Chapter 16—Workers in Denominational Institutions to Be Spiritual; Counsel on Sunday Work, Holidays, and Healthful Living
Manuscript 163, 1898
[Address given on April 14, 1898, to Echo Publishing House employees, North Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.]
(2SAT 123)
The Lord would have every soul connect with Him, and it is their privilege to do so. There can be with those who are connected with this institution a feeling of non-concern, just as though they were at work in a harvest field or at some business that has no special relation to the work and cause of God. Now, this is not the way that this institution should be regarded. It is an institution that should stand in its elevated position before the people, and all who are connected with it should correspond with its elevation with an entire sense that this is God’s institution.
(2SAT 123.1)
I have ever tried to keep before our people at our institutions—the Battle Creek, the Pacific Press, and in Europe—that these institutions were placed where the young are to be educated how to do best the work that is essential to be done in such an institution. Now they can come in here with their irreligion and their want of spirituality and with loose principles; they can come in here with their [irreligious] ideas and carry them right through the time of their discipline here. All the time they are being educated they can carry through that spirit. “No one is going to drive me to be religious; I am not religiously inclined,” they will say.
(2SAT 123.2)
Well, it is no honor to you. It is a shame to everyone who takes that position. Who gives you breath? Who keeps the human machinery in motion? Who is it that you are dependent on for every breath you draw? You may feel you are going to be independent, but you cannot one of you be independent and live! No one.
(2SAT 123.3)
The trouble is that every soul, every individual, is dependent upon God not only for the breath that you draw and the food which you eat; you are dependent upon God for everything. You are His; the body with its living machinery is His. Now, be careful how you take care of it. It is God’s property and is bought with a price. You want your body and your spirit and your mind to serve the Lord God of heaven. You can do as some of the students thought they were going to do at the school last term. They thought they were going to do just as they pleased. They made it very hard for the teachers and managers. But they came nearer and closer to God and they began to understand what course they should take.
(2SAT 123.4)
There is nothing there like the rod of cane, as there is in some schools. The brain power of the students is trained to make them understand what is reasonable for them to do in becoming educated. They can help to educate themselves, but they must cooperate with the teachers. So it is possible for God to keep your bodies in the proper condition if you will cooperate with Him.
(2SAT 124.1)
Now, there is not a soul here that has the reasoning faculties that God would have him have. I have thought about everything else, but Lord preserve to me my reason and give me my eyesight; but rather than lose my mind, I would lose my eyesight. When He gives us reason He expects us to use it and not be like the dumb beasts.
(2SAT 124.2)
You know how quickly He deprived Nebuchadnezzar of his reason because he did not acknowledge God. And the Lord would teach even that king. He gave him a dream but he could not remember it; there had to be someone come in that was connected with God to help that man. There he was in trouble and perplexity, and there he had to call in those that were serving God; and they were brought in by the providence of God, and then he remembered all about it. Now, that was to show him how the kingdoms were to indicate the appearance of the end, that every kingdom would be of less and less value.
(2SAT 124.3)
“Thou art this head of gold,” said Daniel. How did the king treat that? In place of letting that dream teach him what was to be the end of the kingdoms, he studied on the dream and the devil took possession of his mind, leading him to build that great image of gold and to set it up. All the time he was thinking, “Thou art this head of gold.”Daniel 2:8. There you see [that] the [talent of] reason did not work under the control of God, and therefore he set up his image to be worshiped, and everybody was to fall down and bow to this image which was a representation of his kingdom. There were young men there that would not bow down, for they had been educated that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”Proverbs 9:10. They had been educated to worship God and serve Him only.
(2SAT 124.4)
That is just what you are to learn here. There will be trials. Satan is coming down in great power. He is now in the world and is to exercise his power above anything you know of. He goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. You can disconnect from God and can please yourself as a bond-servant under Satan’s rule where he will rule you as a rod of iron. But, you see, these men would not bow down; and as they would not bow down, another opportunity was given, and yet they said they would not bow down. They said they did not fear to answer in this matter, for their minds were made up as to what they would do.
(2SAT 124.5)
The king was furious and commanded that they should be bound, and such haste was made to get them into the furnace that the fire burst forth and burned those that put them in; but the king and all his courtiers around him looked, and lo, in the place of three men there were four, and one was like unto the Son of God. How do you suppose he knew anything about the Son of God? You see, he had been brought into connection with Daniel and these men, and they talked of God and of Christ, the representative of God. This was the work they were doing; and just as soon as he saw them, he said the fourth was like unto the Son of God.
