Chapter 20—A Long-Standing Adventist and His Mistress

To One Far Gone in Disobedience—My poor, deceived, sinful brother, I will now address a few words to you for whom I have had so great a burden and interest for many years. Ira K, for years your course has been a sinful course. I have written to you but have received no response, and the reproof given has had no effect upon your course of action....

You have a work to do for your own soul. Make haste, or it will be forever too late. God will now forgive the scarlet sin if you will do those things you ought to do to make your wrongs right. I do not say your case is hopeless, but you have certainly almost sinned away your day of grace; and yet Jesus is in the sanctuary. Jesus pleads in your behalf. Your brethren and your sisters have labored much for you; so much interest have they manifested for you that you have regarded crime and sins as a light matter. But Jesus loves you, and I present or lift up Jesus before you.

Satan tells you that it is not best for you to cease sinning; you have gone so far in disobedience and transgression that it is no use for you to try to come back to God. While I feel that full disgrace of your sins is upon you, while I would have you see sin as it is, I would all the time present Jesus as a sin-pardoning Saviour.

Eleventh-hour Pardon—The sands of your life are nearly run out, and now if you will come to God just as you are, without one plea but that He has died to save the chiefest of sinners, you will find pardon even in this the eleventh hour. Man must cooperate with God. Christ did not die to have the power to cover transgression unrepented of and unconfessed. Not all sins are to be confessed publicly, but some are to be confessed alone to God and the parties that have been injured.

Christ’s Imputed Righteousness—Righteousness of Christ imputed to men means holiness, uprightness, purity. Unless Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us we could not have acceptable repentance. The righteousness dwelling in us by faith consists of love, forbearance, meekness, and all the Christian virtues. Here the righteousness of Christ is laid hold of and becomes a part of our being. All who have this righteousness will work the works of God....

But the robes of Christ’s righteousness never cover cherished sins. No one can enter into the marriage supper of the Lamb without the wedding garment on, which is the righteousness of Christ. Without holiness no man shall see God. God is waiting to give divine power to every soul to combine with human effort. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12~13^L.

Christ is the perfection of divine character. He is the model we are to follow. Peter’s words are full of meaning: “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance; but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” 1 Peter 1:14-16^L....

Names in the Book of Life—John in Revelation, in his description of the New Jerusalem, says, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” Revelation 21:27^L. Well may you ask, “Is my name written there?” It is registered in that book of life if you have a character that is pure and holy like the character of Christ. Faith in the truth alone will not save us. We must be like Christ if we shall one day see Him as He is.

“Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as He is pure.” 1 John 3:3^L. Any hope aside and separate from purity and righteousness is a snare of Satan, sophistry, and fatal delusion. Jesus came to our world, and graciously stands inviting us to come unto Him and learn of Him, believe in Him; and as we come, He grafts us into His life and into His character. Our drawing nigh to Christ is faith, and the grafting process is adoption; and by this mutual act we become sons of God and joint heirs with Christ, partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Grafts Into Christ—This ingrafting in Christ separates us from the world. No longer will we love the society of the vile and contaminated and contaminating. We will be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Then rich clusters of fruit are borne. The graces of the Spirit are borne in love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness. We have new affections, new appetites, new tastes. Old things have passed away, and lo, all things have become new.

A Life or Death Choice—Now I ask you, Brother K, will you serve God with your whole heart, keeping all His commandments, or will you serve the devil? Will you, irrespective of consequences, put yourself on Christ’s side? God will not force your service. It is life or death with you. If you come to Jesus, confessing your sins as a humble penitent, He will forgive you your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. You cannot turn from sin until you hate sin and love purity and truth and righteousness. I entreat you now to come just as a little child, humbling your heart before God, and Jesus will pardon your transgression.

Society of the Ungodly—I hope Annie will no longer hold the influence over you that she has. If she does, it is ruin, eternal ruin, to you both. You have much, altogether too much, sympathy while your wife is wronged, deceived, robbed of the respect due her, your children robbed of that confidence which you should give them, to give to aliens. You have a work to do, and that without delay, or the wages of sin will be your portion.

