EGW WritingsJohn 15

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)

Ms 182, 1907

San Pasqual, California

May 11, 1907

Previously unpublished.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 1

John 15:1, 2. “Purges” means that He allows some trial to come upon them that will drive them to the seeking of the Lord, that they shall bring forth more fruit.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 2

Verse 3. “Through the Word,” obedience to that Word.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 3

Verses 4-7. Well, now, that is a very large benefit that He has presented to us.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 4

Verses 7, 8. That is an evidence of discipleship.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 5

Verses 9, 10. What a precious assurance this is to every soul that is living the Christian life through receiving the merits of the blood of a crucified and risen Saviour!

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 6

Verse 11. Now that is a wonderful promise: “that your joy might be full.” It is Christ’s joy that remains in the individual Christian who is walking in Christ’s footsteps, following on to know the Lord, that they may know that His going forth is prepared as the morning.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 7

Verse 12. That is a most wonderful consideration: “as I have loved you.” That joy to give My very life, that you might have everlasting life in the kingdom of God.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 8

Verse 13. Now you can see how God regards our relationship to one another. We must take the Word of God as the man of our counsel. We must study what it means from the beginning to the very close of the text or the Scriptures that we are searching, and then follow on, follow on, to know more and still more of the Lord. We can embrace a great deal with our faith if we have that growing from Him.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 9

Verse 2. So perhaps you may think as I did once when my husband was cutting away the vine, why, I almost felt as though it was cut in two. Why do you cut them so much? “Why,” he said, “Ellen, they must bear fruit.” And if you let all the surplus branches here that bear no fruit, if you let them stay in the vine, then we shall have great limit of what we might otherwise have. The very life is in the vine. If you watch it, if you examine it, you will see that it is seldom that you can find two leaves exactly alike. You will find that there are differences in the leaves, and in the branches, and so it will be with our Christian life. We shall find that others have an experience varying from ours. It is not in the very same line that we have thoughts and words and acts and all these, so that we duplicate one another. No; every soul must keep his eye fastened upon the Word of God and on Christ, to know what He means in all His words that He hath said to instruct us.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 10

Verse 10. Now that is a wonderful promise. I am determined to keep His commandments and abide in His love, and every soul of us must do this if we answer to the vows of our baptism. Here we were baptized to be dead unto the world and its sinful propensities, when we offered ourselves in baptism. Then the baptism took place in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, the three great powers in heaven. These powers we have taken hold of. If we are dead to sin and to the distractions of the world, we will not be anxious to dress just like the world, to talk just like the world, because there is a distinction. You are drawing from the Source, and the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost is pledged to every soul that will lay right hold upon His grace—that will pray, that will sacrifice, that will cut off these hindrances that shut the heart to the suggestions of Jesus Christ. Now we want every soul of us to be in the position that we are men and women of prayer.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 11

Verse 10. Now what has He said about His commandments? He speaks to His church, “Ye are dead, dead, buried with Christ in baptism, and risen to walk in newness of life.” [See Romans 6:4.] This is charged upon every one of us, that we are to abide in His love. And when we abide in the love of Christ, it will be our determination to live the truth before all that we associate with, to carry out that precious love toward them as Christ has toward us. But if we are ready to look and watch, and we draw ourselves, and say, No, I cannot have any fellowship with them, now you see, whether you have fellowship with them or not, there is a duty to do. Christ has to fellowship with us, until we come in fellowship with Him. He comes and teaches us, and He lays down the rule of life as keeping His commandments and abiding in His love, as He keeps His Father’s commandments and abides in His love.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 12

Now we have that precious privilege, and if we see and our hearts are grieved with the course of action of any one around us, He has given us instruction what to do. Don’t you come here to the altar unless you are prepared. If you see and know that there is a difference between you and another person, leave there thy gift, and go and be reconciled, go and seek that person and be reconciled. If we went through that performance, I think we should have very different movements in reference to our course of action toward each other. The Lord wants us to come into line.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 13

It is time that there was a great deal of repenting done by brethren and sisters that claim to believe the truth, but their tongue is not under the influence of truth. Our tongue is a great talent; our voice is a great talent, and the Lord wants us to appreciate it. He wants us to not feel that we can cut loose from this one and that one, and that we ourselves are perfect, because we do not know but what Christ will cut loose from us. No, our talent of voice, our talent of conversation, may be a blessing to those with whom we associate. The voice is a great talent, and in the house and in the home, there should be no fretting, no scolding.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 14

I have stood before a congregation in a large tent, and there was a woman that had two children, one on either side. Now, the children were amusing themselves innocently, but it seemed as though the mother had a quarrelsome spirit and she would shake that child, and shake it. Well, she did that the third time, and I stepped right down from the desk. I went to her; said I, “Are you a child of God?” She colored up. “Yes, I claim to be.” “Did you act like one when you shook that child and set it crying?” “Well,” she said, “I don’t know as I did.” “Well,” said I, “It is best for each individual to know what composes a Christian character. If you give loose rein, and I have seen you give loose rein in this tent, I want to tell you that you are to be converted, and we want you to be converted at this meeting. We do not want you to carry the spirit home that you have had here in this meeting.”

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 15

Here are these little ones, and when Christ was upon the earth, He was giving the disciples important instruction, but He was watching something. His all-seeing eye took in the mothers as they left their homes, and trod the dusty streets, and collected from one family and another family and another, until there was quite a group of mothers and children, so anxious to get where they could have the hand of Christ placed upon the heads of their children to bless them. They brought them in during His discourse, and as they brought them up to the entrance He heard a “No, no, the Master is teaching. He cannot be troubled with these children,” and the disciples were sending them away. [Matthew 19:14.] His ear caught the sound in a moment.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 16

He told them, “Forbid them not. Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not,” and they would climb upon Him. [Mark 10:14.] All tired out He would take them upon His knee and there He would go on, one on one arm, and one arm around another one and another sitting at His feet, there He would instruct those children and parents, and all could gather the light, because the parents could bring that light to the hearts of the children.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 17

He wants us to be a great deal more like Himself than we are. The language is eloquent when it is used in the right way, but when that language is turned to reproof and scolding and fretting in movement and talking to the children, He does not want any of it at all, because you create a quarrel with your children. It is best for every parent to feel that they are responsible to God for the instruction He gave right to the children. Now, this is what should be done. Gather the instruction and teach your children to be obedient, because He is pleased to have them obedient. Bring in that blessed name, and angels will be around the one that would instruct in that way. We cannot afford to lose the opportunity with our children, because we are bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Now, that is what we are doing. The voice is a treasure when it shall speak words of education in little things and allow the Holy Spirit of God to impart itself to the parents, so that they can impart it to the children.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 18

If I had sadness in my voice at any time when some would be speaking to me, and I would express a regret, the first thing I would say, the little children’s lips would begin to pucker up and they would cry. In a moment, it struck me that I spoke with sadness in regard to some things that had taken place, and that sadness struck the tender cords of the heart. O, Christ is present with us. He is present. And He knows the disposition and temperament of every soul of us here. He knows whether you bring into your house and into your family the sweetness of a subdued, controlled disposition or not.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 19

Now if you claim to be a follower of Christ, He will prune you that you may bring forth the right quality of fruit in actions. If we will talk less about trash and about unimportant things and save the voice so that we can speak in tenderness and in love, then we are indeed where we are answering to the words of Christ that we bear the right quality of fruit.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 20

If he has taken his position on the platform of eternal truth, the father is the priest of the household. He is to guard every child, that it should comprehend what kindness is, what tenderness is, what love is, what obedience is. He may have to punish the child for disobedience because Jesus Christ punishes us for disobedience. He pruneth so that we may bring forth more fruit of the right quality. Now, in every household, we are to stand in right relation to God as this is His property, bought with a price; every child is bought with a price. Just think of this. And what a price!

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 21

He left the royal courts of heaven because He saw, after the sin of Satan, wickedness possessing children. They were possessed of devils, many were, and He thought the time had come. He laid off His royal crown, He laid aside His royal robe, He clothed His divinity with humanity, that He might come into our world as a little child, not of wealthy parents, but poor parents, so there was not even a place for His birth but a stable, and there were the cattle around where Christ was born. He came to stand close in connection with humanity, there to educate, and as He did, there were those that would flock around to get where He was, and on one occasion there were five thousand.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 22

They had been following Him where He went, until He saw one and another fainting and falling to the ground. Did he take no notice of it? He noticed it, and He said, The company is weary and hungry, and fainting, is there not any food here that we could give them? Here there are five loaves and a few fishes. Well, bring them, all of them. Sit down here in companies. Now there were five thousand besides women and children. You think of that. He passes that food to the disciples, and in passing it into the hands of the hungry multitude there was just as much left. Christ had just as much left, but He kept imparting it, and thus they were filled. Their hunger was satisfied.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 23

He asked the blessing upon the food and is accumulated, and after they were all satisfied, He said to them, “Gather up the fragments, let nothing be lost.” [John 6:12.] And they gathered up the fragments. Now, there is a great thing in this. We have not a right, any of us in any case to gamble. We haven’t a right in any case to obtain means that will rob another of means by conniving, not a bit of it. We must be in that position where we shall feel we have a right to impart that which God has given us.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 24

O, I felt so thankful, when in Australia, that I could see the poverty. They said when we came there, “It is no use for you to think you can get up a reformation here. (These were the authorities of the place.) You cannot do it. You cannot lay anything down and turn around a minute but it is gone. Thieving of every kind is here.” Well, we decided to go right into the woods, and we did. We pitched tents. There we worked to establish something.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 25

We have today reports that the school is a prosperous school, and turning out workers at every point. Well, they thought it was so strange that Sister White would go right into the wilderness. And there was purchased 1500 acres of land, and there the work was carried on to establish a place where the truth could be taught not only to the children, but to older people. Whenever we would go the four miles from the house, we would see a woman tugging along a child by the hand, and another in her arms. We would make room for her in the carriage and take her to the station. Well, we would accommodate them every way we could. They began to bring to us the sick children. Sister McEnterfer had had a good lesson in the school where she had learned nursing, and she would go and attend the hardest cases. The physician would come quite a number of miles—it was 22 miles—he would look at the case and deal out something little liquid from a bottle, and tell it them to give it to her, but it did her no good at all. We made a hospital of our home, and we tried in every way to remove this feeling from the people that they could steal. The first box of provisions we got we had sent about seventy miles to get it, and we put it in our little storehouse and when we went to look for it, it was not there. There were loaves of bread that we had taken out of the oven, and we went to look, and there was no bread there. They took every one. But wherever we went, we never thought of locking our doors. We left the doors open to them, but they never took any thing after they became acquainted with us and knew what we were doing.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 26

