Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)

Lt 6, 1903

Caro, E. R.

“Elmshaven,” St. Helena, California

January 4, 1903

Portions of this letter are published in 5MR 455. +^Note

Dr. E. R. Caro

Dear Brother,—

I have read your letter to Willie, and from some expressions and statements in it, I have come to the conclusion that you have not yet learned what you must do to inherit eternal life. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 1

My brother, Christ gives to you the invitation, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30.] Rest is found in yoking up with Christ. Those who learn from Him His meekness and lowliness will bear witness that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. But you will not find rest so long as you think that you are not included in Christ’s invitation, and that you can take with you into the Christian life your hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 2

I sincerely hope that you will not connect with the Wahroonga Sanitarium until you decide that a thorough reconversion must take place in your heart. Do not, I beg you, make the work harder than it must necessarily be for those who are working to advance the cause of God, and who in their work are brought in contact with worldly people. They must keep the Word of God in hand and heart, that they may tell those they meet how to gain salvation. Do not do anything that will hinder the accomplishment of their work. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 3

My brother, we could not consent to have connected with the Wahroonga Sanitarium a physician who would not set a right example. He who serves as a physician in one of our medical institutions is to be a sign pointing out the way to heaven, telling his fellow men that God has only one standard—His holy law. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 4

Through disobedience Adam fell. The divine government had been dishonored, and justice demanded that the penalty of transgression be paid. To save the race from eternal death, the Son of God volunteered to bear the punishment of disobedience. Only by the humiliation of the Prince of heaven could the dishonor be removed, justice satisfied, and man restored to that which he had forfeited by disobedience. There was no other way. Christ, equal with God, “the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of His person” [Hebrews 1:3], clothed His divinity with humanity and came to this earth to suffer and die for man. For every one of the angels in heaven to have come to this earth to pass over the ground where Adam fell would not have sufficed. They could not have removed the stain of one sin nor brought to man one hour of probation. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 5

The law of God had been broken. Justice demanded the humiliation of the Lawgiver Himself. God humbled Himself in the humiliation of His only begotten Son and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. Therefore He could say, I restored that which I took not away. He restored holiness to the law of God’s kingdom, dignity to the divine government; and by bearing in His own body the curse of sin, He placed happiness and immortality within the reach of all. One honored of all heaven must come to our world to stand in human nature, at the head of humanity, testifying to all heaven and to the unfallen worlds that through the divine help that has been provided, every human being may walk in the path of obedience to God’s commandments. The experience of the Son of God in our world must exemplify the love that every pardoned sinner must feel in his heart and reveal in his life—the love which Christ said that His disciples must show for one another. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 6

In giving this commandment on the night of His betrayal, Christ addressed His disciples as “little children.” They were full-grown men, but, like all the rest of the human family—rich and poor, high and low—in comparison with God they were little children. “Little children,” Christ declared, “yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek Me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” [John 13:33, 34.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 7

This was a new commandment because the Saviour had not yet given His disciples the full revelation of His love for them. After His agony in Gethsemane, His betrayal, and His trial; after His abuse at the hands of His murderers, and His sufferings on Calvary’s cross, His disciples realized more fully how much He loved them. His love for them could not have been put to a severer test than that which he bore. The love He manifested is infinite, measureless. Greater love could not have been shown. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 8

Having given His disciples the new commandment, “Love one another, as I have loved you,” Christ foretold the sure result: “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” [Verses 34, 35.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 9

Continuing His instruction, He said: “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” A wonderful statement is this! What can exceed the infinite love that Christ has shown toward the fallen race? “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” [John 15:9-14.] Obedience is the evidence of man’s friendship with God. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 10

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you.” [Verses 15, 16.] Christ’s love for those who obey His commandments is unchangeable, unparalleled. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 11

Some may think that they can follow Christ’s example, and at the same time indulge in self-gratification, display, and expensive habits of living. Let every such an one study the Scriptures, in order that he may learn what is required of him by the Lord. The apostle Paul writes: 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 12

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 8:31-39.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 13

To those who selfishly desired to follow Him in order that they might receive of His bounty from day to day, Christ declared: 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 14

“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen Me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 15

“The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.” [John 6:35-46.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 16

Christ’s next statement is a wonderful one: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.” [Verse 47.] Such a belief requires much more faith than that which is shown by many who claim to believe. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 17

“I am that bread of life,” the Great Teacher continued. “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 18

“The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us His flesh to eat? 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 19

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 20

“These words said He in the synagogue, as He taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” [Verses 48-60.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 21

“Jesus knew ... that His disciples murmured” at the words He had spoken, and He explained more fully His meaning. “It is the spirit that quickeneth,” He declared; “the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” [Verses 61, 63.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 22

Of His disciples Christ says: “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. Judas saith unto Him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me.” [John 14:21-24.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 23

These Scriptures are sufficient to show the folly of pretending to serve God while indulging self and giving but little evidence that Christ abides in the soul temple. How can any one who claims to believe God’s Word think that he can live a life of self-indulgence, setting up a standard of his own, following the desires of his natural heart, and at the same time be regarded by the Lord as one of His disciples? He who has lived a life of self-pleasing may become a true disciple only by accepting the Master’s invitation to wear His yoke of obedience and to learn of Him His meekness and lowliness. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 24

