Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 17 (1902)
Lt 105, 1902
Managers of our Work in Avondale
“Elmshaven,” St. Helena, California
July 14, 1902
Portions of this letter are published in WM 333. +Note
To the managers of our work in Avondale
Dear brethren,—
I have been conversing with you in the night season. I have been given words to speak to you that I did not think I should need to speak, words that set your duty clearly before you. I pointed you to the Word of God and asked you if you had felt any duty to provide work for Brother Pocock, or whether you had left him to shift for himself. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 1
My brethren and sisters, let your works testify that you have a right to be in the army of medical missionaries. Do you understand the question that the lawyer put to Christ, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Christ laid upon the lawyer the burden of answering his own question. “What is written in the law? how readest thou?” He asked. And he answering said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?” [Luke 10:25-29.] 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 2
Jesus then related an incident which had lately taken place. A certain man, going from Jerusalem to Jericho, was robbed and left by the roadside, wounded and dying. “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way.” Did he help the one so sorely in need of help? No, it was not agreeable to his feelings to do this, so “he passed by on the other side. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 3
“And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 4
“Which now of these three,” Christ asked, “thinkest thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.” [Verses 30-37.] 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 5
I ask you, my brethren, if you have looked after Brother Pocock. Have you seen that he has had work to do, that he might earn money for the support of his family? or have you passed him by on the other side? I have been instructed that there has been a neglect on the part of those whose duty it is to look into the circumstances of Brother Pocock’s family and to find out what means of support they had. There is need for some one to act toward him the part of the good Samaritan. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 6
He is a man that will not push himself into notice. God has given you the work of seeing that he has opportunity to earn sufficient to support his family. There is no need for them to want for any of the necessaries of life. He is an intelligent man and an excellent worker and is willing to labor early and late to sustain himself and his family. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 7
Why do you not search out the cases of such men as Brother Pocock? He is a Christian gentleman in every sense of the word. He is a man that God loves. Such men as he are precious in the Lord’s sight. I know him well. I interested myself in his case when I was in Cooranbong, just as you should have done after I left. I endeavored to anticipate his needs and never to place him where he would have to beg for work. While in Cooranbong, I tried to set an example of how the needy should be helped. I tried to work in the way set before me by the Lord. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 8
It has been presented to me that had you loved your neighbor as you loved yourself, you would have given Brother Pocock work. Helping such ones has been laid out as the very work that is to be done by the children of God. The Lord of heaven allows those in need of help to be brought before us, that He may test our love for Him and for His children. To bring blessings to others, to help the Lord’s poor—this is the surest way of gaining blessings for ourselves. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 9
If there is not work for Brother Pocock in Cooranbong, help him to find something to do somewhere else. Can he not be given work on the Sanitarium building? You would find that he would do faithful work. If Brother Pocock were here, he could find plenty to do; but it would cost much to bring him and his family over, and his children should have the advantages of the Avondale school. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 10
Brother Pocock should be given a place in church work. Give him a part in the meetings. Give him some responsibility to bear in the church. He can render valuable help in the Sabbath school, but because he is a man who will not push himself forward without invitation, I fear that you may pass him by on the other side. You are to have a care over these precious souls, looking after their spiritual interests as well as their temporal interests. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 11
My brethren, I want you so to do the work the Lord has given you that day by day you will be fitting yourselves for a place in the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for you, in that land where there will be industries, where all will have something to do. I commit Brother Pocock’s case to your careful consideration. I hope you will not sit at your tables, with food in abundance and to spare, without thinking of your neighbor, with no care as to whether or not he has work. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 12
I entreat you, not for my sake, but for your own sake and for Christ’s sake, to look into Brother Pocock’s case, and give him work that he can do, so that he can earn money for the support of his wife and children. Do your duty in the fear and love of the Lord. Love your neighbor as you love yourselves. This is the commandment God has given. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 13
I leave this matter with you. I hope that what I have written will awaken your sympathy, that you may see that God has given you something to do for Brother Pocock, and for others in a similar position. 17LtMs, Lt 105, 1902, par. 14