(2SAT 125.1)
Well, what do you want at this time? You want that surety that you are on your honor, whenever anyone comes into the office, to represent the character of the work which will be in this office, which will hold its position here, which will be so that there will be very little for anything else beside.
(2SAT 125.2)
After the king saw this, what did he do? He took the men that had informed him and complained about these men, and cast them into the fiery furnace, and called out to those that were in, “Come forth.” Now God was magnified, but the enemy came in, and when the enemy gets the advantage of anyone, he always tries to get a second advantage.
(2SAT 125.3)
Now, everyone here wants to be just what God wants him to be. It is the very humble that God wants to honor. It is not what you think of yourself that will bring you into favor with God. He is exalted with him that is of a humble and contrite spirit. You see that it is the humble and contrite spirit that He honors because He can work through them, He can do something through them, and they will not take the credit to themselves. That is the very work of God. You have got capability, and He wants that you should use that capability to become perfect in His work. You may be called for missionaries, or for places of responsibility in other countries, and the education process is going on in the work of fitting you up. It is stated that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”2 Timothy 3:16.
(2SAT 125.4)
You need not, anyone, expect to get in a place that is connected with God and not need counsel nor correction. You may think you can get in such a place, but you cannot.
(2SAT 125.5)
There has been a class of work that has been handled, the publishing of some work here, that has not been for the very best influence about the institution or to give improvement to those that handle it, because God wants us, every one of us, to be His husbandmen. “Ye are laborers together with God.” Now consider that. You can do no more than the beast of the field without God. You can do no more in spiritual lines, anyone. It is to have God with you. “Ye are laborers together with God.”1 Corinthians 3:9. That is just why He gave us Jesus. He gave His only begotten Son to come down to this world, lay aside His glory, and clothe His divinity with humanity. He came here to bear all the trials that every human soul will bear, and far ahead, because according to His glorious character were His temptations such as the human soul can understand but little about.
(2SAT 126.1)
He took humanity upon Him, but He did not leave His divinity; He clothed His divinity with humanity. He took humanity upon Himself in order to carry humanity through that commandment-keeping people to give the testimony to the whole universe of heaven. He stood in humanity to bear all the battles and conflicts as our Head, thus elevating with God every human being on the face of the earth. Now, Christ took humanity that humanity might take His divinity. He took our nature that He might give to human nature His nature. He has passed over the place where Adam fell, and redeemed Adam’s fall. Every reasoning power, every particle of discernment, discrimination, every action of the mind that God has given man, exercise it and not be like a leaf that can be blown by every wind hither and thither.
(2SAT 126.2)
We read in 2 Peter 1 that you are to be divine partakers of Jesus Christ, and there is not one of the very simplest in the institution but that he can take hold of the divine nature through the knowledge of Jesus Christ who gave His life to buy us. Then we must consider we are bought with a price—even the precious blood of the Son of God. God is not going to let us drift this way and that way with Satan’s temptations, but if you will stand in Christ and if you will be determined that you will make of yourself all that God intended you should make, you can become as precious in the sight of God as Daniel was—beloved of God.
(2SAT 126.3)
Now, God does not do anything without cooperation. He will not come and take you by force and make you to drink of the water of life. You should be complete in Christ, and if only you are complete in Him, why, then it is that God will look upon you as what? Heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ to the immortal inheritance.
(2SAT 126.4)
Now, don’t look upon yourself as very large and be very much puffed up because you have a little knowledge. How did you get it? We read that the Lord gave Daniel knowledge. You know many of you would do it, but you should not, for we are told to avoid it.
(2SAT 127.1)
You will say you must have your holidays just the same as other people do. You can say these holidays are appointed to you; men have a right to spend their time as they please. Light was given to me when they were hunting for the school. At first I thought it must be by the cities, but again the cloud was rolled back and it was shown how our cities were and what they will be, and the whole was presented to me, that we should get a proper distance from the city, that we should have nature around us and establish our school there so that the students would not be bound about with holidays, for they might feel disloyal if they did not have their holidays.