They would come with their babies in their arms, and ask: “Can you do anything for my baby?” We would take right hold. And thus we carried on the work doing a missionary work for all around us that needed it. This was our work and we found that it was the best missionary work that could possibly do so as to remove that desire to get possession of what did not belong to them. And we had no trouble. But they would come in the night, six miles for Miss McEnterfer to come. She would get on horseback and follow the leader away out into the bush and come to his family and work with them through the night and relieve them. Now this is the kind of work, that disarmed prejudice, and I thank God that it is the privilege of every household to have Christ as an honored guest in their house.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 27

It is the privilege of fathers and mothers not to scold, but to demand obedience. That can be done, but to educate yourselves as scolders and remove the love from the heart of the child, parents, it never will pay. But you can demand obedience, and tell the child you cannot let them grow up in sin. They must be punished if they commit sin, as God punishes us when we are sinners. He lets us have a hard time. But here I must not spend too much time.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 28

[John 15] Verses 13-17. Just as you want to be favored and loved, you want to educate your children how to love you and you love your children.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 29

Verses 18-21. Will you read that chapter through? It is the fifteenth chapter of John. I will not hold you but a few minutes longer, but I want to say this: every soul of us is required of God that we should help every other soul that we can. We are not to close our doors and let souls suffer and we not help them. We are to represent Christ. Christ loved the world; He gave His life for the world, and our precious Saviour placed Himself where—what did He do? He placed Himself in that position where He could be a blessing to the world. “Ye are,” He said to His disciples, “the light of the world.” “Let your light so shine ... in heaven.” [Matthew 5:14, 16.] Keep back that hasty suggestion to your mind. Love one another. There is so little of Christlike forbearance and love, and I want to tell you, the converting power of God must come through the churches wherever they are. And there must be an awakening to take hold. There are souls perishing in their sins, and we want to tell them.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 30

I was trying to speak in the little school up here, for them to have little contribution boxes for the South. I advised them to make them and have these little boxes, and teach their children, in the place of laying out money for candies and for things that they can do without, to put their pennies and small silver bits into these little boxes. Some of you will be ingenious enough to get up that box and fasten it up for a month, and then when it is opened to see how much there is to send on to the missionaries to help educate the colored people. This is what we are trying to do in missionary efforts, and there is a work for every one of us to do. Do not waste God’s money on anything, on bows, on ribbons, or on any portions of dress that are not necessary. It is God’s money you are handling. It is God’s money that you are wasting, and God wants us to be fitting up for His kingdom by self-denial. He said to one, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” [Luke 9:58.]

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 31

We want to do missionary work as we have never done it before. We want to carry out the missionary efforts as far as possible. We want to send to different climes, to different places, to carry the missionary work forward. It is going as it never has gone before, and we have not one particle of means to waste. We want to invest it as God’s money. “The silver and gold,” He declares, “is Mine.” [Haggai 2:8.] And so it is. And we are to invest that silver, we are invest that gold, in the cause of God, to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth. Hunt for souls, hunt for them, and may every one of us practice the self-denial and the self-sacrifice that is essential. We must have means; we must have it to establish in various places schoolhouses, and meetinghouses. They will be humble. They will be made very plain and very simple. I am very glad you have this meetinghouse. It looks simple and plain, and yet nice and fully capable of doing honor to the meetings that shall be held in it. I thank the Lord in your behalf for this. Now let us do all we can to bring the light of truth right in where we are. The Holy Spirit will come. “Ye are the light of the world ... in heaven.” [Matthew 5:14-16.]

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 32

What are you doing? Are you laborers together with God and with Jesus Christ? And we may be partakers of the divine nature. Let us be Christians, let us arise in the name of the Lord God of Israel and put all our interest possible into the soulsaving process. “Ye are dead, and your life is hid ... in glory.” [Colossians 3:3, 4.]

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 33

Now I will not take any more of your time, for I understand there is going to be another meeting here. But do not quarrel; do not let Christians quarrel. It is the biggest sin you can commit on the face of the earth. It is letting darkness and satanic influences arise. Do not quarrel; do not find fault, but let every one press together in the name of the Lord God of Israel, and you will have a blessing all the way along. A converted tongue, you want a converted voice; you want one that is full of music, and not full of harshness. God give us the fruit of righteousness is the prayer that I shall offer in this congregation.

22LtMs, Ms 182, 1907, par. 34

Hereafter I shall remember you, but God help you that every step you take may be a step in advance, that you may see the King in His beauty.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)

Lt 391, 1907

22LtMs, Lt 391, 1907, par. 5

Last Sabbath I spoke for one hour at the church at San Diego. The Lord gave me freedom. No one left the house during the service, and all listened intently. I spoke from the fifteenth chapter of John, and the first verse: “I am the true Vine, and My Father is the husbandman.” I was surprised that I could speak with such strength and that I had such clearness of mind. I feel very grateful to God that He still gives me a testimony to bear to His people.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)

Lt 394, 1907

22LtMs, Lt 394, 1907, par. 3

It has been some time since I have visited Paradise Valley Sanitarium. Last Sabbath I spoke in San Diego. The church was crowded. Many unbelievers were present. I spoke from John fifteen—“I am the True Vine.” [Verse 1.] Every one seemed much interested. I spoke for one hour and then prayed after speaking. The Lord gave me freedom, for which I thank Him. I wish now, more than I have ever wished at any other period of my life, to speak in messages of warning to the people. The end is near, and I am earnestly desirous of making every effort in my power to give the last message of warning to the world. I have an appointment out for next Sabbath to speak in the San Diego church again.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)

Lt 392, 1907

22LtMs, Lt 392, 1907, par. 1

I thank the Lord that He has sustained me on this journey. I have done much important writing. On Sabbath a week ago, and again last Sabbath, I spoke in the church at San Diego. At both services the house was crowded full. A week ago I spoke from the fifteenth chapter of John, beginning with the words, “I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman.” Last Sabbath I spoke on the third chapter of Revelation. The whole congregation listened with intense interest.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)

Lt 362, 1907

22LtMs, Lt 362, 1907, par. 5

Yesterday, by request, I spoke to the patients in the parlor from the fifteenth chapter of John. “I am the true Vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

22LtMs, Lt 362, 1907, par. 6

“Now ye are clean”—how?—“through (obedience to) the Word which I have spoken unto you.” [Verses 1-3.]

22LtMs, Lt 362, 1907, par. 8

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” [Verse 4.] Bear this in mind, and endeavor to manifest the true features of a religious character. Unless this is the case, you cannot have the evidence that you are fruit-bearing branches of the vine. I want to meet you in the heavenly courts.

22LtMs, Lt 362, 1907, par. 9

“I am the Vine; ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit”—in good works of self-denial and self-sacrifice, in efforts to be a blessing to others. [Verse 5.]

22LtMs, Lt 362, 1907, par. 10

“For without Me ye can do nothing. ... If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” [Verses 5, 7.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)

Lt 368, 1907

22LtMs, Lt 368, 1907, par. 8

Last Monday, I was asked to speak in the parlor to the patients here at Loma Linda. I met a small number of intelligent-looking ladies and gentlemen. We could not sing, because above the room was a patient who had just undergone a critical operation. I offered prayer and then spoke from (John 15): “I am the true Vine, and My Father is the husbandman.” [Verse 1.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)

Lt 166, 1907

22LtMs, Lt 166, 1907, par. 3

I spent Friday at Dr. Judson’s, and on Sabbath spoke in the little church near her house. Many had come over from Escondido and the house was packed full. I was surprised to see Brother Oswald Stowell walk in and take a seat near the front. I was glad to see him and gave him a hearty hand shake. The Lord gave me freedom in speaking from the fifteenth chapter of John. I hope that the words spoken will have a good effect. A work needs to be done in San Pasqual and Escondido. Our brethren are giving themselves too much to the tilling of the land, and the truth has not had the attention it should have.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 22 (1907)

Lt 288, 1907

22LtMs, Lt 288, 1907, par. 9

This is Christ’s instruction to every church, to every printing establishment, to every sanitarium and every school; and I am instructed to present them to you. I thought to write to all, for these words are addressed to all who claim to be Christians, but concluded to let this wonderful discourse speak to you. Let it make its impression on your heart. The words of Christ recorded in the 15th, 16th, and 17th chapters of John are needed by all. In every home they are to be presented as a message from God, telling how we may come into possession of the grace of Christ. If we refuse to comply with the conditions He lays down, we will be counted unworthy to have a place with His people when Christ comes in His glory. Our unworthiness will then be made to appear; for we shall be unable to look upon His face.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 23 (1908)

Lt 76, 1908

23LtMs, Lt 76, 1908, par. 10

On one Sabbath I spoke to the church at San Diego. I spoke for one hour. The Lord gave me freedom. No one left the house during the service, and all listened intently. I spoke from the fifteenth chapter of John and the first verse: “I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman.” I was surprised that I could speak with such strength and that I had such clearness of mind. I feel very grateful to God that He still gives me His testimony to bear to the people.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 23 (1908)

Ms 141, 1908

Healdsburg, California

November 15, 1908

Previously unpublished.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 1

John 15:1. “Purgeth it.” Now consider this, how they come in their order. Verse 2. What does He mean by purging it? He permits trials to come to these very ones that they shall seek Him in their trials, and that they shall have the refinement and purification of His Holy Spirit. He says He purgeth it. He causeth some trial to come upon them. He taketh away anything that would seem to be a hindrance, that they think is an advantage. Sometimes we think that things are an advantage when they are not.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 2

Verses 3, 4. Now let us bear that in mind, abiding in Christ, seeking to understand His will, that you may do His will. If we will abide in Him, then He will give light, He will let them discern what the hindrances are to prevent their abiding in Him so that they will be very careful of the privileges that God is giving them.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 3

Verses 5-7. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord for this advantage, for this promise. And be sure and not forget it, because when we get into some trial we frequently lose sight of the precious promise. Now, we want to keep in view every word of encouragement that Christ was giving to His disciples just prior to His leaving them, and prior to His great affliction. He does not keep before them all the time the great sufferings He was going to go through, but He was gathering all the comforts, all the blessings that He could bring before them, that they shall bring to their minds the last lessons that He gave them.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 4

