, what may we not accomplish in Jesus Christ is we set heart and soul in the work to be a faithful servant of Jesus! 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 6
You can educate your children to love and to do the will of Him who first loved them, and died that through His death He might save every soul who would believe in Him. Teach them the simple lessons of faith; establish yourself in habits of trust, committing your soul to His care and guidance, and you will grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as sure as you surrender your soul, body and spirit unto Him to do and suffer His will, as well as to enjoy His love and His rich blessings. You want, dear sister, to feel your constant need of the love and grace of Christ. In your own heart you may have it. Thank the Lord it is our privilege to have this indwelling, abiding Christ in the soul, and to know that you always have an unchanging Friend. 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 7
You need more than human, finite energy to give wisdom in words of counsel and commands to your children. You are certain to need the fortitude and courage and divine assurance, the fulness of divine life, every day. You need to place yourself in the channel of light, employ all the means of grace heaven has provided to increase and strengthen moral power in your own soul. You have found great comfort in religion, and you need to drink deeper of the fountain of living waters, that you may lead your precious little ones to drink also of the streams of the Water of life. 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 8
You need, and I need, that the spiritual wisdom shall be cleared and intensified to behold the scheme of redemption as we have never viewed it before. We want that our hearts should feel the mighty throbs of a Saviour’s love. In searching the Scriptures, in feeding upon the words of life, O consider it is the voice of God to the soul. We may be confused sometimes over the voice of our friends; but in the Bible we have the counsel of God upon all important subjects which concern our eternal interests, and in temporal matters we may learn a great deal. Its teachings will be always suited to our peculiar circumstances and calculated to prepare us to endure trial, and fit us for our God-given work. 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 9
O, study the Bible with your children; you have a little flock of lambs in your own house, and you may be a faithful shepherdess. You may lead them into living green pastures, yourself being first led beside the living waters. O, repeat the heavenly treasures of truth over and over again, that your children shall become acquainted, familiar, with its sentiments, and treasure them up in their hearts, and the heavenly precepts made to govern the whole life. May the Lord bless you and your little flock at home, and the children that are abroad is my prayer. “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.” [John 17:17.] 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 10
The revealed truth is the only instrument by which they could be sanctified and saved. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.” [1 Peter 1:22, 23.] I have faith in God that He will be near you and lead you, and guide you if you will commit all to His keeping. 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 11
Much love to yourself and your dear children. 8LtMs, Lt 94, 1893, par. 12