(2SAT 127.2)
Then with regard to the Sunday question. I read in the paper of one man who was one hour late closing his store and he had to pay a fine for it. Now, how does God look upon it? Why, we have got to act as men and women that have minds and souls and that are under obedience to God. Now, if they should come here and say you must close up your work and your presses on Sunday, I would not say to you to keep your presses going, because the conflict does not come between you and your God. When they go a little farther and say you must keep Sunday and you shall not observe Saturday, then everyone that took the position would have the mark of the beast.
(2SAT 127.3)
If the authorities should say, “Don’t carry on work here on Sunday” —and we know what they will do—there is plenty you can do. You can go on missionary work and make that a day in which you will see what you can accomplish in the work of drawing souls to Jesus Christ, for God does not want us to gratify the devil by defying the powers. You know, when Peter asked Christ about paying tribute, He said, “Are not all the children free?” but, said He, lest He should offend them, “do you go down to the sea and the first fish that you take up, open its mouth and do you take that piece of money and do you pay for yourself, Peter, and for Me.”Matthew 17:27.
(2SAT 127.4)
Then there are other things that they may draw the line on, but we are not ready for the line to be drawn here in regard to the Sunday law. You just go to work, every one of you, to disappoint the devil and see how much you can do, how many souls you can bring into the truth.
(2SAT 127.5)
Then there is health reform. God wants you to come up on that point. He wants you to show the world that you believe your bodies to be His dwelling place. Look after your human machinery. Do not do anything that will harm you mentally or physically, and if you love the Lord God with all your heart every appetite will be brought into harmony with God, for how can two walk together unless they be agreed, and he that will be My disciple, let him deny himself and follow Me. Now, Christ did not mix Himself up with the world, as the Pharisees would have Him do. Why? Because He had a special work to do. Now, let those who come into this institution see that you have a special work and a mind of your own.
(2SAT 127.6)
Our churches are far behind on the subject of health reform. This does not please God, because He sent a special message on this point. He gives you life but you can cut short that life by your own course of action. You must cooperate with God.
(2SAT 128.1)
If after apprentices have been here for a time, if they have no spirit of respect for God in the institution, no spirit of respect for the truth, and just as soon become skeptics as anything else, why, just remove them from the office. You may miss their labor, but should a new class come in, these are the very ones that would sneer and laugh at their being so precise. Now, these very things have taken place here. There has been carelessness. The sooner such are disconnected with the work the better. Every one here, let me tell you, either God or Satan has power over your mind. Now, when it comes to holidays, if a man has a penny or a shilling he must get on the cars and go and spend it somewhere. Now, we must understand we can make our own holidays, but we must not have a holiday because somebody is dead or somebody is alive or it is somebody’s birthday.
(2SAT 128.2)
Some say we have more holidays in America, but I know better. We have a few, New Year’s and Christmas and a few other holidays, but very few. I would give you a word of caution concerning the work which comes into this institution. Don’t become scavengers. Pigs are scavengers. God made them so. They pick up everything—every dirty thing. God does not want you to be that way. He does not want you to pick up every bit.
(2SAT 128.3)
Now, some say to me, Just tell us what work we should do, just what line we should carry. Now, I do not know that. God has given each of you your capabilities to judge. There are those that will want you to define every movement. Now, God does not want you to do any such thing. He does not wind us up and then wind us up again like a clock. No, He does not do that. Now, if we have our work fixed line upon line to say everyone must work in that way, the devil will know just where to find us. You do not need every point marked out just so. But to labor to be one is the great thing. Labor to stand heart to heart and soul to soul and mind to mind through Jesus Christ. Don’t lift up the man. Don’t exalt him. If you do, Satan will step in and make mischief. Don’t scold. Don’t fret. You are not to have favorites, because that is not in accordance with God’s will. Treat one another kindly and help one another, not in the way to hell but in the way to heaven, and you may be obtaining victories that you did not dream of; and we want everyone to have this blessed experience.
(2SAT 128.4)
Now, this might be the last chance I will have to speak to you, so I want to tell you something else. Dress yourselves in modest apparel as Christians, and walk modestly before God. God help us to understand what it means to be a Christian. It is to be God-like. What is it? How can two walk together except they be agreed? You want to walk with God, and then Christ will hold out to you a crown of immortality.—Ms 163, 1898 (MR 900.63).
(2SAT 129.1)