Verse 7. Precious, precious promise.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 5

Verse 8. The fruit bearing. Now we want to be sure that we are bearing fruit to the glory of God. We do not wish to consult our own feelings; we do not wish to be depressed if we feel that a discouragement comes upon us. We are not to allow ourselves to be depressed, because the promises are for us, and we are to take them. We are to rejoice in the promises, and we are to be made glad in Jesus Christ. Why, it is everything to us whether we are in a living connection with Jesus Christ, or not. It is everything. And if we do not always feel that we are in an exalted position of enjoyment, that is no evidence that we are not the Lord’s.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 6

Trials will come upon us. Others’ trials will come upon us; as we see that there is danger, any danger to any of Christ’s disciples, we shall feel sad, we shall feel grieved and distressed. But we can go to them just as Christ has told us in the early part of the history, and just tell your difficulties or tell how you feel between Him and you alone. And then you may be reconciled to your brother or your sister, and they to you. You may remove a great difficulty out of their way by a little explanation, so that you can be in harmony.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 7

Verse 8. Now what is our fruit? Our fruit is to reveal an abiding Christ in our hearts and [to have] His works revealed in our characters, that we are in harmony with Christ and that His blessing is resting upon us.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 8

Verse 9. Just see the comparison. The Father loving the Son. Now such words of instruction as these should be of great importance and value to every soul.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 9

Verses 9, 10. Now you see, He keeps Himself ready as it were, that we must be right in harmony with His experience, and He is telling you what His experience is and we must appreciate it, and we must consider these lessons of the highest value to us, and that we may know what course to pursue when tried and tempted and afflicted. Here we have our lessons.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 10

Verse 11. O, how careful He was to guard every point of the union of the disciples with Him, and the union of Christ with His disciples, and how precious these things are to be to us when we come and ask the Lord for the very things that we need.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 11

Verse 11. And if Christ’s joy remains in us that which rejoiced His heart is upon us, that your joy might be full. It is a living connection with the living, tenderhearted God. Jesus Christ is our heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is the Father with us. God is the Father, and there is the link of the chain brought right down to bind His children in connection with the Father.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 12

Verses 11, 12. What a representation is that! Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 13

Now the main thing in all this chapter is that Christ has died on the cross of Calvary to save the perishing that they might have eternal life. Just let us consider these things.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 14

Then it means a good deal what we are doing day by day. We are to watch the tone of our thoughts, and we are to watch the words that we speak. We are to watch unto prayer.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 15

Verses 15, 16. Now here He is trying to bind us up in the faith through Jesus Christ and obedience to His requirements.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 16

Verses 17-19. Why? Because they will not follow in the path of transgression and disobedience so as to offend God. They hate the disciples. There are those that do have hatred in their hearts.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 17

Verses 20-23. Now here He gives the portion of His work. Verse 24. Because they are one, and we are to be one in Christ, through Christ in God to do that obedience that Christ has given to the Father, to have that honor that the Father giveth the Son. Verses 25-27.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 18

Now here we have a chapter that we would do well to practice. We shall walk humbly with God. We shall not be exalted. We shall not climb up, climb up on our own merits, but we will hide our life Christ Jesus, and when we see how He walked in this world, we need make no mistake.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 19

Now, I want that every one of us in this church shall understand their responsibilities to God. I want everyone that is here to feel whatever the circumstances are, if you be broken up, or whatever the circumstances are, we are to put our trust in God. He will care for us. And we must have a living experience in the things of God every day. It becomes us to hang our helpless souls upon Jesus Christ, and unless we do that, then we shall certainly fail. He says in this chapter, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman, every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away.” Verses 1, 2.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 20

Now, we want a living experience in the things of God. We want all the mists and clouds of darkness swept away. We may be a people that shall be tried, but in the trial, whatever character it is, we are not to lose our hold on God. No. We are to remember that God lives, that He is our Helper, that He is our strength, that He is our Friend, front guard, and our rereward. We want in every way possible to keep the truth in circulation, and to have our minds uplifted to God. He knows every sorrow. He knows what produces it. He know every grief, and He knows what causes that grief. Then can we not cast our helpless souls upon Him? He loves us with a love that is infinite.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 21

The first night that I came here, I had been riding all day, and I was up. I could not sleep after half past two in the morning, and after riding all day, I lay down to sleep. This cheekbone set up. I had an accident years ago with that cheekbone, and the suffering that I have endured at times, I thought had left me. It came on at once upon me, and it seemed to me I should go frantic. I thought I would call Sara, and then it came to me, what can she do for me? She can do nothing for you. Then I knelt down and I told the Lord all about it, and I asked Him to relieve that terrible nervousness, and twitching, and that He would give me relief, for it seemed as though I should lose my senses. I lay down, thinking that perhaps I should not sleep a wink all night. The next morning I woke up; there was a little soreness, but the pain was gone.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 22

Now, the Lord heard my prayer. Just as much had I gone to Sara, I might have thought it was something she had done. But the Lord wanted me to know that He was a living God, that He was my helper, and I want to say to every afflicted soul that is here today, do not lose your hold of the only One that can understand your case, and that can bring you through every trial. I know that the Lord is our God and He wants us to do all that we can. We are to be in communion with God. Ye are laborers together with God. Now let us bear that in mind. All our sorrows, all our griefs, all our perplexities, it is laid upon the Burden-bearer. He gave His life for us, and He wants us to just trust in Him as One that can help us in our necessities. I have felt it decidedly time and again through the years that are past, and I know by experience that I have a living Helper. I know that He will be a Helper to every one of us if we will trust in Him.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 23

Circumstances will occur that we cannot hinder. It seemed as though the enemy was determined to cut us right off from having faith in God. God lives. God reigns, and that which we think may be the most terrible calamity may prove a blessing in the end. Now we want to have that tenderness, that compassion, that Christ had. And we want to love Him and we want to serve Him and we want to bear testimony for Him. We want to honor His name.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 24

Now we are going to pass through I do not know what. In changing the school we do not know what trials may come. But they will come just as sure, they will come. Now put on your armor. Just have a spirit of prayer, and believe that the Lord God is our helper.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 25

Time is very short. We can see by what is being transacted that the Spirit of God is being withdrawn from men. Just in the last paper you see there an attempt to kill one while they were in the trial halls in the court. Anywhere you are, the Spirit of God, unless it restrains the human agent, may reveal to us the dangers and the sufferings that will come. Now let us put our whole trust in God. And let us praise Him for His goodness and His mercy and His longsuffering, and His compassion, and if we do this, we shall see of His salvation.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 26

Now I want others to bear their testimony here, that are here today, and I pray God that when our school [is moved], if God opens the way that it shall be moved—every one will need to pray—that He will take charge of every movement.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 27

I have not been able to sleep nights, considering how we should move, and what we should do. Night after night I cannot sleep after one or two o’clock. And then my time is spent in telling the Lord of our necessities as a people, and begging of Him that not one will fall out by the way. We are His people; we are His children, and therefore we want to glorify His name upon the earth.

23LtMs, Ms 141, 1908, par. 28

Now perhaps there are some here that would like to bear testimony. Here is W. C. White and here is Dores Robinson and here is a people that love God and keep His commandments. We want to draw nigh to God. We want Him to draw nigh to us. We want a living religion, and to act as though we had a Saviour that could sustain us in every trial and in every difficulty. We cannot see the end from the beginning, but God can. And we want to know that He will not afflict us willingly, nor grieve the hearts of the children of men. “Behold what manner of love ... as he is.” [1 John 3:1, 2.] As a living Saviour, He will reward every man or woman according to their works. Then let us be careful what our work shall be. God help us. But we want to remember what manner of love the Father has bestowed us that we should be called the children of God.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 23 (1908)

Ms 92, 1908

Glendale, California

August 22, 1908

Portions of this manuscript are published in 7BC 982; 8MR 290; 9MR 381. +NoteOne or more typed copies of this document contain additional Ellen White handwritten interlineations which may be viewed at the main office of the Ellen G. White Estate.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 1

(Parlor Talk, Glendale Sanitarium, Glendale, California, Sabbath, August 22, 1908.)

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 2

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” [John 15:1, 2.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 3

When trials and difficulties come, and we feel that we are having a hard time, let us remember these words. The eye of God is upon us. The trials we are called upon to pass through leave us in a more favorable position than they found us. And why?—Because the Lord is leading us into a position where we may sustain a right relationship toward Him, with minds centered on the great privileges we have through Christ Jesus our Lord.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 4

When assailed by trials, let us be careful not to take the position of complainers, because by means of trials God is working to perfect in us a Christian character, that we may be qualified and fitted through the righteousness of Jesus Christ to enjoy His presence in the heavenly kingdom after our work here on the earth shall have been ended.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 5

If we study and heed the instruction that Christ has given us in His Word, we shall certainly be fruitful branches of the True Vine, for the Saviour has said:

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 6

“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing.” Vs. 3-5.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 7

In time of perplexing trial, we need to open our heart to the Saviour and seek Him earnestly. By faith we are to lay hold on the precious promises He has given us and appropriate them to our own individual cases in our necessities. Then how important it is that we do not allow our minds in any way to become careless and frivolous. It is important that we fix them upon the One who is able and willing and ready to assist us in every trying perplexity, and to give us the very impressions of His Holy Spirit that we need to sustain us under the trials we must meet.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 8

“If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” [Verses 6, 7.] Precious promise! Grasp it by faith.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 9

When abiding in Christ and learning of Him, you will not want anything that is inconsistent with the will of God.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 10

“Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. 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. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Vs. 8-11.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 11

In these Scriptures we have presented before us every encouragement to take all our trials and perplexities to the Lord in prayer, instead of running to some neighbor or other human being. As we go direct to the Lord Jesus and tell Him all about our troubles, relief will come to our hearts, and there will be left on the mind an impression that is healthful and saving to our souls.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 12

When we learn of Jesus the lessons He desires to teach us, we shall know what He means when He speaks of our bearing fruit to His glory. We shall then be looking about for some one whom we can help and bless. When abiding in Christ, we have something to say to those who are not abiding in Him. We have a work to do, and that work is to draw with Christ, constantly working to His name’s glory.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 13

