Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)

Ms 193, 1897

Home Discipline a Preparation for Heaven’s Discipline

NP

1897

Previously unpublished.

Our God has laid down the rules of his kingdom, and those who are doers of his words will have an abundant entrance into the mansions he has gone to prepare. We are here to become obedient subjects of that kingdom by rendering obedience to his statutes and his laws. In the law of God he has given to the world the transcript of his character, and has made known the fact that his law is the foundation of his government over human intelligences. The ten commandments were proclaimed in an audible voice from Sinai; but the Lord well knew that these precepts engraven with his own finger upon tables of stones, could profit nothing to those who should read them, unless the truth could be brought into the soul-temple, and illuminate the mind. Man does not consider the fact as he should that sin and guilt originate in the heart; that the transgression which he thinks very small is not weighed in the finite scales of man compared with God’s standard of righteousness. Disobedience to God is condemned of God, because it is a disregard of his requirements. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 1

The principle of disobedience which works in the smallest transactions will reveal itself in larger matters. God requires the service of the whole heart, the whole mind, the whole soul, and the whole being. No one will be in heaven who have seen the light upon the commandments of God, and who have yet refused to walk in the light because there was a cross to be lifted, and they have concluded to turn from the holy commandment to follow the fables and traditions of men. These unruly, lawless ones will never enter into the kingdom of heaven, because they would work upon the very principles in which they had educated and trained themselves in the world. God could not imperil heaven by introducing these disloyal elements into his kingdom. It was to win the disloyal to loyalty that God gave Jesus to the world. He became our sin-bearer in order to give to human beings another opportunity to be proved, to see if they would surrender their will and their ways to God’s will and God’s ways. In this life every man is deciding his own destiny by obedience or disobedience. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 2

Jesus Christ through Moses gave to his people special rules by which they should live, if they obeyed them. “But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did. Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess it; and that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. ... And it shall come to pass, if ye shall harken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. ... Therefore shall ye lay up these my 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 to your children, speaking to them what thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ... Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: and a curse, if you 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.” [Deuteronomy 11:7-9, 13, 14, 18, 19, 26-28.] “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good.” [Deuteronomy 10:12, 13.] 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 3

Parents are to feel the responsibility of educating their children. Mothers are not to be given up to the following of fashion, but to be queens in their households. They are to train their children to be obedient to all the statutes and commandments of the Lord, keeping before their tender minds the fact that the sin of Adam and Eve opened upon our world the flood gates of disappointment, sorrow and suffering as the result of disobeying God’s requirements. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 4

In the old dispensation the significance of the typical sacrifices was often before the minds of the children for they prefigured the great sacrifice that was to be made for the redemption of man. The same lessons are essential in our time, that a foundation shall be laid for prosperous households. “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” [Isaiah 58:12-14.] 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 5

If parents had always followed the directions of God, and had aimed to reach the high standard of life and character which is presented in the law of God, we should have altogether a different world, and should breathe in a holier, purer atmosphere. Parents should educate their children, teaching them that the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul, that each member of the household might say, “I will walk in mine house in a perfect way, I will behave myself wisely.” [Psalm 101:2.] The reason the world is so wicked, and that the earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, is because there is so little respect for the law of the Lord. The reason there is so little respect for the Lord God of hosts, is because children are brought up to have little respect for their parents. All family government is to be shaped after the direction given by Jesus Christ through Moses to the heads of households. In homes where children and parents are followers of Jesus Christ there will be the doing of his word, that they may receive the blessings promised to the obedient, and avoid the curse that is the sure result of disobedience. If there is not a law in the household after the similitude of the law of God, there will be dissension, selfishness, and unhappiness. The Lord will work with parents as they work with him to be doers of his will. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 6

There should be no disorder, no haphazard work in the family; for those who profess to be followers of Christ are to reveal the fact to the church, to the world, and to the heavenly universe. There are a great many families bearing the displeasure of God because they follow their own imperfect way, and do not obey the words of Christ given for the instruction of parents in the Old Testament. “That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son all the days of thy life; that thy days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thine house, and on thy gates.” [Deuteronomy 6:2-9.] 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 7

“Who Is On the Lord’s Side?”