The Son of God died for the just and for the unjust. For us He has suffered all that any man can possibly suffer. Wonderful—almost too wonderful for man to comprehend—was the Saviour’s mission in our behalf. And His sacrifice was called for. When we realize that His suffering was necessary in order to insure our eternal wellbeing, our hearts are touched and melted; for His love for us grows out of the relation that He sustains to us as our Surety. He has pledged Himself to accomplish our full salvation in a way satisfactory to the demands of God’s justice and consistent with the exalted holiness of His law. No sacrifice less holy than the Only Begotten of the Father, the One innocent of any taint of sin, would have been efficacious to cleanse all—even the whole world—who accept the Saviour as their Atonement and become obedient to heaven’s law. Nothing less could have reinstated man in God’s favor and have met the standard of His holy law. If we are obedient to the requirements of this law, Christ’s sacrifice atones for our transgressions, and we are clothed with the robe of His righteousness. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 25

Yes, my brother, Christ suffered for you and for me. How wonderful is the love He has shown by His willingness to suffer for us! “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” [Isaiah 53:5.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 26

When I read your letter to Willie, I first thought that I would have nothing to say in regard to your proposed connection with the Sanitarium near Sydney. Afterward, however, I have been instructed that it would not be wisdom to employ you as a physician in this institution. You would neither be helped yourself, nor would you be able to render the help that is required in one of our sanitariums, because of your expensive habits of living and your spiritual condition. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 27

My dear brother, I would that you could see yourself as the Lord sees you. He regards you as neither cold nor hot. You are not in open opposition to the truth, and yet you are not a faithful steward of your soul. You continue to venture—as formerly—to follow your own ideas and plans. Thus you reveal that you are in need of genuine, Bible religion before you can be a safe medical missionary, or before you can, in your home life, set a proper example before the patrons of one of our medical institutions. While you cherish sentiments that give evidence of your half-converted condition, it would be unwise for you to occupy the important position of a leading physician in our new Sanitarium in Australia. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 28

God desires you to be a wise steward of the talents He has lent you, that you may minister to men and women as a faithful physician of the soul and of the body. But a complete transformation must take place in your heart before you are fitted for the stewardship required of you. If you would repent and do a thorough work, God would bring you into close, tender relationship with Himself. In order to reach His exalted standard, you need to be thoroughly cleansed from self. Through the faith that works by love and purifies the soul, you may be born anew. Then you would be like a little child—willing to be led. You now feel that you are qualified for the highest position. The Lord says, Nay. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 29

Let the completeness of Christ’s character be the completeness of your character. In your disposition are mingled contrary traits. When it is to your interest to be so, you are kind, compassionate, tender. When your way is crossed, the spirit you manifest is often the opposite. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 30

Oh how wretched and hopeless would have been our condition, how fearful and certain our doom, had not Jesus suffered in our behalf! Our destiny depends on our own choice. If we choose, we can escape the sorrow, the mourning, and the woe that will come to those who refuse to accept Christ as their personal Saviour. Let us remember that we are to follow in the way that Christ has marked out, and not in our way of self-pleasing. Will any one decide to run the risk of living a life of extravagance while laboring in the Lord’s cause? God forbid! 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 31

No, my brother, a follower of the meek and lowly Jesus expends no more for himself than is necessary. Both because of the principles involved and the example you would set, it would be neither to your soul’s profit nor to the advantage of the Wahroonga Sanitarium for you to maintain an expensive home while working in this institution. Our sanitariums are to be strictly guarded against influences that are not wholly sanctified to God. It would be a mistake to consent to your connecting with this Sanitarium while you permit your family to live extravagantly. Your influence would be contrary to the Bible truths you claim to believe, contrary to the self-denying life of Christ, who gave Himself, a living sacrifice, in order that we might become pure, spotless, holy—the children of His covenant promise. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 32

We may claim to be Seventh-day Adventists, and yet fail of realizing how exalted is the standard to which we must attain in order to deserve this name. Some have felt ashamed of being known as Seventh-day Adventists. Those who are ashamed of this name should never connect with those who feel it an honor to bear this name. And those who are Christ’s witnesses, standing where the truths of the Bible have placed them, are worthy of the name they bear. Our Redeemer declares, “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.” And He further declares: “Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.” [Matthew 10:32, 33.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 33

Oh, if Christ had not sacrificed Himself to redeem the fallen race, there would be for man no forgiveness with God, no acceptance, no peace, no hope, no heaven. Our Redeemer is now standing in the presence of His Father as a compassionate, sympathetic High Priest, pleading for the heritage He has purchased with His life-blood. “It became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. ... Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted.” [Hebrews 2:10, 17, 18.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 34

“We have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” [Hebrews 4:15.] Christ offers every encouragement to those who are determined to be faithful in His service; but He shows no favor toward those who misrepresent Him in their daily life. What a wonderful High Priest we have! My brother, in order to perfect a Christian character, you must, as it were, lay your hand upon the bleeding sacrifice, and confess your every sin; you must lay your bosom bare, disclosing your heartfelt sorrow. The psalmist says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” [Psalm 51:17.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 35

Shall we not learn to obey Christ? To those who desire to follow Him, He says: “Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” [Mark 8:34.] Many respond coldly to His invitation. But He will not accept half-hearted service. He withheld no part of the price, but gave Himself as a whole offering, a sacrifice fragrant with the incense of His righteousness, which has ascended to God as a sweet-smelling savour. And His complete sacrifice was made to redeem poor, sinful mortals. What self-sacrifice are we practicing for His sake? The life of every one whose character is being fashioned after the divine similitude is, in word and deed, fragrant with the rich perfume of Christlike love. 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 36

My dear brother, imperil not your soul’s salvation by sanctioning extravagance in your home life. I wish you could realize how much you would gain by being an overcomer. Consider the words of the Lord Jesus to those who compose His church on the earth: 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 37

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” [Revelation 2:7.] Is not this an inspiring promise? And of the overcomer He further declares, “I will give him the morning star.” [Verse 28.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 38

The message to the church in Smyrna is also for our encouragement: “These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” [Verses 8-11.] 18LtMs, Lt 6, 1903, par. 39