Let us guard against allowing anything to escape our lips that is offensive to spirituality and that drives people away from us. There are too many who are ready to speak unadvisedly with their lips. If everything does not agree with their ideas, they speak hastily. At such times silence is eloquence. Let us not allow the lips to speak things that are objectionable and that will cause others trial and annoyance, or leave an impression that is not helpful. Every one of us is in this world to receive the counsel of Christ and to help every other one; and if we have experienced the life of Christ in the soul, and we are brought under affliction, and know not which way to turn, let us not seek to lay our burden of affliction upon some other human heart. Christ has told us to bring all our afflictions to Him. Go apart by yourself, and pray in simplicity, saying, “Here I am, Lord. I do not know what to do. I am Thy child. I have been bought with a price. I desire to glorify God, and not dishonor Him. And now I ask Thee to give me special grace and help, that I may keep my lips silent, so that I shall not utter one expression that would cast a shadow on another’s mind.” If we do this, we shall become laborers together with God. And that is a wonderful position to be in.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 14

We know not how long our lives may be spared. We know not what difficulties are lying in our pathway. But if we are seeking in humility and meekness of mind to represent Christ Jesus in character, we are laborers together with God. Wherever we may be, whether with believers or unbelievers, we are to live so that Christ will be revealed through us, and so that others will take knowledge of us, that we have been with Jesus, and learned of Him.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 15

There is one verse in this chapter that I read without comment; but it is so wonderful that we must not pass it by without further study: “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love.” [Verse 9.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 16

Has not our Saviour given evidence of His love for us? Did He not lay off His royal robe and kingly crown, and come to our world to wrestle, like every human being that lives, under the temptations of the enemy? Tempted, indeed, He was, in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Thus He has conquered the foe with whom we have to deal. Through faith in His Father’s power, He overcame every trial and was victorious even to the close of His earthly ministry. In taking upon Himself the nature of a man, and in subjecting Himself to all the temptations wherewith we are tempted, Christ demonstrated His love for the human race and gave us an example of what we may do through the grace that God is ever ready to impart.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 17

And so, when trials come, we can understand that there is One who has passed through similar trials, and has gained complete victory; and through the power He grants, we may also be victorious.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 18

All through the ages ever since the fall, Satan has sought to thwart the purposes of God and to set up on this earth a rebellious kingdom; and when Christ appeared on earth as a divine-human being, He was pitilessly assailed by the prince of darkness. As we contemplate the terrible severity of the temptations that were brought upon the Son of God, we begin to comprehend something of the meaning of the words: “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love.” “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” [Verses 9, 11.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 19

If we desire to have a living connection with heaven, if we desire to have the wisdom that Christ is willing to bestow upon us, we are privileged to pray in our weakness, wherever we may be, and we shall be heard. Then let us learn to take all our trials to Jesus. When we take them to our friends and neighbors, we weaken our own experience and receive no real benefit.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 20

My brother, my sister, when tempted to unburden your heart before another human being, keep silent. Go before the Lord as a little child, and pray: “Let Thy Holy Spirit come upon me. I need Thee, O Christ, I need Thee.” As you prayer and believe, you become a partaker of the divine nature and have gained a wonderful victory. You are advancing from light to greater light. You are bearing responsibilities, and the light of heaven is resting upon you. Heaven is full of blessings, and the angels are all around us.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 21

“These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” [Verse 11.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 22

Jesus wants you to carry your troubles to Him—the One who left the royal courts and came down to our world to meet and overcome the oppression of Satan. He stood forth as God’s representative in the world, to show that man in his humanity may take hold of divinity, and through that divine nature have power to escape the corruptions that are in the world through lust.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 23

“This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” [Verse 12.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 24

Think of it! “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16.] This was the only hope for the race; therefore Christ accepted the terms. For our sakes He bore the temptations of Satan on every point. He would never listen to Satan’s reasoning.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 25

Here is one point I want you to bear in mind: Christ had hungered and thirsted; and after He had been without food for forty days and forty nights, the devil thought there was a good chance for him. So he came and said, “If”—remember that “if.” What if Christ had accepted that “if”? God does not wants us to accept any “ifs.” When we have a work to do for the Master, we are to take the affirmative and keep to it. “If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone (it was just the shape of a loaf of bread) that it be made bread.” [Luke 4:3.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 26

What did Christ answer? “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”—always on the affirmative, showing the power of His grace in humanity. [Matthew 4:4.] As He revealed that power in His humanity, so we are to reveal it in our humanity, and thus make effectual His death for us. We are to see, in the lessons of Christ, how we can fulfil the Word.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 27

In one of his temptations, Satan took Christ and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said, “Cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.” [Verse 6.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 28

Then what did Jesus answer?—“It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” [Verse 7.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 29

But Satan left out something from the saying he attempted to quote. What was it?—“To keep Thee in all Thy ways;” that is, in the ways laid out for His feet. [Psalm 91:11.] And Jesus will keep us if we follow in the way He has planned for us to go, according to the light given us through His holy Word.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 30

Then Satan took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, saying, “All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou therefore will worship me, all shall be Thine.” [Luke 4:6, 7.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 31

Then it was that the divinity of Christ came to the aid of His humanity. With divine authority He commanded, “Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” [Verse 8.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 32

Satan was baffled by the constant affirmative of the Word. He could not say anything and left the field of temptation defeated.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 33

Many, when they are called to meet an opponent, have little success because they spend too much time in answering objections. This virtually takes them over on to Satan’s ground; it is the very thing that Satan wants them to do. Instead of trying to answer every objection, keep to the affirmative; strengthen your soul by quoting the promises; present the light and the salvation that Christ has given in the Word; for there is reason in faith, there is light, there is power.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 34

“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. 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.” [John 15:13-15.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 35

Here is a work we all need to do—to connect ourselves with Christ in that close relationship of friends. But we fail to do this. We shall be tempted, but we need not yield to temptation. Our work is to represent the character of Christ to those around us, to speak words of hope and faith to sinners. Thus we shall bear fruit to the glory of God.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 36

“Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” [Psalm 97:11.]

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 37

Let us encourage ourselves by reading and studying the Word. It is full of blessed promises, and the Lord Jesus will give us grace and strength and the light of His countenance.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 38

There is a heaven to win, a hell to shun; and Satan is using every act and power conceivable to obtain the victory over human minds. God help us that we may resist the enemy, and that the glory of God may be revealed. May we be in a position to manifest the Light of the world to those that are around us, because the Christ-life abides in us and shines forth in goods works.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 39

A heaven to win! a heaven to win! Keep saying it, and let the light of heaven shine into the chambers of the mind, into the soul-temple. Then you will be prepared to give light to others in good works. And they are all written in the book. You will meet the record by and by. You will want to find good deeds written there; and you will want the crown of life. Yes, a crown of life will be given to every overcomer. Christ laid off His crown and His glory and came into this world as a man, to wrestle with the problems of Satan’s devising and to overcome him. Through faith man may lay hold of His strength and obtain the victory.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par. 40

What a song that will be when the ransomed of the Lord meet at the gate of the holy city, which is thrown back on its glittering hinges, and the nations that have kept His word—His commandments—enter <into the city, the crown of the overcomer is placed upon their heads,> and the golden harps are placed in their hands! All heaven is filled with rich music, and with songs of praise to the Lamb. Saved, everlastingly saved, in the kingdom of glory! To have a life that measures with the life of God—that is the reward. Just think of it! “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16.]

Manuscript Release No 1033

A Letter to Mrs. White’s Children, December 6, 1890

MR1033 39.3

I shall go to Danvers Wednesday. I have been so deeply interested in John, chapters 14, 15, 16, and 17 that I am writing on the subject. I have written 12 pages today upon John 14, for fear I should have the force of the subject wear away from my mind. This will come in Life of Christ. I have in all 40 pages written.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 24 (1909)

Lt 98, 1909

24LtMs, Lt 98, 1909, par. 22

I have spoken once in Philadelphia, taking for my Scripture reading the fifteenth chapter of John. I spoke for one hour to a crowded house. I had much freedom in speaking. There were about two hundred people present—a sensible-looking company. But I have been very sick since that day. The meetinghouse was closely packed, and the impurity of the air, caused by the many breaths, poisoned me. This morning I almost decided that I could not speak again in a crowded house; but I understand that in New York there is to be a tent erected, and that will improve the situation.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 24 (1909)

Ms 101, 1909

24LtMs, Ms 101, 1909, par. 7

Let not our workers be content to go over and over again the ground where the truth is well known, while many fields are left untouched. Let workers be carefully selected, to labor two and two in our cities, under the direction and commission of Jesus Christ. They should study the fourteenth and fifteenth chapters of John, opening their hearts to receive the divine instruction, and looking unto Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of their faith.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 24 (1909)

Ms 140, 1909

Oakland, California

December 18, 1909

Previously unpublished.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 1

John 15:1. They claim to be in Him but they are not there. “Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” Now we can understand that every thing depends, with us individually, on whether we are fruit-bearing branches. And every branch that beareth fruit in the vine, then what will He do? Verse 2.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 2

Now, it is for the advantage of every soul of us that we should stand and work in right relation to God. We cannot afford to do any haphazard work. It is too costly a business for us to make a failure again and again. We must be in a position where we can lay hold upon Jesus Christ, and that we can claim His keeping power, and that we may so live before Him that His name may be glorified by us on the earth. We want to be the branches that can bear fruit.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 3

I was attempting to write upon this once, not long since, and the whole scene was impressed upon my mind, and I lost consciousness. I did not know where I was, but such a wonderful representation!

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 4

“I am the vine, ye are the branches.” [Verse 5.] Well, the branches must not bear the same fruit as the root and the vine. Therefore we are to stand in that relation to God where the devil cannot in any way rob us of that grace which we want so much, to bear fruit to the glory of God.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 5

Well, after a time I aroused, and where was I? I did not know where I was, but the whole advantage had gone before me, and it seemed life and it seemed strength to every soul of us that would take hold of it. And we want now, right down in the very last stage of this earth’s history, to understand our right relation to God.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 6

Are we bearing fruit? Are we winning souls to Jesus Christ, because ye are laborers together with God? Or are we shutting ourselves up to ourselves, so that we are not working out the true principles of godliness to make a representation in the world?