Turn away from the society of the ungodly; devote every moment of your time in seeking the Lord while He may be found. You cannot live two lives, one for Christ and one for the devil. How long will you delight in sin itself, which is so abhorrent to God? All the sweet influences of the Spirit of God have become extinguished in your soul. Now change. I tell you not to be despairing, but to come to a merciful, sin-pardoning Saviour. Sever the links; disconnect from them.

You tremble to do this because you fear exposure. You cannot but be exposed ere long, however much you may conceal your true condition. God has opened matters to me that I might encourage you to make another trial for your soul. You must choose between selfishness and sin on the one hand, and Christ, His purity and righteousness, on the other. If you surrender to God heart, soul, and body you will no longer be the servant of sin. Oh, I cannot endure the thought that one who has had so great light shall remain the servant of sin and of Satan.

Entire Transformation—There is no hope for you except in an entire transformation of character. Then you will try to honor Christ and to be like Christ. His law will be the rule of your life. Make haste to turn your feet in the path of holiness. Save your soul by casting yourself at the foot of the cross. Then come to Jesus and be happy, and go to heaven. Preaching is not all you need, but you need sins rebuked as Nathan rebuked David. “Thou art the man.” 2 Samuel 12:7^L. You must have godliness, a pure heart, a perfect life, or die in your sins and perish with the ungodly.

May the Lord convince your soul, is my prayer.—Letter 1e, 1890.

Message to a Mistress—I have a few words to write to you. For some years your course has been open before me in connection with the family of Ira K, but these are hidden chapters in the experience of you both, which may have been surmised by some, that have been binding you together in unholy companionship. I hear that you and your brother have been converted; and if this report is true, you will bring forth fruit meet for repentance. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper.” Proverbs 28:13^L.

You have held a strong influence over Ira K. Your connection with him has been of that character that you well know, unless repented of and confessed, you will never see the kingdom of heaven. Can you sell your soul so cheaply? Is it possible that sin has lost its hideousness to you? I have not the slightest confidence in him whom I have long called Brother K.

His course has been opened before me in plain, distinct lines. No one knows that which I know of the wretched past. I never meant anyone should know of it, but the end of Ira K’s life is not far off, and shall he go into eternity with his sins unconfessed, unrepented of? What will you say when you shall stand before the judgment bar of God?

Does Sin Appear Sinful?—He has so long been following the impulses of his own corrupt heart that sin does not appear to him exceedingly sinful. Now, as your thoughts have been awakened to the serious thoughts of the salvation of your soul, I hope you see the hatefulness of sin; I hope you will now confess your sins before it shall be forever too late. If Ira K dies as he is now, fastened in iniquity, what will you both have to meet in the judgment? Your course has been a sad and distressing course in this matter. Did you think that God did not see these things? ...

God’s eye has been upon you. He has marked your deceptive course. You have alienated the affections of Ira K from his long-suffering wife. You have held your influence over Ira K, and he dare not break it; he dare not displease you.... You have, like the archdeceiver, framed lies, and have worked upon a mind that was degraded and cheapened and perverted by his own sin to make him view things in altogether a distorted light.

Now, if God has touched your heart, as I sincerely hope He has, you will humble your heart, you will fall upon the Rock and be broken. You will confess your sins, and forever forsake them, and begin a new life. You will now have things brought to your remembrance in regard to your course of action toward a worn, burdened child of God—Sister K. She has had her faults, but she has not despised reproof. She has ever been ready to bow to the light and will of God.

But as your case has been opened before me, and as your sins have been pointed out to me, I have kept them to myself, hoping that a time would come when your hard spirit might be softened. I now implore you to seek the salvation of your soul before it shall be forever too late. The sins of fault-finding with Sister K are light in comparison with your sin and that of her husband. You have both been weaving a net about yourselves that has been growing firm as bands of steel, but the judgments of God will not be long deferred if you continue on in the way you have been.

