Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)

Lt 266, 1903

Tenney, G. C.; Jones, A. T.

“Elmshaven,” St. Helena, California

December 3, 1903

This letter is published in entirety in BCL 92-96.

Dear Brethren G. C. Tenney and A. T. Jones,—

I am charged with a message for you. Now is the time to do decided work. There must be no daubing the wall with untempered mortar. But you are not half awake. You need to be thoroughly aroused before you can give true instruction to those you are supposed to be helping. Your own hearts need to be worked by the Holy Spirit, else you will not be able men, imbued with a clear sense of what you need, keeping strict guard over yourselves. You need to work deeper, and cleanse your souls most thoroughly from every impurity. You are not now prepared to give the trumpet a certain sound. Self, unsanctified self, receives altogether too much respect from you. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 1

Remember that your actions, words, looks, and thoughts are to be carefully guarded, else you will come short. Neither of you are developing as you ought the traits of character that would make you safe guardians of souls. The Word of God is to be something more to you than you make it. You need to have done in your hearts the purifying, cleansing, reformatory work of the Spirit of God. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 2

You may repeat the words of life many, many times and yet fail to make them a life-saving power to your souls. The eyes of both of you need to be anointed with the heavenly eyesalve, else your words and your example will mislead. When you closely and critically examine yourselves, you will find that you have a work to do for yourselves before you can skilfully apply the gospel remedy to such a man as Dr. Kellogg. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 3

God is in earnest with you, with Dr. Kellogg, and with every one. My brethren, your spiritual welfare is at stake. You both need the cleansing of the refining furnace. Your standing before God is not what it may be through the grace which Christ supplies. You both need to take heed to yourselves, to cleanse your souls from everything that defiles, and to take your position on a much higher plane. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 4

Do not, I beg of you, neglect this word of warning. The salvation of your souls is in peril. Unless your eyes are anointed with the heavenly eyesalve, you will lose the clear discernment that you must have in order to be faithful watchmen, able to discern between good and evil. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 5

You need to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God. This you must do in order to have the life of Christ. You are not living wholly by the Word of God. You do not fully realize what is meant by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God. When you understand what this means, you will see the need of the crucifixion of self. You will see your need of the pure, ennobling, sanctifying principles of God’s Word. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 6

God calls upon you to look at yourselves in the mirror of His holy law. And you are not, after doing this, to go away and forget what manner of men you are. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 7

You are both occupying positions of grave responsibility. The Word of the living God must lead you to crucify self, if it becomes to you eternal life. You both need to drink deeply of the well of Bethlehem. Be very particular how you deal with and explain the Word of God. It cannot be to you spirit and life unless you practice it. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 8

You are both in need of the softening, subduing influence that makes the heart of a man as the heart of a little child. Brother Jones, you are sometimes abrupt and make sad mistakes. In trying to deal with certain errors and sins as a faithful shepherd, you are often so abrupt that you spoil your efficiency. Then, on the other hand, there are evils which you pass over, neglecting to correct them, failing to call evil, evil, and good, good. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 9

While you are never to cloak evil or lessen the sense of wrong, you should always be filled with the Spirit of the great Medical Missionary. Your words are not to be harsh or abrupt. In a Christlike manner you should reprove those who need reproof. Never should your efforts have a corroding, destructive influence upon minds. You need to cherish the gracious, sanctifying, ennobling influence of the Saviour, else the food you offer to the people will taste so strongly of the human dish that it will be unpalatable. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 10

Again and again this has been presented to me in connection with your case, and very recently I was instructed that your influence will be greatly weakened unless you heed these words. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 11

Had you stood in the light, you could have been a power in presenting the truths of the Word of God. But you do not see things clearly. You are not walking in the clear light of truth. How can you, then, help Dr. Kellogg? He has not yet come fully to the light. When he does see the way in which he should go, he will realize how thoroughly he has mingled unsanctified self with his medical missionary work. If this evil should end with the ruin of his own experience, it would be bad enough. But for years his life has had a misleading influence over others, and it is time that there was a renovation, a reformation. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 12

For some time our poor brother has not known what pure, practical godliness is. He has taken himself into his own hands and has refused to respond to the invitation, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” [Matthew 11:29.] 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 13

I long to be able to rest, but the burden continues to weigh heavily upon my soul, as night after night I am calling upon our medical missionary workers to seek the Lord while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near. I am instructed to say that the teachers of our people need to have a work done for themselves. Their spirit needs to be brought under the control of God. Those who have a knowledge of the truth should live the truth. Our ministers and physicians need real conversion of soul, that they may be imbued with power from on high. They need to rend their hearts before God. A thorough work needs to be done in the hearts of the workers in every line of the cause of God. I call upon them to awake, while they still have opportunity to repent, and prepare to meet their God. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 14

Over and over again I am instructed that our ministers and physicians need to have a decided work done for them. I beg of them not to flatter themselves that they know how to carry forward the work of the Lord. They need a reformation, a real conversion. When they get a glimpse of their need of God, there will come to them a humiliation of heart that will be a savor of life unto life. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 15

God calls upon the men in charge of His work to arouse themselves. They are not now awake. Their hearts need to be changed. Their human desires and inclinations need to be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 16

I heard the voice of a mighty general crying in trumpet tones, “Prepare to meet thy God. Prepare for the great conflict before you. Quit yourselves as brave soldiers of the Lord’s army. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the enemy. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, [and the sword of the Spirit,] which is the word of God.” [See Amos 4:12; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 6:11-17.] 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 17

I seemed to see a company bowed in prayer. Confessions of sin were made that till then had been withheld. Then one of authority arose and with deep feeling read the following Scripture: 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 18

“If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took unto Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” [Philippians 2:1-8.] 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 19

“The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hands.” [John 3:35.] “It pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell.” [Colossians 1:19.] “God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [Philippians 2:9-11.] “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him; and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” [Colossians 1:16, 17.] 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 20

“Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living.” [Romans 14:9.] “In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him.” [Colossians 2:9, 10.] 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 21

I am instructed to warn our physicians and ministers not to become exalted, but to walk as children, wholly consecrated to God’s service, wholly dependent on Him. My brethren, my prayer for you is “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.” [Ephesians 1:17-21.] 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 22

You are God’s husbandry, God’s building. You are to be laborers together with Him. Will you not remember that word “together”? [1 Corinthians 3:9.] Keeping it ever in mind sanctifies the soul. You come far short of appreciating the advantages that are for those who are called and chosen. Will you not walk worthy of the high honor that God will place upon you if you are faithful? You must walk humbly before Him. Put away all abruptness of speech and action. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 23

I ask you, Brother Tenney and Brother Jones, to do all in your power to lead Dr. Kellogg to the platform of eternal truth. Work in unity. Press together. Let each one stand in his place. Speak the truth plainly, but in love. Keep the standard of truth uplifted. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 24

May God help you to heed these words. 18LtMs, Lt 266, 1903, par. 25