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 7

But just see what this text means. Verse 2. Well, now, you may think you are hurt. You are made sad, you are distressed, you feel in some way that you haven’t a right relation to God. Well, then He wants you to have. He wants you to double your efforts that you might be fruit-bearing branches of the living vine.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 8

“And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it.” Is the purging good? Doesn’t it hurt you when you are purged? When something comes up and you feel that it is not just right, you want to make a fuss about it. Now don’t let us any more, because the Lord Jesus promised that He permits things to come to us that we shall think soberly and righteously, and that we should consider our case minutely, whether we are fruit-bearing branches, for that means very much to us.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 9

“He purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit.” Verses 3, 4. Now just bear that in mind. Well, all this came before me only a few nights ago, and such a representation! I did not know for a time where I was, I could not think where I was, but then this subject seemed so full, so complete, that if we understood it, we would work to the point to know that we are fruit-bearing branches.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 10

What are you doing for your neighbors that have not heard of the truth? What are you doing for those with whom you come in contact that are sinners? What are you doing to wake them up? And if you should be purged, perhaps you would understand that they might become branches of the vine as well as you, if they had the opportunity. But keeping yourself within yourself, doing just as you please, carrying no special burden or responsibility of the souls of those that are around you, will result in your losing your own soul.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 11

You do not appreciate it, and therefore you will lose yourself out of the vine. You cannot afford it. It is life, eternal life; it must be with every mortal of us here today or it is death, death, eternal death when Christ shall come, and you cannot afford that Jesus Christ shall have died for you in vain. Can it be so, that the Son of the living God, came to this world, and there He was crucified? There He was bound in the garden of Gethsemane, and pleading that if it was possible, this cup might pass from Him. Now all this was to save you, to save me, and to save every one of us. And shall He have made it for us in vain? What about this matter?

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 12

Aren’t we careless of our words? Do you worship God in spirit and in truth? Do you have His praise in your lips when you come into the house of God, that you can praise Him, and that you can do Him honor when you are out of the house? I want to ask you if we have not need of being pruned, that we should bring forth more fruit? God help us that we shall not make any mistake.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 13

Verses 3, 4. Now, if you are abiding in Christ, you will do the works of Christ. You will not let sinners, your very next neighbor or the friends around you, not know anything about what you believe. You will not act more frequently like sinners than you do like saints. You cannot afford it. You are not bearing fruit within to the true vine.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 14

Now we want, every one of us, to melt our hearts before God. You want, when you come into the house of God, to worship Him. His praise is on your lips, it is in your heart, and God will be honored by your praising Him. God will be honored to see that you are living branches of the vine, and we ought to praise God a hundredfold more than we do now. How is God glorified by our silence and our dumbness? We want right here in the wicked city of Oakland, and in the wicked city of San Francisco, to have a voice that shall be honoring the Lord God of Israel. We want the truth in our hearts, and we want it expressed upon our lips, and we want that our tongues shall praise God, because He has given us Christ.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 15

What about that? John 3:16. Now speak of Christ, the death struggle that He had before He was treated so shamefully. They spit in His face, they beat Him with thongs, and who was He? He was suffering that you might have an experience that would conform to His teachings, that you might win souls in His person. He made the infinite sacrifice in our behalf. While He was bowed there in agony, He arose and He staggered to where the disciples were, to see if they might speak a word to Him, but they were asleep. He aroused them up; He said, Could ye not watch with Me one hour? He said, Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 16

Now that cup was trembling in His hand, when He was in that condition, just a little while after He had said, “I am the true vine, and ye are the branches.” [John 15:1, 5.] And here He says, in view of that cup that was trembling in His hands, If it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, indeed, not My will, but Thine be done. And there He was, fainting as it were, dying on the field of battle, when a mighty angel from heaven came down, and lifted His head and put it upon His bosom, and there He drank that cup, He consented to drink that cup of suffering, that was right before Him. And we know how He bore it all the way through, “Not My will,” He said, “but Thine be done.” [Luke 22:42.]

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 17

It was that you and I might have the privilege of being a branch in the true vine; it was that we might study His life and his character, and that we might follow on to know that Lord, that His going forth is prepared as the morning. Now Christ bore this. Christ suffered all the abuse that would be heaped upon Him, and who was He? The Son of the infinite God. He permitted all this to be poured out in our behalf, that we might be partakers of the divine nature, even Jesus Christ. O that God would help us!

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 18

[John 15] Verses 3, 4. Now, unless we are abiding in Christ, how do we know we are abiding in Him? Because we are working the works of Christ, we are working in the same line. We are having compassion on those on whom Christ would have compassion, and we are in every way seeking to save the perishing souls.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 19

How much have you done for your neighbors? How many efforts have you made to open the Scriptures before your neighbors? I asked you in the name of the Lord, what are you doing? And here we are on the very remnant, the last remnant of time, of this earth’s history, when the gospel can be carried from place to place. In some places, now even, it is closed up, but there are places where we are to work as laborers together. Christ is working for the salvation of souls. He has done His part, and He is still working through His followers, that they shall act their part, and He will give them the power of the Holy Spirit to impress human minds. This the real work to be done in cities, and wherever we may go, there is a work to be done.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 20

We are to place ourselves in right relation to God, that we may work in harmony with the true vine. “I am the true vine,” He says, “and my Father is the husbandman.” [Verse 1.] Study your Bible. Study it; teach your children to study it. You are either preparing them for the future, immortal life, or you are allowing them to drift right down in the enemy’s lines. You cannot afford it. You want to co-operate with God. You want to know that Christ has borne the great burden on your account, and that you are to be where every time you come into this house you will praise God that you are alive, that you can work the works of God. And God help every one of us to come in right relation to God.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 21

As I consider this subject, it seems to me it is large and broad and deep and full and eternal in its result of fruit-bearing. Verse 3. “through the word.” if they obey the Word. Verses 4, 5. Now that is just what He expects of us. This is His last lessons that He was giving to His disciples, before He suffered the crucifixion.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 22

Verse 5. How many souls have you labored for? How many will tell you when the judgment shall fall upon the earth, “Why didn’t you warn me?” Let us take hold. I beseech of you, Seek the Lord with all your heart, that you may find Him. “Without me ye can do nothing.”

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 23

Verses 6, 7. Well, why shouldn’t His words abide in us? Why shouldn’t we work out the salvation of God? Why shouldn’t we co-operate with God? For He so loved the world, etc. How many will come in the day of judgment, and say, If you hadn’t have warned me, I should not be prepared for this occasion. And when in the city of God the crowns are brought and placed upon the heads of the overcomers, they remember what words this one spoke to them, and that one spoke to them in their faithfulness, and they cast their crowns at the feet of Jesus, and clasp their arms around their neck and say, Your words saved me. I should have lost all this if you had not helped me. Now what we want is to be wide awake. We cannot afford to be anything else. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you.” Now just see, “Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Now that is assurance. “Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit.”

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 24

Verses 8-10. Now you see He places Himself right in the link with us. Verse 11. Why shouldn’t we be thankful, why shouldn’t we be grateful? Why shouldn’t we express it? Why shouldn’t we gather our children around us, and tell them Christ died for them? Why shouldn’t you do it, and why shouldn’t you see that they were deciding on the right side to be Christians?

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 25

Verses 11, 12. Now, do you suppose you could love one another as Christ loves us, and yet not say anything to warn your neighbors nor your friends nor unbelievers that are around you?

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 26

I was afraid I might never have a chance to speak this to you again. I had another subject I was to bring, but I thought I would give you this, this time, and I want you to work upon it with all your might, and redeem the time that you have lost. You might have had many souls that you could have brought to the knowledge of the truth if you had only realized the force of the words that I have read to you.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 27

Verse 12. Do you do it? Or if you see some little thing you can find fault with, you will keep thinking of that little thing. Why, we are the purchase of the blood of Christ; He gave His life for you, and He wants every one of you to be re-converted. He wants the re-converting power of God to go through your midst. I am afraid if you let things go on as they are, you will perish with the wicked, for you have neglected the most solemn obligations that Christ has laid upon you. Now, let us every one see and understand what this Scripture means.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 28

Verses 13, 14. Now here is the application. You know whether you obey it or not. Verse 15. Thank the Lord with heart and soul and voice. Verses 16, 17. Now, if you do, you cannot be silent as you are, men and women. You cannot do as little as you do on the side of the Master.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 29

Verses 17, 18, 19. There is such a vast difference, he represents, between the world and obedience to Christ. Now, if you maintain that sacredness of character that belongs to the Christian, you will reveal it in your love for souls.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 30

Verses 19, 20, 21. I tell you this today that you may know that you have something to do, everyone of you, if you keep in the living vine.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 31

Verses 23-26. Now, we can be with Christ in this from the beginning, by taking the chapters that are lessons, that He has given us, not only this chapter, but on through His teachings, and follow it out to the letter. We might have a religion that would bring us in close connection as fruit-bearing branches. We might have a religion that would make an impression upon the world, and we want to be branches of the true vine, that we may bear the fruit of the true vine, and that we may bear the purging of the true vine.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 32

I beg of you, for Christ’s sake, to come up on a higher level. I was afraid I could not speak today, but God has given me strength of voice. Therefore I will speak to you as the children that He wants to have come in right relation to Himself, so that you shall not be pruned away, but that you shall be pruned to bring forth more fruit, that every one of us shall come in right relation to God. That is my earnest and anxious desire. And I ask of you, Will you make an effort, wherever you live, either in San Francisco or in Oakland, or Berkeley, or what place you come from, I ask you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to listen to the words of Christ, to read it over and over and over again until they get into your heart, until your heart burns with the love of Christ that has expressed such interest in every branch in the vine. That which would disturb us, that which would make it so impossible that we can do only a little, He taketh it away, and that which will work in harmony with Christ, He lets it remain, and pruneth it that it may bring forth more fruit to the glory of God.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 33

We want to be Christians. I expect to meet the testimony, that I give you here today, in the day of judgment. I expect to meet it, and therefore I feel an intense interest that there should be a decided expression here this very day. Every one who will carry out to the very best of his ability these words, not of Sister White, but these words of the Bible, of Jesus Christ, that you will carry them out to the letter, and that you will get in these souls redeemed by the grace of God, I ask you to rise to your feet.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 34

(Congregation rises.) Thank the Lord. (Praying:) Thou seest the pledge of this people. I beseech of Thee, for Christ’s sake, that this pledge may be so impressed upon them that they will begin to work for their neighbors, that they will work for souls that are ready to perish, that they will open the Scriptures to them, and then their experience will grow, because Christ has taught them to do that very work.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 35

I ask Thee, Lord, to let Thy blessing rest upon this congregation. O, my Father, my Father, for Christ’s sake make the impression. I cannot make it, but I want Thee to make it, that there shall be a beginning of an altogether different experience. Instead of finding fault, instead of complaining, instead of being untrue to Christ who gave His life to save our souls, may we every one of us stand in right relation to Thee from this hour.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 36

We want Thee, Lord. We open our hearts to Thee. We want to remain a branch of the true vine, and we want to teach others what it means to be a branch of the true vine. Bless this congregation that right here stands before Thee. O, make the impression. I cannot make the impression, but the Holy Spirit of God can make it, and I ask Thee that they may study this chapter, and that they may bear fruit to the glory of God, and that at last we may meet in the city of God, where parents and children shall be united, because the parents have done their duty to their children.

