Professional Documents
Culture Documents
[122 items]
"Genuine faith in Jesus leads to denial of self; but however high the profession may be, if
self is exalted and indulged, the faith of Jesus is not in the heart. The true Christian
manifests by a life of daily consecration that he is bought with a price, and is not his own.
He realizes that an infinite sacrifice has been made for him, and that his life is of
inestimable value, through the merits of Jesus' blood, intercession, and righteousness. But
while he comprehends the exalted privileges of the sons of God, his soul is filled with
humility. There is no boasting of holiness from the lips of those who walk in the shadow
of Calvary's cross. They feel that it was their sin which caused the agony that broke the
heart of the Son of God, and their comeliness is turned to corruption. Those who live
nearest to Jesus, feel most deeply their own unworthiness, and their only hope is in the
merits of a crucified and risen Saviour. Like Moses, they have had a view of the awful
majesty of holiness, and they see their own insufficiency in contrast with the purity and
exalted loveliness of Jesus. "(RH, 1888.3.6)
"There is nothing true but God; for Christ, the revelation of God, is "the truth." He is also
the reality, the fullness, of everything that is, because he is the life – the whole of life. He
is, and without him there is nothing. There is but one true God, and but one true love, "the
love of God," because "God is love." So there is but one rightful Lord; but one faith –
"the faith of Jesus;" and but one real hope – the hope of our calling in God. Eph. 4:4-
7."(RH, 1902.6.24)
"The grief and anger of the Jews because of the conversion of Paul knew no bounds. But
he was firm as a rock, and flattered himself that when he related his wonderful experience
to his friends, they would change their faith as he had done, and believe on Jesus. He had
been strictly conscientious in his opposition to Christ and his followers, and when he was
arrested and convicted of his sin, he immediately forsook his evil ways, and professed the
faith of Jesus. He now fully believed that when his friends and former associates heard
the circumstances of his marvelous conversion, and saw how changed he was from the
proud Pharisee who persecuted and delivered unto death those who believed in Jesus as
the Son of God, they would also become convicted of their error, and join the ranks of the
believers."(LP, 35)
I want to say a few words. God has left a few of the old pioneers who know something of
the fanaticism which existed in the early days of this message. Here is Brother Prescott;
he knows something about it. He is acquainted with phase after phase of the fanaticism
that has taken place. Here is Brother Haskell. He knows something about it, and there are
various ones of our older brethren who have passed over the ground, and they understand
something of what we have had to meet and contend with. Then there is Brother Corliss; I
speak of him because he knows something about fanaticism, not only in the early days,
but in our later experience.
Let every one of us remember the men of gray hairs. Do not set them back in a corner,
and say, We do not need you, because you are too old to be active workers. If on only one
occasion these men of experience can stand and tell you what the right way is, it is worth
to the cause of God more than you would pay a dozen laborers who have little or no
experience in this work. God wants us to come to our senses. I thank God that there are a
few who know what we have passed through in the beginning of the history of this work;
God wants you to cherish them, and I want you to cherish them. God wants you to feel
that it is a sacred duty to look after them, and not to ignore them or put them out of sight.
You may think that they have made mistakes. Have you made any? May God let His
melting Spirit come into our hearts. May God come to us with His comforting power.
What we want is not hearts of steel, but hearts of flesh. I hope that not a soul will go
away from this meeting until he can say for himself, I know that I am Christ's in God.
When persons are in our midst who are moved by the Spirit of God, through whom the
great treasures of His word are unfolded to us, increasing in every phase, let us not take
the position that we know all that is worth knowing, and what we do not know is not
worth knowing, hindering the very ones who are digging for the truth as for hidden
treasure. The word of God is opening more and more to us. Just as long as we live on the
earth, we shall be able to find a whole treasure-house of beautiful things. Some will see
beauty in one truth, some in another, and some will look at it in another way. We are not
all constituted alike. But some think that what they have is all there is to acquire. They
say of others, Do not let them come into our meetings; we do not want them here. They
do not believe as we do. I wish to say. Hands off. Let God work through human
instrumentalities according to His will.
Read the seventeenth chapter of John, and you will see that God has given us the
privilege of being united in Christian love, brethren with brethren, all being bound
together by the golden chain of love which has been let down from heaven to unite the
believers. God wants you to be like himself. He wants to keep you unspotted from the
world, to forgive your sins, and to draw you to himself, that you may step off the ladder
into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.—RH 4-30-1901
"I call upon those who have been held at Battle Creek to gird on the armor. It is high time
that they went forth into needy fields to labor for the Lord. It is not pleasing to God for
them to stay in a place that has been worked over and over again, encouraging others to
drift into Battle Creek to become unbelievers in the Testimonies God has given to his
people, or perhaps infidels. Those who are fully established in the truth may gain a good
education there, but there are others who go away infidels. By some, the truths that lie at
the very foundation of our faith are being sacrificed.
Our Periodicals
God has given me light regarding our periodicals. What is it?–He has said that the dead
are to speak. How?–Their works shall follow them. We are to repeat the words of the
pioneers in our work, who knew what it cost to search for the truth as for hidden treasure,
and who labored to lay the foundation of our work. They moved forward step by step
under the influence of the Spirit of God. One by one these pioneers are passing away. The
word given me is, Let that which these men have written in the past be reproduced. And
in The Signs of the Times let not the articles be long or the print fine. Do not try to crowd
everything into one number of the paper. Let the print be good, and let earnest, living
experiences be put into the paper.