God’s Forbearance, Then God’s Wrath—God keeps a record of the sins of nations and of individuals, and when they have reached a certain measure they are full; then when the long forbearance of God is exhausted, His wrath slumbereth not. If necessary, I can show you the reproofs given Ira K. I can no longer call him Brother, for he is not a Christian. I have labored to keep him from the depths of despair, all the time hoping that he would see the evil of his course, that he would repent before he had grieved away the last ray of the mercy of God forever.

But I have been shown that he sets his mind and heart against rightdoing and receives your cruel influence as truth. You have helped him to turn from those who are his true friends, who would exert an influence to save his soul. It is time for me to speak. Ira K does not want me to come to his home. He does not want me near him, for he fears God will rebuke his wicked course, and yours.

I dare not keep these things from you. I hope you will now seek the Lord with your whole heart, that you may find Him. Better go in humility all the rest of your life than to lose your own soul and be the means of other souls being lost through your course of action. Sin does not appear exceeding sinful to you, but God says, “I know thy works.” So every deception you have practiced, every false word you have uttered, and to every unholy action there has been a watcher from whom you could not exclude yourself.

At Belshazzar’s Feast—Little did Belshazzar think on that night of that sacrilegious feast that there was a messenger from heaven watching his every movement; and that night the performance in that palace brought the figures of his evil works to their full measure. He was no longer to be protected and shielded by God. The restraining power was no longer to ward off the evil; he was to fall, his kingdom was to pass into other hands, and his body was to be slain.

Appeals From God’s Word—My heart is full of sadness. I inquire, Must these souls be left to come up in the second resurrection; left to be outside the city of God among “dogs and sorcerers and adulterers” and those who “loveth and maketh a lie?” Revelation 22:15^L. What can I say to you? You have a strong, hard spirit, unless you have fallen upon the Rock and are broken.

The Lord has said, “Come now, and let us reason together: ... though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” Isaiah 1:18^L. “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” Isaiah 55:6, 7^L. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” 1 John 1:9, 10^L.

I beseech of you, let the work go deep; make thorough work. In the place of carrying your supposed grievances to Ira K, a poor, erring, sinful mortal, to obtain sympathy, take your grievances to Jesus. He has invited you, “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^L.—Letter 23a, 1890.

Another Message to the Mistress—I again address you not to fail in this time which is the crisis of your life, to take the only right course left for you to take. The stronghold of sin is in the will. Put your will on God’s side of the question; place yourself no longer in the position of a sinner, a harlot. You may not see clearly how you will obtain deliverance from the sins which have been cherished, and strengthened with repetition. The only way is to confess your sins, forsake them, and believe that Jesus will pardon you.

Your deliverance is to be found in Christ, and Him alone. Your temper and your pride must die, and Christ live in you, else you are still in the bondage of sin and iniquity. You must humble your heart before God, and Jesus will pity and save you....

If you desire to be a Christian, now is your time; now is the golden opportunity. You can walk in purity only by looking and beholding, praying and believing in Jesus moment by moment. You have been living in adultery so long that sin does not appear heinous to you. You love sin. If now you want to leave sin, you must forever renounce it. If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. You must not hide or excuse your sins, but you must arise and make haste to confess your sins, and save your soul by seeking the forgiveness of your sins.

Evil Influence of Family Members—Oh, it is a terrible thing to be lost. Your course has been a sad and distressing one. Time is short. Will you now come? Will you sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn of Him? There is hope for you, but you have had miserable counselors, and if you love Jesus you hate the evil course, and even the conversation and companionship, of your own relatives who have given themselves soul, body, and spirit to work the works of Satan. He has control of their imaginations and evil intentions to do wickedly.

May the Lord send most deep convictions to your soul, for I never want to give publicity to the things which I have been shown; and I hope you will take a course which will make it unnecessary for me to do this.—Letter 24a, 1890.

A Second Letter to Ira K—Today I have just received your response to my letter, and I cannot rest tonight without writing to you again and saying, “Repent of your sins without delay.” Your course has been opened before me; your management in business, your reckless expenditure of money, your associations with the vile and corrupt; and yet God is willing to pardon even you....