24LtMs, Ms 140, 1909, par. 37

O, my Father, my Father, I ask Thee for Christ’s sake to make the impression that Thou alone canst make, and Thy blessed name shall have all the glory.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 24 (1909)

Ms 114, 1909

24LtMs, Ms 114, 1909, par. 1

(John 15), whole chapter. I want all to hear this, for it is to our eternal interest that we do. Here is the point I wish you to bear in mind. “Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit.” [Verse 2.] When I used to see my husband carting away the branches of our fig trees, I used to say, you will spoil them. “No,” said he, “I am taking away all that which is useless, so that the branches will have opportunity to put forth their best strength without hindrance.”

24LtMs, Ms 114, 1909, par. 2

“For every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except you abide in me.” [Verses 2-4.] What does this mean? We have something to do, every one of us. If we appreciate the great sacrifice that has been made in our behalf, then shall we not be in a position to appreciate that sacred life, and shall not we ourselves sacrifice our lives that others may be blessed thereby, helped and strengthened to grow in Christ our living head?

24LtMs, Ms 114, 1909, par. 8

This woman was healed, and she confided it to the multitude. Do you think this made any impression? It made just the impression Christ wanted it to make. What He wants of us is to stand in the right relation to God. We are to be representatives of Christ. If we claim to be the children of God, we must abide in Christ. “I am the true vine and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” [John 15:1, 2.]

24LtMs, Ms 114, 1909, par. 9

So if trials come upon us, it is our test. It is to see if we will act the Christ-life in that test. When tried and proved, if we will stand true, and if we do, then what is said? “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” [Verses 3, 4.] Will we believe this? Will we watch unto prayer? Will we minister truth to the hearer? Will we realize the importance of everyone of us being Christians? If you are not a Christian, you cannot bear fruit. Why? Because there is not one who can enter into the courts above until they are laborers together with Christ.

24LtMs, Ms 114, 1909, par. 14

Christ left the royal courts, that He might come down to this world so that He might live and work in behalf of humanity. What did He do? Travel, travel on foot through the cities, drawing the multitude after Him, talking to them, healing their sick, all day; and at night to be awake for their sake. What was He doing? Pleading with His Father that the crowds that followed Him might not follow in vain. All night He spent often in prayer, and I want to say, we must have a larger part in this life and work of Christ than we have else we shall not be partakers of His divine nature. “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. ... As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” [Verses 3, 4.] I want you to carry this truth home with you.

24LtMs, Ms 114, 1909, par. 15

We are told in plain words, “He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same shall bring forth much fruit, and without me, ye can do nothing.” [Verse 5.] Well then, we must be men and women of prayer, we must be men and women of purpose. We cannot speak any way we please. Not a rough word should escape our lips toward our children unless we want them to receive an impression on their minds that does not help them at all religiously. But tell them their faults patiently, just as Christ does with us, and then seek to remove the objectionable features from their characters. That is the way to do it, and the parents at home can do everything, as it were, if they are abiding in Christ.

24LtMs, Ms 114, 1909, par. 16

“I am the vine, ye are the branches.” [Verse 5.] That is what heaven sent Christ for, that He might represent the intensity of sanctification by His living practice. Who will begin right here today, to obey the Word? Who will begin right now for your children’s sake, for Christ’s sake, to have your lives sanctified, for many of you profess to be Christians. “If ye abide in me, and I in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” [Verse 7.] Now listen to this, everyone of you, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Do you believe it? Try it. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” [Verse 8.] That is the proof: If you speak the Christian word, if you pray the simple prayer of faith and cast your helpless soul upon Christ who is my helper.

24LtMs, Ms 114, 1909, par. 17

Believe it, take Him at His word, and then try to help others to come to the very place where they can understand what is faith. “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.” Thank God for the simplicity of this, that we all can understand it. “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and your joy may be full.” [Verses 9-11.] So you see it does not bring you joy to be divorced from Christ. It brings you hope, joy, courage and sympathy to be working together for Him. It gives you power to take right hold of those about you and work out Christ’s plan.

24LtMs, Ms 114, 1909, par. 19

“I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 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, ever as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends;” etc. [Verses 10-13.] True religion, true Christianity, will carry that right out, because we have the perfection of Christ’s character to be revealed—divinity in humanity. That is what it is. Christ did not lay aside His divinity—it was simply clothed in humanity, that He might help us. He came here to restore fallen humanity to God. He came as a little child, that from childhood to manhood He could be the representative of God to humanity. Angels were around Him, and they cared for Him all through His life on earth, that humanity and divinity combined might be the perfection of His character as it may be the perfection of the character of everyone who so desires.

24LtMs, Ms 114, 1909, par. 21

Let us go back to the 9th verse, and on. “This is my commandment; that ye love one another even as I have loved you. ... Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” [Verses 12, 14.] Therefore the world will hate you because you will not enter into the ways of the world with its sin, its lust and gratification. They persecuted Christ, they will also persecute you. The world is to be overcome, as Christ overcame in our behalf. The world is to have Christ as their example and copy His character; then they will be strong in Christ’s strength to be saved from Satan. May God so help us that we may live the life that measures with the life of Christ. In a little while this world will show what it is—violence, crime, it is showing itself now, but it will increase in sin and wickedness to the end. I beg of you for your soul’s sake to make sure work for eternity.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 24 (1909)

Ms 119, 1909

Nashua, New Hampshire

June 29, 1909

Previously unpublished.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 1

John 15:1-4. Shall we heed these words? They are of vital consequence to every one of us, whether we receive this truth or go away and forget all about it. Would He ask you to abide in Him unless it was a possibility? No. “As the branch cannot—in Me.”

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 2

Verse 5. “Much fruit.” Isn’t that encouraging? If we depend upon God, if we make Him our trust and confidence, then we are abiding in Him. “And the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.”

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 3

Verse 7. “Ye shall ask what ye will.” Now mark the conditions. Now why cannot we come to God on these promises just as they are, and tell Him, Here Lord, we are determined to bear fruit, and we must have Thy Spirit or we cannot bear fruit, and we want Thy grace.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 4

Verse 8. “Glorified.” Now how? “That ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 5

Verse 9. Now this is Christ Himself that is speaking just before His crucifixion, just before the great test and trials came to His people He gives these words.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 6

Verses 10, 11. It is the right quality of joy. It is joy that triumphs as an overcomer in overcoming temptations of the enemy, and of hanging their helpless souls upon Jesus Christ.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 7

Verse 12. That is wonderful. Do you think if we believed this there would be so many little difficulties arising between one and another? No. We do not want these difficulties, we do not need them at all, but we do want to have the peace of Christ in our hearts, that peace that passeth understanding. It is a peace that we can hardly comprehend; it is a restfulness in following the rich promises of God to ourselves. Working upon the plan of salvation, we may have an abiding Christ.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 8

Verse 12. Is that possible? Would He have said it if it was impossible? Now this means that we have an overcoming work to do, and every day we want that help that cometh alone from God. We want that grace that Christ can bestow upon us.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 9

Verse 12. Shall we carry it out, so that when we shall meet in the city of our God, we shall greet one another and unhappy differences that we have had will be all gone.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 10

Now what we want is to learn like little children. Verse 13. Shall we not try? Shall we not make a covenant with God at this meeting, and when we return to our homes shall we not begin to practice that life?

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 11

Verses 14-16. Because you walk to carry out the very principles that are laid down in the Word.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 12

Verses 17, 18, 19. Because you do not fall in with all their schemes, and with all the purposes, and you take an opposite course that rebukes them.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 13

Verses 19-21, 22-27. Now all these things we want to remember, and we want to keep the idea: I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Verses 1-3. Now it is the abiding Christ. If we will only keep our seasons of prayer; if we will only, when tempted of the enemy, hold our peace; if we will bring ourselves into right relation to God, we shall see of the salvation of God.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 14

I am so thankful that we have a Saviour, and that that Saviour is working constantly in our behalf, that we shall follow on to know the Lord that we may know Him whose going forth is prepared as the morning.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 15

Verses 1, 2. Now, “I am the true vine—taketh away.” He has no use for it. “And every branch that—purgeth it.” What for? “That it—more fruit.” Verses 3, 4. “Abide in Me.” Will you? Will we every one abide in Christ? “And I in you.” Verses 4, 5.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 16

Now, there is a world to save, and I have thought whether we realize the fact that we have a work to do with unbelievers, that we are not to shut ourselves right up to our own families, and we are not to have so many household cares that we spend so much time keeping our house just as we want it kept that the house of souls is neglected. Now shall we not bear fruit? Shall we not keep this soul in the love of God? Shall we not work right to the point? We ask every one of you for Christ’s sake to do honor to God.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 17

Now when He sent His disciples out, He told them, I send you forth as sheep among wolves; but they are to keep their hearts in the love of Christ, so that whatever may be brought to bear against them, they will say something that will honor God, that they can win souls. We want every one of us to be in right relation to God.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 18

I came through the cities on my way, and saw large places that looked as though they have never been worked, and I thought, Who is looking after that? Who is having a decided, determined interest for these souls? A city here, a city there, and somewhere else. Who is it that is looking after that? Men and women, in Christ’s name, work together harmoniously. He speaks of the women that were with Him in the gospel and that were working with Him in the gospel. If we dedicate ourselves unreservedly to God, we shall have a message to bear.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 19

“Go ye,” said Christ. [Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15.] After His resurrection, He tells them, Go ye to all the world and preach the gospel. Well, how much of it are we doing? Haven’t we got up so much fussing about ourselves that we forget all about that we have a work to save souls?