Not long ago I took up a copy of the Bible Echo. As I looked it through, I saw an article
by Elder Haskell and one by Elder Corliss. As I laid the paper down, I said, These articles
must be reproduced. There is truth and power in them. Men spoke as they were moved by
the Holy Spirit.
Let the truths that are the foundation of our faith be kept before the people. Some will
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. They talk
science, and the enemy comes in and gives them an abundance of science; but it is not the
science of salvation. It is not the science of humility, of consecration, or of the
sanctification of the Spirit. We are now to understand what the pillars of our faith are,–the
truths that have made us as a people what we are, leading us on step by step.
Early Experiences
After the passing of the time in 1844 we searched for the truth as for hidden treasure. I
met with the brethren, and we studied and prayed earnestly. Often we remained together
until late at night, and sometimes through the entire night, praying for light and studying
the Word. Again and again these brethren came together to study the Bible, in order that
they might know its meaning, and be prepared to teach it with power. When they came to
the point in their study where they said, "We can do nothing more," the Spirit of the Lord
would come upon me. I would be taken off in vision, and a clear explanation of the
passages we had been studying would be given me, with instruction as to how we were to
labor and teach effectively. Thus light was given that helped us to understand the
scriptures in regard to Christ, his mission, and his priesthood. A line of truth extending
from that time to the time when we shall enter the city of God, was made plain to me, and
I gave to others the instruction that the Lord had given me.
During this whole time I could not understand the reasoning of the brethren. My mind
was locked, as it were, and I could not comprehend the meaning of the scriptures we were
studying. This was one of the greatest sorrows of my life. I was in this condition of mind
until all the principal points of our faith were made clear to our minds, in harmony with
the Word of God. The brethren knew that, when not in vision, I could not understand
these matters, and they accepted, as light directly from heaven, the revelations given.
Many errors arose, and though I was then little more than a child, I was sent by the Lord
from place to place to rebuke those who were holding these false doctrines. There were
those who were in danger of going into fanaticism, and I was bidden in the name of the
Lord to give them a warning from heaven.
“I call upon those who have been held at Battle Creek to gird on the armor. It is high time
that they went forth into needy fields to labor for the Lord. It is not pleasing to God for
them to stay in a place that has been worked over and over again, encouraging others to
drift into Battle Creek to become unbelievers in the Testimonies God has given to his
people, or perhaps infidels. Those who are fully established in the truth may gain a good
education there, but there are others who go away infidels. By some, the truths that lie at
the very foundation of our faith are being sacrificed.
God has given me light regarding our periodicals. What is it?–He has said that the dead
are to speak. How?–Their works shall follow them. We are to repeat the words of the
pioneers in our work, who knew what it cost to search for the truth as for hidden treasure,
and who labored to lay the foundation of our work. They moved forward step by step
under the influence of the Spirit of God. One by one these pioneers are passing away. The
word given me is, Let that which these men have written in the past be reproduced. And
in The Signs of the Times let not the articles be long or the print fine. Do not try to crowd
everything into one number of the paper. Let the print be good, and let earnest, living
experiences be put into the paper.
Not long ago I took up a copy of the Bible Echo. As I looked it through, I saw an article
by Elder Haskell and one by Elder Corliss. As I laid the paper down, I said, These articles
must be reproduced. There is truth and power in them. Men spoke as they were moved by
the Holy Spirit.
Let the truths that are the foundation of our faith be kept before the people. Some will
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. They talk
science, and the enemy comes in and gives them an abundance of science; but it is not the
science of salvation. It is not the science of humility, of consecration, or of the
sanctification of the Spirit. We are now to understand what the pillars of our faith are,–the
truths that have made us as a people what we are, leading us on step by step.
Early Experiences
After the passing of the time in 1844 we searched for the truth as for hidden treasure. I
met with the brethren, and we studied and prayed earnestly. Often we remained together
until late at night, and sometimes through the entire night, praying for light and studying
the Word. Again and again these brethren came together to study the Bible, in order that
they might know its meaning, and be prepared to teach it with power. When they came to
the point in their study where they said, "We can do nothing more," the Spirit of the Lord
would come upon me. I would be taken off in vision, and a clear explanation of the
passages we had been studying would be given me, with instruction as to how we were to
labor and teach effectively. Thus light was given that helped us to understand the
scriptures in regard to Christ, his mission, and his priesthood. A line of truth extending
from that time to the time when we shall enter the city of God, was made plain to me, and
I gave to others the instruction that the Lord had given me.
During this whole time I could not understand the reasoning of the brethren. My mind
was locked, as it were, and I could not comprehend the meaning of the scriptures we were
studying. This was one of the greatest sorrows of my life. I was in this condition of mind
until all the principal points of our faith were made clear to our minds, in harmony with
the Word of God. The brethren knew that, when not in vision, I could not understand
these matters, and they accepted, as light directly from heaven, the revelations given.
Many errors arose, and though I was then little more than a child, I was sent by the Lord
from place to place to rebuke those who were holding these false doctrines. There were
those who were in danger of going into fanaticism, and I was bidden in the name of the
Lord to give them a warning from heaven.
We shall have to meet these same false doctrines again. There will be those who will
claim to have visions. When God gives you clear evidence that the vision is from him,
you may accept it, but do not accept it on any other evidence; for people are going to be
led more and more astray in foreign countries and in America. The Lord wants his people
to act like men and women of sense.” RH, 1905.5.25)