Had it not been for your unlawful, unholy connection with Miss L, you would not have pursued so unnatural a course toward your own children. You have felt hard and unreconciled with [your daughter] Lucinda, but clung all the time to a harlot, and your commerce with her was of that character that your God-fearing children had none of your love, your sympathy. But my letter is not to condemn you, but to awaken you to repentance. I hear Anna has professed to be converted. This is the only time I dared to write to you or to her, knowing it would not do a bit of good, for the hardness of both your hearts and your stubbornness to pursue an evil course have been marvelous.

Jesus, Only Hope of Sinners—The bewitching power of Satan has been upon you. But make no delay; Jesus is at the right hand of God and mercy still lingers. “Come now,” says the Lord, “and let us reason together; ... though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” Isaiah 1:18^L. Yes, Jesus is the sinner’s only hope. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money (no goodness, no righteousness, nothing to recommend him to God); come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” Isaiah 55:1^L.

Cannot you come just now, just as you are, saying, “In my hand no price I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling” ? “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David” Isaiah 55:2, 3^L.... .

A Change of Heart Versus Suicide—Consider these words: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened: ... and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:12, 15^L.

Do not, I entreat of you, sit down in hopeless despair and do nothing. Do not heed any further the great tempter, that it is no use for you to try. You could but perish if you came to Jesus just as you are, sinful and polluted, vile and depraved; but Jesus is amply able to save the very hardest and the most wicked and defiled sinner.

You say you are tempted to cut the brittle thread of life; but if you do, then your case is hopeless, for you add the sin of murder to all your other sins. But if you come just as you are, helpless and sin-polluted, and cast yourself at the foot of the cross, poor, miserable, blind, and naked, there is a Saviour to lift you up. I know that you have not for many, many years been in harmony with God. You have for a long stretch of years been following another leader, which is the prince of darkness; but if you will cast off the works of darkness, if you will now look unto Jesus, you will live.

Prayers in Behalf of Sinners—But you must look in faith. The true Christian life you have known nothing of for years; but while your powers have been so wasted and you have served Satan with a high hand, the Lord has heard prayer in your behalf, and has not cut you off in your sins, which He might easily have done if mercy were gone forever. Yes, God has heard the prayers of those whom you have refused to connect with, those who love God and keep the commandments. You have been utterly blind, deplorably deceived, deluded, and ensnared by the devil....

Another Chance—Now year after year is gone, and God gives you through His delegated servant another chance. Will you repent? Will you confess your sins and forsake them? If you arouse your will power, relying wholly on the strength of Jesus, you will yet be an overcomer; but, let the consequences be what they will, you must separate entirely from the class you have associated with....

I cannot give you up to be lost. You have been blind to all the higher interests of the soul, to all the blessed, glorious attractions of a heavenly life in the city of God. You have labored for that which is not bread; you have sacrificed peace and honor, and sacrificed the companionship of the children of God, even your own children, that you might walk without obstructions in your own way. You have striven to content yourself in the secrets of sinful pleasure and base gratifications, irrespective of God and heaven, and yet Jesus offers you that which you most need, that which is of infinite gain, even if it cost the toil and suffering of a whole lifetime.

Hope for One With a Hardened Conscience—Now you have no hope; you are without God; and yet Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. Will you now cry to God with a broken, repentant heart, “Jesus of Nazareth, have mercy on me?” Luke 18:38^L. I press this matter upon your conscience. May God urge it upon your soul with arguments of mighty power. Oh, that the blind might see the solemnity of eternal judgment, and deepen the appeal I make to you at this time. I am writing in the early morning hours, while all in the house are locked in slumber. Be not determined to be lost. You cannot comprehend what a terrible thing it is to be lost. Your conscience has become hardened in sin and transgression and unbelief; but you may, if you will, fall on the Rock Christ Jesus and be broken before it is utterly too late, crying, “Jesus of Nazareth, have mercy on me.” Luke 18:39^L. If you do this, God will not leave you to perish....

Whatever suggestions Satan may make to keep your soul bound in sin and despair, I still say, Go to Jesus, the sin-pardoning Saviour, without delay. And may the Lord who is mighty to save rescue you out of the snare of the devil, is my prayer.—Letter 1d, 1890.