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 20

Before I left Washington, city after city was presented before me that have comparatively nothing done in them, and they were not receiving that light, that grace, and that salvation so that they could reach souls. Now, let us humble our hearts before God. Let us study the Word. We hear the talk about the higher education. The impression is brought in that it is to teach the scholars that, after they have had all that the commandment-keeping people of God can give them, then they must go to the world and attach themselves to the world to get the higher, worldly education. Is that essential? When they talk of higher education, I want you to consider the highest education in this world that Christ came to our world to bring.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 21

Don’t put it into your children’s minds that they will not have a perfect education unless they hitch onto the world to get the worldly mold. We do not want it. We will have enough of it without that. What we want is a hold on God. We are preparing for the judgment, and as souls were getting ready a voice was heard. There was a very large assembly, and that voice was heard, saying, Come into line, receive the light of heaven in your hearts, reveal it in your countenance, reveal it in your works, so that the world may take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus and you have learned of Him.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 22

“I am the true vine,” said Christ, “and my Father is the husbandman.” [John 15:1.] The time is short, and what is before us is impossible to tell. We know what is before us, but when will that be? It cometh, Christ said, suddenly, and the He gives them warning. When certain things should take place, don’t go into your house to get anything out of it; make your way to the mountains as fast as you can go. Well, what may break forth upon us we know not, but one thing we know, we should be ready. Humble yourselves day by day, and then seek to impart to others the very light that God gives you. As it has been represented to me on this journey, I have felt an intensity of interest as I have been through the cities in different places.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 23

There was one place, Newark,—there was just as nice a company of people, but very few of them believers. Who is at work there? I thought. Who is going from house to house trying to get the light of truth before the people? How nice they looked. They were not dressed up. They hadn’t their hats on any more that you have, but I thought, O that these people could have a camp right here in this place. They have had great opposition from parties that have been saying everything that they could say to hurt the influence of those that would not unite with them.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 24

But we want to say, There is a world to be saved, and as we came through the city, it draws so upon me that I have not gotten over it yet. I have been sick ever since we got through to South Lancaster. I could not sleep nights. I was in an agony of distress night after night. What shall we do, Lord, to arouse the people? What can we do to have them take up Thy work and to study it and obey it, and to go forth in earnest?

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 25

Now, the commission was from Christ. They were to go to all nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples. Well, we are trying to do something of that kind in gathering means, that we may send men to foreign countries. And there my son brought in before me morning after morning people that wanted to be introduced to me. From the impress upon their countenances, they were foreigners. They did not speak our language all of them, some of them did. But here there is an increase of it. They are building their buildings with a purpose of taking these foreigners, these representatives that came to our meeting in Washington. And they wanted to see me in my house, so they were brought in before us to speak a few words. It seemed to gratify them.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 26

The blessing of the Lord seem to keep me up all through that meeting, and took me right out of myself and out of my passiveness, and out of my weakness, and brought me where there was a strength that I could stand before the people, and I could make thousands hear. And the power of the truth was so great upon my soul that I could present it in the language that they needed. God helped me to bear the message to the people in the power of the Spirit of God. And I was glad of the privilege. But the greatest impression that was made upon my mind was that I could never represent the meekness and lowliness of Christ. He met opposing influence in every way, and yet His meekness and His lowliness was a recommendation that others should understand when they saw Him hang upon Calvary’s cross, and the nails driven through His hands and through His feet, suffering for the sins of the world, enduring all the agony possible.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 27

After they had shown Him all the indignity that it is possible for a man to be shown, spitting in His face, beating Him with rods, putting a crown of thorns upon His head, and then He hanging on Calvary’s cross, suffering there, the poor thief prays to Him, Remember me, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. Said Jesus, I will. Here these men that were mocking Him upon the cross when He said that he should be with Him in His kingdom, they were thrilled through and through with the evidence that this was the Son of God. And here He died. When we consider what He endured for us, what are we willing to endure for Him? What are we willing to bear of shame and reproach to endure for Christ? I know there are those here that the light of truth will shine in their hearts, and in their faces, and they will become missionaries for God. But don’t let any one hold back from that.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 28

Follow your impressions, begin humbly, and meek and lowly, and if you are repulsed, don’t say, I never will go there again, but go right to that very place again and perhaps they will have changed. The angels of God are working with every one that is working. If we could only consider this. And when we come into our meetings, we are not to set the lines just how we are going to move in that meeting, because the Spirit of God has to teach us how to move.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 29

We have to look to God for directions. We must every one of us be in a position so that the humility we possess will extend to those that are around us. We want to be meek and lowly in heart, and we want to be where the angels of God can speak to us. We want to be in that position that we shall know we have a friend at court, an Advocate, Jesus Christ, in heaven. He is our Advocate, in the heavenly courts, and He says, You are to go to all parts of the world, and Lo, I am with you. I am with you, He says. You will see what is written there upon this subject. Well, don’t then shut yourselves within yourselves and think you have nothing to do.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 30

If you have a ray of light find somebody to whom you can express it. And here are our publications that are coming out that you can work with. There is a world to save, and we want to come right to Jesus Christ for help, and you want to take that light, and you want to carry it to other souls, and angels of God will go before you. You will not go alone.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 31

Do you think I would have started out as I have at nearly eighty-two years of age, if I thought that I had not a Saviour that would help me and strengthen me in my necessities? He has done it again and again. He has lifted me out of myself; He has taken me where I had to bear my message, and I know that He had made me His messenger to give that message in Washington, and to give that message since I have been at Washington, and to give that message to you that are here.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 32

I ask you for Christ’s sake, Let every one of us become a branch in the true Vine, that ye may bear much fruit. It is the bearing fruit that shows that you are united with the living Vine. And I would say to every soul of you, Come nigh to God. At times I have thought that I would hardly live till morning when the representation was presented to me three times distinctly in one night of the sufferings of the Son of God in the garden of Gethsemane, when that cup of suffering was in His hands.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 33

Shall He drink it? If it be possible, He says, Let this cup pass from Me. And there was the bloody sweat dropping from His brow on the ground. He got up tremblingly, and went to where He had left His disciples, hoping to find them awake, that they could speak a word of sympathy to Him, they were asleep, asleep for sorrow.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 34

Now, we want every one of us to act our individual part. We have a crown to win. We have a heaven to win. We have eternal life that is offered to us, if you will be a partaker with Christ of His Spirit and sanctification. There is a heaven to win, and I entreat of every soul here today that you will consider for Christ’s sake, consider whether you will take your stand in the right side. I felt that I could not speak one sermon unless I came right to you and asked you if you would not come to Christ. How do you think I felt when they told me the number that were baptized today? I felt that all my anxiety and suffering passed through was nothingness. But I want to say to every one of you what Christ said, “I am the true vine, and my Father—” verses 1, 2.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 35

Now let us every one help each other. Don’t let us speak any words of irritation, whatever may arise. You will have trials, every one of you, but God will give you grace to bear them. Our Saviour went through this world, and there was that cup trembling in His hands, that cup full of suffering. Let this cup pass from Me, He says; if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. If not, why He would drink it. But it was a cup of separation from His God, because He took the sin of the whole world upon Him. That is what it was. He could not endure the thought of the sins of the whole world that He was standing under. If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. But an angel from heaven comes and strengthens the divine Saviour.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 36

And I want to tell you we have every one of us an individual work to do. Work with your children. For Christ’s sake, do to the utmost of your ability, and those that you see are situated in hard places, help them out. If you are in better places, and if you are not in any better place, your effort to help them will bring you into a better place. So the very effort that we make brings angels of God right around us. We may not see them with our individual eyes.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 37

But Christ submitted, and He gave Himself up to take the very bitter suffering of a separation from His God because of sin. But we had the evidence that God was with Him from the beginning to the close. He wants every soul of us to consider that we are to bear the part under God for the salvation of the human soul. And God will help us. We may be overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11).

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 38

Three times in one night, when I was in Washington, the agony of my soul was so great when I passed through this scene, as it was represented, of Christ’s suffering, what He had endured for us all, and what an ungrateful set we are. But He wants every one of us to humble our hearts before Him, so that He can make us fruit-bearing branches in the Vine, and we shall not have to be cut off.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 39

While I was in this agony three times, I became unconscious, this agony of seeing Christ, and the bloody sweat that was dropping, moistening the sod of Gethsemane, and He saying, Not My will, but Thine, O God, be done. [Luke 22:42.] That is what He said, and He bore that intense agony, and when stretched on the cross, the poor sinner says, Remember me, etc. And He assured him that He would.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 40

Such scenes as this ought to wake us up. We are not half awake. We do not see what value Christ placed upon souls. We do not realize that He would have every soul convinced and come to Him, but we let them pass by as though they had no souls to save. We want to wake up, wake up.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 41

And when that agony went before me at Washington, I thought I was dying. But I came out of it again, weak and trembling, and then went right into it again. For three times I bore that through, but when I came before the people I had a message. You may depend I had a message. It did not come from me, but the Lord used me as His instrument to give that message to the people.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 42

Now, there is a world to save. There are sinners perishing all around us. Are we going to wake up? Are we going to try to bring them to the knowledge of the truth? To see what the truth means? Will we circulate our pamphlets, and our papers, and will we get them before the people?

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 43

Before a member of my family is up, I am up tracing the lines that shall come to the people, and the warnings and the entreaties and the message that God gives. For years, when others were asleep, I have been three or four hours with my pen in my hand writing before my breakfast. I want to tell you that we have every one of us a work to do. He has spared my life. The Lord has spared my life to give the very message I am giving to you, and He is sparing your lives, that you may have an influence over other lives. There are souls to be saved in every city.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 44

As I went to New Jersey, and there looked at the company, with new believers among them, I thought how pleasant it would be for these who were listening, and eager to catch every word, if they could only have the impression of the Spirit of God, and I believed it did come to them.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 45

Now, I want every soul saved. I know that with the commandments of God, the test is in keeping them. They are to keep His commandments and love His law as the apple of their eye. “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ... of me.” [John 5:39.] This is the work that we have before us, and I was taken right out of myself, as it were, when I was at Washington and there, day after day, the message, powerful message was given to me for the people. Why, I could no more have done it unless angels of God had been around about me. I take no credit. It is the Lord God of Israel who put His power upon me, that I was taken right out of myself to present to the people the essential things for their salvation.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 46

I ask every one of you to search the Scriptures. The commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ are for every one of us.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 47

I am the true vine—[John 15] verses 1, 2. The purging may be severe, but you may be thankful that you are pruned. But now let every one of us consider a little longer, and we shall see the King in His beauty. A little longer, and He will come to us and prepare us for translation, and we shall be caught up to meet Him in the air, and we shall see the King in His beauty. O, I want you to be there. I do not want a soul lost. I want you to serve the Lord with meekness and humility of mind.

