Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)

Lt 156, 1897

Haskell, S. N.

Sunnyside, Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

April 8, 1897

Portions of this letter are published in 1BC 1115; 4BC 1163-1164; 7MR 177-178.

Dear Brother Haskell:

Your letter was received yesterday. Thank you for writing so fully as you have done. The telegram concerning the Monday night meeting was received, so we expect something more when your letter shall reach us giving us particulars. We were anxious to know if the leaders of this rebellion had fallen on the Rock and were broken. Do they hold fast their wicked apostasy? 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 1

There never has been a movement made among Seventh-day Adventists, without any occasion, equal to this. We hope so much Elder McCullagh will see and understand what course he is pursuing, for it will lead to terrible results. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 2

Please to present before the people the case of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. These men rose up in rebellion. Numbers 16. These men “rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown.” [Verse 2.] Please read them this chapter. All these things are written for our instruction and admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. Then let us as a people take heed and not follow their example of unbelief. I feel sorry for these men who have permitted themselves to be worked by satanic agencies and call it the Holy Spirit. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 3

Christ came to our world not to aid Satan in working up rebellion but to put down rebellion. Wherever men start out in rebellion they will work secretly and in darkness as they will not come as Christ has told them to do to the ones they have any matter against, but will take their budget of falsehoods and enmity and evil-surmisings and satanic representations, as did Satan to the fellow angels under him, and gain their sympathy by false representations. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 4

McCullagh is the life and soul of the rebellion he has instigated. He has apostatized from the truth—a secessionist. If he had been one-half as zealous to set his house in order, take his position as a servant entrusted of God with sacred responsibilities, he would today have stood as a faithful servant before the universe of heaven. How much better it would have been for our brother to have been a thorough Bible student, to dig for truth as for hidden treasures, rather than imitating the first great rebel, to present himself as one who was a subject of sympathy; that time employed by himself and wife in doing their work, not God’s work, in evil speaking and surmisings and false representations. For I have not given him one jot or one tittle of cause for all his evil speeches against me, only as I bore to them the message in writing which the Lord gave me. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 5

I did not make this matter public; I did not converse with them as I would be pleased to do, for warning came to me that I must write out those things of warning and reproof. Words would leave them an opportunity to misstate and claim that I said things which I did not say and which had never come into my heart to say. Once in writing they would speak for themselves. All that I have written must now be put in print and a copy given to all to whom it is deemed essential. I did not think I would have to do this, but himself has made it a necessity. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 6

There is a grand rebellion in the earthly universe. Is there not a great leader of that rebellion? Is not Satan the life and soul of every species of rebellion which himself has instigated? Is he not the first great apostate from God? A rebellion exists. Lucifer revolted from his allegiance and makes war on the divine government. Christ is appointed to put down the rebellion. He makes this world His battlefield. He stands at the head of the human family. He clothes His divinity with humanity, and He passes over the ground where Adam fell and endures all the assaults of Satan’s temptations, but He does not yield in a single instance. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 7

The salvation of a world is at stake. He resisted the arch-deceiver. In behalf of man He must conquer as a man, and in the very same manner man must conquer by “It is written.” His own words under the guise of humanity would be misjudged, misinterpreted, falsified. His own words spoken as the divine Son of God could not be falsified. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 8

It will be in the last great day when every case receives as his works have been. It will be the final and eternal condemnation of the devil and all his sympathizers and all who have served under his jurisdiction and have identified themselves with him. Will he have a reason to assign for his rebellion? When the Judge of all the world demands, Why have ye done thus? what reason can he assign, what cause can he plead? Bear in mind every tongue is silent, every mouth that has been so ready to speak evil, so ready to accuse, so ready to utter words of recrimination and falsehood, is stopped and the whole world of rebellion stands speechless before God; their tongues cleave to the roof of their mouth. The place where sin entered can be specified. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 9

“Thou wast perfect in thy ways ... till iniquity was found in thee.” “Thine heart wast lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.” All this was the gift of God. God was not chargeable with this—making the covering cherub beautiful, noble and good. “By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: ... thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick.” [Ezekiel 28:15-18.] 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 10

In this place traffick is the emblem of corrupt administration. It denotes the bringing of self-seeking into spiritual offices. Nothing in spiritual service is acceptable to God except the purposes and works that are for the good of the universe. To do good to others will redound to the glory of God. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 11

The principles of Satan’s working in heaven are the same principles by which he works through human agents in this world. It is through these corrupting principles that every earthly empire and the churches have been increasingly corrupted. It is by the working out of these principles that Satan deceives and corrupts the whole world from the beginning to the ending. He is continuing this same policy-working, originally begun in the heavenly universe. He is energizing the whole world with his violence with which he corrupted the world in the days of Noah. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 12

The revolters against divine government will not ascribe their disaffection to themselves. This will be seen to the close of time. This apostasy in Adelaide is not a new chapter in our experience, as you well know. Apostasy has come in to our ranks as it came into heaven, and all who unite with Satan in this kind of work will act on the same principles Satan has worked. Not open, not frank, but in secrecy. Satan must deceive in order to succeed. “In vain the net is set in the sight of any bird.” [Proverbs 1:17.] 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 13

There must be speech made under cover of garments of righteousness, glorious prospects before the church, this is the class of temptations, a great good to be obtained by doing the very things the Lord God told them not to do, deceiving speech to mislead, to hoodwink, to blind. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 14

We read, Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. [2 Corinthians 11:14.] This is the very way he works in all his deceptive methods, in all ages of the world. He assumed the pretense of great humility in practice of self-denial. He was giving up sure interests in order to bring in corrupt principles, in practice. So great was his power of dissimulation, so apt and skilful was his acting, no eye but the eye of God could fathom his purpose. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 15

No person is righteous unless they are pure in thought and in living connection with Him. The power and strength of this apostasy will be broken. It is a mystery of deception, but this deception can be unveiled. I have much more to write upon this subject but I cannot write more now. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 16

You are questioning whether you shall return at once or remain a time longer. We will wish you to remain in Adelaide just as long as it is apparently a necessity. Brother and Sister Lacey come up today to Cooranbong. With your wife, we can get along nicely. So do not worry about anything here. The cistern will be almost, if not quite, completed, as far as the brick work is done, then comes the plastering next week. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 17

We will meet in the dining hall on the Sabbath and bid a willing farewell to the old chamber with all its inconvenience and disagreeable appearance. You may be able to be here at the opening of the school. If not, Brother and Sister Lacy and your wife will do the work. The Lord will help them and will help you where you are to stand on the field of conflict. But the Lord will work, and none can hinder Him. The devices of the enemy will come to naught. Truth will triumph and bear away the victory. God is infinite; He measured the waters in the hallow of His hand. He will work for His own name’s glory and for the good of His people. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 18

The church at Adelaide needed just this experience, and it will work for the good of all those who love God and keep His commandments. There will be men who will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. It always ends in giving up saving truth, the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 19

I join with you heartily in saying we need students to have the Word of God open to them in clear lines, going deeper and deeper. The pure doctrines of our faith must become the main part of the education of our students. Here eternal interests are involved. The positions of the stronghold of our faith, which have brought us where we are, must be oft repeated, for Jesus and salvation is in it all. Men and women must become rooted and grounded in the truth, established, strengthened, settled. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 20

We will want you to remain there just as long as you seem to feel it is duty. Then when you feel it safe to leave, we will welcome you with all our hearts. We are praying for you all. Be firm, give no place to the devil, crowd him out. Find out if you can what part every brother has acted. 12LtMs, Lt 156, 1897, par. 21