Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 23 (1908)

Lt 316, 1908

Daniells, A. G. and associates

St. Helena, California

October 25, 1908

Portions of this letter are published in 1MCP 352; 2MCP 523; 3MR 220. +^Note

To Elder Daniells and those officially connected with him

Dear Brethren:

There is positive danger of our binding about the work so that the truth shall not go quickly to all the world in fulfilment of the divine commission. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 1

We read of the experience of Christ that at one time when the Pharisees held a council together, how they might destroy Him, Jesus “withdrew Himself from thence: and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all; and charged them that they should not make Him known: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen; My Beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.” [Matthew 12:15-21.] 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 2

There is a great work to be done in the cities and villages that is not being done. When opportunities arise by means of which we may send the truth to new places, we should not let them pass unused. Christ is working to extend the gospel of His grace in the highways and hedges; let not our leading workers treat indifferently the opportunities He presents for the spread of His truth. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 3

The life that is consecrated to God will be spent in seeking to save the souls that are ready to perish; and the Lord, not human agencies, is to be its dependence. A deep understanding of the Scriptures, and an appropriation of its truths, will be of inestimable value in the cultivation of a sound Christian experience. The Word of God is spiritual life to the soul. We need to appreciate those Scriptures which teach us concerning a growth in grace. We need to be daily converted to a life of simple obedience. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 4

Christ, “after He had made one offering for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool. For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is witness for us: for after that He had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My laws in their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. ... 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 5

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having an High Priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a full heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another, and so much more as ye see the day approaching.” [Hebrews 10:12-17, 19-25.] 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 6

We need as a people to educate ourselves to have faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” [Hebrews 11:6.] We need individually to live by faith, not by feeling. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 7

I am instructed to say to all our workers, Watch for opportunities to increase your influence, not that you may exalt self, but that you may enlarge your field of labor embracing those who are ignorant of the truth. Every opportunity that arises for work among unbelievers, improve it. Speak words in season, and out of season. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 8

I believe, that if all our brethren recently assembled at Chamberlain, South Dakota, had been wide-awake to the opportunities and duties of the times in which we live, if they had enjoyed a clear perception of their privileges, they would have grasped the offer of the school property as one that would have given them an opportunity quickly to enlarge their facilities for the training of workers to draw souls to Christ, and to raise up companies of believers. Had I been on the ground, and heard the offer, I would have thought of the many souls that through this means might have been won to the truth by a prayerful presentation of the teachings of Christ. Souls are perishing in their sins, and we should cherish every opportunity for quickly increasing our working forces. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 9

It is just as verily our duty to see the needs of the work as a whole, as it is to comprehend those of the work in part. Our churches should be aroused to their duty of letting the light shine forth. Our workers need to be awakened from their slumbers, that the Word of truth may come forth from sanctified lips. Both church members and ministers need an education in order to make them laborers together with God. There should be no sighs of lowering the standard on the part of any worker from the lowest to the highest. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 10

Our people everywhere allow their minds to take too low a range, too narrow a view. They allow the plans of human agencies to guide them, and a worldly spirit to mold them, rather than Christ’s plans and Christ’s Spirit. I am instructed to say to our people, Look above the earthly to the heavenly. Numbers are no evidence of success; if they were, Satan might claim much. It is the degree of moral power that pervades our institutions, our schools and our churches. It should be the joy of all, from the highest to the least, to represent Christ in Christlike virtues. Let all our teachers learn that true piety, love shown in obedience to God, will elevate and refine. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 11

From the president of our conference to the humblest believer, we should understand that Christ is the Pattern we are to copy. I am instructed to say to every worker, Keep the divine plan ever in mind. It is not numbers that will constitute our efficiency, but divine grace exemplified. Heavenly angels will communicate through all who practice the virtues of Christ, through all whose experience develops under the ennobling, refining influence of the Great Teacher. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 12

The teachings of Christ carried into the life will elevate men, however humble in the scale of moral worth with God. Those who strive for the subduing of their natural defects of character cannot be crowned unless they strive lawfully; but those who are found often in prayer, seeking for the wisdom that cometh from above, will become assimilated to the divine. Uncouth manners, uncontrollable temper will be brought into obedience to the divine law. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 13

The workers in our colleges are to be strict health reformers; their safety and good health require this. Through the exercise of simple faith, every teacher in our ranks may secure practical godliness and rise to a state of moral excellency proportionate to the value of the prize that is at stake. Let them consider that they are co-laborers with Jesus Christ to help, and not by lax habits to discourage. Let teachers set a correct example, and speak encouraging words, for there are many who will be won to Jesus by the influence of holy lives. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 14

The Saviour says, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” [Matthew 5:13-16.] 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 15

As co-laborers with Christ, we should be often in prayer to God, that we may be made partakers of His divine nature and enabled to resist the devil. We need to watch our words and our actions. If the Son of God felt the necessity of praying so earnestly and so often, can the members of the human family afford to be careless and indifferent in this matter? Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by a careless, indifferent spirit. The work of the Christian is to watch unto prayer, even as Christ has set us an example. 23LtMs, Lt 316, 1908, par. 16