Those in responsible positions are called upon to be faithful sentinels, to stand on guard in our families, in our churches and in our schools. There will be erring ones to be dealt with, and while they must be dealt with in love, yet they must be instructed and corrected with firmness and earnestness. It will be necessary for every soul and who loves God to stand firmly, in union with these who are on the side of God, instead of taking their place on the side of the wrong-doer. In the great work that is going forward in these last days, we would ask, who is on the Lord’s side, working the works of God? The Word of God presents the fact to the human family, that life is a conflict, a warfare. In the great controversy there is a right side and a wrong side, and we individually stand under the banner that represents the opposing forces. Whose side are we on? There is a vast army standing under the black banner of the prince of darkness, and there is another army standing under the blood-stained banner of the Prince of life. How shall we discern between the soldiers of Christ and the soldiers of the enemy? “By their fruits ye shall know them.” [Matthew 7:20.] The words, the actions, make manifest what are the principles which control the life. These who are on the Lord’s side are continually exerting their influence to build up the interest of Christ’s kingdom. They represent Christ in words and character, and make manifest the fact that they are under the Captain of the Lord’s host. Their names stand registered on the books of life as being on the Lord’s side. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 8

Those who are the enemies of God work under the generalship of Satan, and his works they will do. These who are working under Christ obey the orders of the Captain of their salvation, and work the works of God. Who in our schools are loyal soldiers? This question of allegiance to God will be made manifest by the character of the works of these who claim to be on the Lord’s side. Not one can occupy a neutral position, there is no middle class who neither love God, nor serve the enemy of unrighteousness. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 9

Every individual belongs to God by creation and by redemption. If men refuse to work on Christ’s side then they are working on the side of the enemy of Christ. Jesus says in plain words, “He that is not for me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” [Matthew 12:30.] Half and half service places the human agent on the side of the enemy, as a successful ally of the hosts of darkness, and from him comes forth continually the evil works of Satan. Individually we must be either on one side or the other. All who are on the Lord’s side are co-laborers with Jesus Christ, doing the works that Christ would do were he here upon earth. They follow Jesus the light of the world. They are themselves children of the light and of the day, they are not of the night nor of darkness. They are doing their best, marching under the banner of Prince Immanuel. They will not dishonor God, they will not prove traitors to their Captain. They will not act upon the suggestions of the rebel captain, and while professing to be on the Lord’s side, daily take their commands from the chief of rebels by betraying sacred trust. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 10

He who listens to the counsels of Satan, while claiming to be a follower of Christ is counted to be a worshipper in the synagogue of Satan, and the child of the wicked one; for while professing Christ in words, he denies him in works, and transgresses the laws of God, despising the precepts of Jehovah, and fighting against the rules of his government. He makes void the order of Christ, resisting his grace and bringing in disorder, and unrighteousness. The law of truth and verity is not in his lips. Guile, dissembling, and open falsehood, show him to be unconverted, unsanctified, unholy, and his influence works to destroy the virtue of truth. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 11

Satan is specified as a liar, as a deceiver, as an accuser of the brethren. No one of you can be working the works of Satan, and yet be on Christ’s side. You cannot serve Christ and Belial. Not one of you can serve the world, the flesh and the devil, and yet be true and loyal soldiers for Jesus Christ. “To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually-minded is life and peace.” [Romans 8:6.] 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 12

We cannot discern with the natural eye the line of demarcation between those who are on the Lord’s side, and those who are on the enemy’s side. Satan seeks to obliterate this line; but he cannot do this; for an infinite finger has traced the laws that govern the words, the conduct, and the works of these who walk in the light as Christ is in the light. Let this question come to you individually, Am I on the Lord’s side? If you are not definitely and clearly on the Lord’s side, you are not working in Christ’s lines, but are warring on the enemy’s side. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 13

