Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)

Lt 85, 1898

Jones, C. H.

“Sunnyside,” Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

October 7, 1898

Portions of this letter are published in 2MR 38.

Dear Brother Jones:

I am now preparing a statement for the churches in California. I have had the matter plainly presented to me that the Lord is not pleased with their indifference in reference with Brother Leininger. He is not pleased with the course Brother Leininger has pursued with reference to his business with Brother Lockwood and myself. He cannot endorse this way of managing. The Lord God would have straightforward, clean work done in every line of business. Had you presented this matter as you would have presented it were the case your own, were you in my place, would the result be as it is? 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 1

If the churches had had a correct influence brought to bear upon them to do justice and judgment in all their transactions, I need not do the work I must now do, prepare a statement and send it to the churches. This is not a matter that should be treated in such an offhand way. Principles have been corrupted in Battle Creek, and the result is before you. Principles have been warped and twisted in the Pacific Press. The Lord is not glorified by these things. 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 2

I am carrying a heavy load over here. I thought our people in California would, if they were not influenced otherwise, see the justice of doing something to lift the weight from me. As far as I am concerned, I do not care so much, but it is cutting off my resources to help the advancement of the work of God right here, where there are things to be done that are not done. We fought a similar battle when working in California to establish the work there. Now you have every facility, and we are in need of so many advantages. We have to lift the standard of new fields, which are in need of help just now. I thought the brethren in California would, if not influenced by any misstatements from those connected with the Pacific [Press], have, among them all, taken this matter from me. 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 3

I hired money to invest in the work here. Sister Wessels has sent for the one thousand pounds I borrowed from her. We have it in the school, invested in the buildings. For lack of funds we cannot even put up a hospital, which is a necessity. We cannot put up the main school building, which is essential to accommodate the students. We cannot do the work suffering to be done in places all around us. 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 4

This one thousand pounds must be raised in three months. Besides this, I have no less than ten thousand dollars invested. This I have hired, and am paying interest on it. If I could have my own, which has been cut away from me by circumstances beyond my control, I could do something toward clearing off these debts, which are a burden to me. If some one who understands the situation will take the matter in hand, and let all have a share in the matter, one alone will not bear the load and all others go free. You know about this matter better than anyone else, and can set it before the people in a proper manner. I shall set the matter before the people just as it is, presenting it before every church in California. 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 5

I present this matter to you again, asking you in California to do the right thing by me. If it is possible to sell my place, do this. I call upon you to take this matter in hand. Let my brethren take my shares in the school in Healdsburg, and release me. One is not to do it all. Others are to help. This can be done. You may think the money should all go to the Pacific Press, but your outlay of means there will not warrant you taking from me the means we need so much in this missionary field, for this will be just so much less for me to use in preparing the way of the Lord in new fields. 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 6

We need facilities; we need machinery to do the work that needs to be done in connection with our school. We need money more than anything else to pay Bible workers to go into new districts. God is calling, and He means that we shall hear His voice. About a week since, I was shown the needy fields close around us. The sight was pitiful. Companies of people were gathered in localities, as sheep without a shepherd. These were the words spoken by Christ: “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” These words were spoken to me with much power: “Say not, There are four months, and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields: for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto eternal life.” This is the wages. “That both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.” [John 4:34-36.] 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 7

There were companies stretching out their hands for help, crying, Come and help us. We want to know what we shall do to be saved. Next I was opening the Bible, and addressing those who have the knowledge of the truth. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” “He that believeth, and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned. ... And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” [Mark 16:15, 16, 20.] 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 8

I know if those in America would humble themselves before God, if they would deny themselves, take up the cross, and follow Christ, they would be able to do much more than they are now doing. But the church is asleep. There is a great work to be done, but they are not prepared to do the work. We are laborers together with God. The frail instrument is nothing, but worked by the Holy Spirit man can accomplish much. All human effort combined is weakness without the deep moving of the Spirit of God. The Lord is the worker. Without his help the deep learning and restless energy of a Paul, the eloquence and talent of an Apollos, would fall infinitely short of convicting and bringing one soul to repentance. But man is of value if soul, body, and spirit is prepared to co-operate with divine power. While man can do nothing without God, the Lord would do nothing without the human channel through which to communicate His truth to humanity. 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 9

Again I ask you to heed my request, to help me to bear the burdens in this country. Do not add and add to your facilities, and allow the means I should have for the work here to be absorbed in California, where the work is established. I know that the Lord is not pleased with this matter. You may say, The cause is one. So it is, and we want you to act on this very principle. When you thought that there was a prospect of Mrs. Scott making trouble in regard to the money she donated, you said that if I would allow the money coming to me from her to be invested in taking shares, this would block her way. You said, I think, that these shares might be sold. 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 10

We are in need now, and we ask you to take hold of this matter at once. Newcastle is waiting to be worked. Mount Vincent, only twelve miles distant, is asking for help. They will furnish us a hall. There must be the co-operation of human endeavor with the divine. If you are going to allow me to carry your burdens in California, the Lord will not bless your work. I beg of you to make efforts for Brother Leininger to be located where he will not have to make appeals to me as his guardian, when he has not let me know anything about his movements or asked my counsel. Eighty dollars have been charged to me for interest on this mortgage, when we are lifting the standard in this field, so destitute of facilities, with no one to look to except those who believe the truth. We did this for California, and now we do it for this field. 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 11

I will now send copies of this letter, and others I have written all through California, and unless some counterworking influence goes forth from the Pacific Press managers, I shall expect our brethren and sisters to do something in this matter. If I alone were concerned in this matter, I would say, Let it go. But it is the cause of God that needs help. We need the means to push the work in this new field. We cannot afford to leave one stone unturned in securing means to advance the work here. If we do not do this, who will? I know what my duty is, and shall try to do it in the name of the Lord God of Israel. 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 12

In regard to the dried fruit that was sent to us, when I wrote I was told that there would be no duty on dried fruit, only on bottled fruit. But when the fruit so kindly sent me by my brethren in California came, we had to pay quite heavy duties, besides the other expenses, so that although the fruit was sent to help the school, after all it did not help us as we thought, because we had to pay treble its cost. It has taught us a lesson, and we shall not attempt to have such things sent here in the future. 13LtMs, Lt 85, 1898, par. 13