Satan will devise ingenious methods whereby those who are not on the Lord’s side may evade the rules of the home and of the school. He will provide ways by which they may follow inclination and oppose God’s work. But such will be registered in the books of heaven as fighting against God, because they venture to transgress the regulations, and to go contrary to a plain, “Thus saith the Lord,” in order to work their own ways in secrecy and under cover of falsehood. Will not each one decide the question, On whose side am I? 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 14

Individually you are deciding your own eternal destiny by the character you are now developing. God is testing and proving every human being, that it may be known whether he may become a member of the royal family, a child of the heavenly King, an heir of God, and joint heir with Jesus Christ to an immortal inheritance, an eternal substance in heaven. The Lord will not take those to compose his family in heaven, who are not pleased with order, regulation, and rule in this life, who would break down his specified discipline, and who feel that their liberty is restricted if they cannot have their own will, and follow their own perverse way. Those who despise discipline, if they were permitted to have a place in God’s family, bring disorder into heaven, just as they have brought strife into their homes on earth. The same principles that govern and control their life here in the probation so mercifully given them of God, would work out a similar result in the courts above. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 15

God’s law is the standard of righteousness, and it has been plainly defined in order that none need make a mistake in his character building. No one will be a saint above in the courts of heaven unless he is first a saint in probationary life. God will make no mistakes. Heavenly intelligences are watching to see what manner of characters the children of man are developing, and they are weighing moral worth. Every man, woman, youth and child will be judged according to his works. An unconverted soul will never see the indescribable beauties and glories of heaven. Those who do not correct their defects of character in this probationary life, though they be our dearest earthly friends, are unfit for the kingdom of heaven, and we cannot wish them to be there with characters that are wholly unlike the character of Jesus Christ. They would make it manifest that they were not trained or disciplined to love pure truth and holiness in this life, and they could no more enjoy the atmosphere of heaven when there, than they could enjoy the society of Christians in this probationary life. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 16

Christ has died a most humiliating, ignominious death, bearing the sins of the whole world upon his soul in order to make it possible for every human being to have this trial and test in a second probation. Satan is playing the game of life for the souls of those for whom Christ has paid the ransom of his own blood, in order that those who believe in him shall not be tempted above that which they are able to bear. Because of the great provision that has been made in man’s behalf, we can, through faith in him our personal Saviour, be a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruptions that are in the world through lust. Although our race has fallen through sin, it has not been left to perish in sin; for Christ took human nature upon himself in order to show men how they may form characters after the divine similitude. In the prayer of Christ for his followers it is revealed that the Father loves those who are followers of Christ as he loves his own Son, who redeemed man through suffering the penalty of the law. The blood of Christ shed for a fallen race on the cross, elevates man in the sight of God, and as he accept the provision God has made, he is regenerated, transformed by the Holy Spirit into the likeness of Christ’s character. This divine transformation so dignifies man in the sight of God, that God loves him as he loves his own Son. What elevated ideas this gives us of the value of the human soul! 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 17

Our schools have been instituted not only to give our youth a knowledge of scientific truth but to open to them the Scriptures, that they may be partakers of the benefit of the gospel, be transformed in character, and be elevated in value in the sight of heavenly intelligences. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” [Proverbs 9:10.] This is the foundation of true knowledge; but Satan is opposed to having human agents gain a true knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. He is willing that the human agent should learn anything but this; for “This is the life eternal that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent.” [John 17:3.] “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” [Jeremiah 9:23, 24.] “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the sins of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the sea.” [Micah 6:6-8; 7:18, 19.] 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 18

Let everyone consider the improvement that human agents may attain unto by co-operating with the divine agencies who are seeking to elevate and ennoble the character of men. Let them by faith receive of the character of Christ; for it is through the merits of Christ that we are made capable of constant improvement, and can make progress in mental, moral, and spiritual experience. Those who improve their opportunities, and grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, may stand forth in the world as did Daniel, and be a representative to men of what man may become through the power and grace of Christ. Let the light of truth shine into the chambers of the mind, let the love of God be shed abroad in the heart, until Christ is represented to the world in the characters of those who believe on him. 12LtMs, Ms 193, 1897, par. 19