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 48

And now I want to ask, Are there any others? We know that there was a manifestation of some that took their stand, and they have been baptized. I want to know who here are willing to stand on the Lord’s side. This is the last time I can speak to you. I now ask you if there are any who will then take their stand to keep the commandments of God, to be converted daily. Will you rise right upon your feet, will you do this? Will you take your stand that you will serve God, and keep His commandments, and love His law as the apple of your eye? Whoever will, rise now, if you want the position as commandment-keepers on the Lord’s side. Will you stand right up? Mothers, will you give your children the example? Fathers, will you take your position, that you will work on the Lord’s side? We want to know who will add to the names of those that were baptized today and take their position on the Lord’s side. May the Lord give grace. May the Lord give strength. We will wait a few moments. Sing a verse, “Jesus Lover of My Soul.”

24LtMs, Ms 119, 1909, par. 49

I made up my mind that whenever I was in a meeting again, I never would leave that meeting without giving an invitation. If there are any here who want to take a position on the Lord’s side, I would give them an opportunity now and clear the way.

Manuscript Release No. 926

The Fannie Bolton Story: A Collection Of Source Documents

MR926 63.2

Manuscript 12d, 1896, entire ms. (March 19[20?], 1896)—I awakened this morning at half past three. I dressed and as usual asked that the blessing of the Lord would rest upon me, committing my soul to God as unto a faithful creator. I asked that the Holy Spirit would be with me through the day, to mold and fashion my character after the divine similitude. I placed myself in the hands of God as the only thing I can do. Then I commenced writing in my diary some things in regard to John 15, the true vine and the branches.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Ms 18, 1913

25LtMs, Ms 18, 1913, par. 1

(Sermon at St. Helena, California, Sabbath morning, June 7, 1913, from (John 15), by Mrs. E. G. White.)

25LtMs, Ms 18, 1913, par. 2

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean thorough the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. 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. 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.” [Verses 1-12.]

25LtMs, Ms 18, 1913, par. 6

“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.” “These words have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” [Verses 10, 11.]

25LtMs, Ms 18, 1913, par. 7

“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. 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. These things I command you, that ye love one another.” [Verses 12-17.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Lt 44, 1911

25LtMs, Lt 44, 1911, par. 4

A few weeks before, I had spoken to the students on the lessons of the fifteenth chapter of John. These two chapters—the 14th and 15th of John—have been impressed frequently upon my mind lately. I addressed the students earnestly, urging upon them the instruction of the Word, and bidding them keep in mind the higher school, to which, if faithful, they will soon be transferred. It is always wise to impress the minds of the youth with a determination to meet the highest standard.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Lt 151, 1910

25LtMs, Lt 151, 1910, par. 4

Now all this movement on the Sabbath was in the Lord’s order to make an impression upon the people. That is the very work the Lord would have done; and when the suggestion was made by Elder Andross for me to speak in the hall, I was then suffering—sick upon my bed in Loma Linda; but I consented and went through all that confusion, for the Lord healed me and gave them the truth definite and clear from Deuteronomy 5, 6. There was perfect attention. An old gentleman rose and said he wished I would speak on the fifteenth of John, but he was quieted. Next time I will do this, but now I was upon another subject of highest importance. I had strength given me to speak one hour and a little over. Never was there better interest manifested than on that occasion. There was the upper floor of the house, the gallery, full, and the whole lower part of the hall, and a few were standing.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Ms 70, 1911

Los Angeles, California (Carr St. Church)

April 22, 1911

Previously unpublished.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 1

John 15:1, 2. So when the pruning comes it is a trial that will in some way lead you to God. You will find out in regard to Him, and will have an improved experience.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 2

Verses 3-5. It is impossible to abide in the vine and not bear the same fruit that the vine bears, and the evidence that you can give that you are abiding in the vine is to study the Word of God diligently and draw from the throne of grace that power and strength that Christ alone can give you. You cannot cease your prayers in private and yet be nourished so that you will bear the fruit that the vine bears. So we shall every one testify by our words, by our influence, by our works, if we are in the true vine.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 3

Verses 5-7. Now if you are fruitless, you see that you alone are to blame because you do not take the advantages that are within your reach. You let other things take your mind and absorb your thoughts. You cannot afford it now because Satan is working with all his power to divert your minds, and you cannot afford to lose any opportunity to strengthen the spiritual powers and to draw from the Source of all strength day by day.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 4

Verse 7. Here is your strength. Here is the promise of the Father and of the Son; here are the Father and the Son that work harmoniously to perfect the character of every living soul. Then understand that when temptation comes you are not to yield to it, but turn in the opposite direction. What a promise! God help us to take it in.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 5

The Lord help us to praise His holy name as we understand that promise. And then you go before God, and you educate yourselves in the faith, so that you may fulfill the requirements of God, and so that if you have children you may exert an influence that is in harmony with Christ’s teachings, to educate and train and discipline your children. Why, you are accountable for the souls of your children. It is to educate them, to train them, to watch for them; it is to keep you own hearts in the love of God, and more than this, you are not to let a hasty word nor an impatient action be seen by your children, because you are their directors. You are educating your children for that life which measures with the life of God.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 6

God wants every father and mother to take their children and train them and teach them patiently. Not a passionate word is to be allowed to escape your lips. The tone of your voice is to be under the discipline of the Spirit of God. There is to be no quarreling with your children. There is no sense in it. You just take them before God and talk with them and plead with them. I have felt that if I should get in a passion before my children I should be worse than they, very much, because parents are educators. You want to so discipline your children that they will understand that “mother know all about it, and father knows all about what I need spiritually.” If they are Christians they will understand.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 7

Not an impatient word should go from the lips of father or mother. If they hear impatient words from father and mother, they will feel that they are justified in their impatient course of action. You cannot afford it. There is too much at stake. The eternal life of your children is hanging in the balance. Who is prepared to lay hold of the divine power that He has promised to give to those that shall walk faithfully and do His work? What is a greater work any parent can do than to give the children an education in regard to their future immortal life? What can be greater? And do you think they will love you any the less? They may think that you require too much of them, and they may at times get impatient. But you stand right to the truth of God as He has told you, to bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It is the nurture and the admonition that blend and do the work.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 8

It is the nurture the children should have, and then the admonition, and yet you can kneel right down and pray with them, and you should, every time that they do wrong. Take them right away by themselves and let them see that mother knows they need help. And many times, when you have to correct your children, they will break right down, as those that I have taken to discipline and brought up and fed and clothed. Just tell them that the Lord Jesus knows all about what they are doing. Fathers and mothers themselves need the discipline of patience and kindness. It will do a great deal more than the rod if you just show that you want to help and bless them.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 9

Fathers and mothers have a wonderful responsibility. You cannot afford to spend your time in idle talk with visitors. The children are not to be neglected, for they are the very ones that need your encouragement or reproof, not in anger, but to tell them there is One that sees all they do. There is One that knows all that you think, and now you want to so conduct yourselves that the Lord can look upon you and bless you, and can look upon me as having discharged my duty to my children. Now this work is so neglected that I felt that if I ever spoke here in this church again I would certainly present some of these things to you. And then, let me tell you, when you speak so patiently and kindly, and when your tears flow, it melts the heart. Fathers and mothers never need to discipline or correct in anger.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 10

Children, I speak to you, dear children, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, that Christ gave His precious life that you might perfect a Christian character and that you might be welcomed at last into the city of God. Why, there is a city waiting for you. There is a kingdom and there is a crown and there is a harp, and you are to sing to the Redeemer’s praise. It is a wonderful preparation that God has made for you, children. And the parents should be diligent not to allow an evil habit to be encouraged in their children. Ask the Lord to let His blessing rest upon the children that you love so well, but never take them and shake them as I have seen done right in meeting. It is a wicked thing.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 11

Verse 7. What greater promise can we have than this, to bring it right to the Lord, and tell Him you read it in His Word.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 12

Verses 7-11. If you follow on to know the Lord, you shall know that His going forth is prepared as the morning. More and more, brighter and brighter, will be your experience. And as far as the giving way to passion is concerned, why, you would feel that that would imperil the welfare of your children. You give them an example which it would be very sad for you to see the outcome of.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 13

Verse 8. And if we not seek God now, when we can have His power and His grace and the wisdom that He will impart to us, we shall be deficient in experience in every line.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 14

Verses 7, 8. Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, “so shall ye be my disciples,” and the children will learn of the parents.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 15

Verse 9. What a comparison!

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 16

Verse 10. Wonderful representation! Some may say it is not possible. I know it is. I have taken the children who had nothing but the rod put to them, and I want to tell you that I know that if the right influence was exerted there would be many more Christian families than there are today.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 17

Verse 11. And if we were all full of the joy of Christ, what an influence should we exert in the world. What an influence should we exert in the church! What we need is religion, Christian righteousness.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 18

Verses 12-14. Now bear that in mind. There is an “if” there. Have you made known to your children all the impressions and light that God has given you to carry you through with your management of your children? If you have not, do not leave it for another day.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 19

Verse 15. He is talking with His disciples, and of course that testimony should be brought right into our household. Not a passionate word is to pass our lips, because the devil is standing right by to take advantage of it and to make impressions upon the minds of our children if we speak unadvisedly.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 20

Verse 16.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 21

Now it is the fruit that God is looking for, to be produced wherever you are. In whatever city you are, you are to bear fruit. There is to be not a passionate word, and more than this, you are to encourage godliness and you are to represent Christ in words and character wherever you are. There is no need for you to feel that it is a hardship if you have to control an ugly temper. Ask the Lord to give you patience. And then the children can tell their parents that they have displeased the Lord and displeased them, and ask the Lord to forgive them.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 22

What a work could be done in our cities if this work was carried on in our homes. The children could work with the parents, and then you would have a message that would be of value to speak to those assembled together.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 23

Verse 17. Who is it that commands this? The One who gave His life for the saving of souls. Now He says, “These things I command you, that ye love one another.”

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 24

Verses 17-19. Yes, the young people will have companions that will be very much displeased if they will cling to principle, if they will not give up principle, if they will hold fast to principle.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 25

“If ye were of the world, ... therefore the world hateth you.” [Verse 19.] Why? Because you will not do the very things that would win your souls away from truth and righteousness. You cannot afford it. You are working for a crown. You are working, every one of you we hope, for a crown, for an immortal crown that shall be given you when the gates of the city of God shall be swung back upon their glittering hinges, and the nations that have kept the truth shall enter in. Each of us is to work out our salvation with fear and with trembling. You cannot allow this precious time to pass and you not be laying up a hope big with immortality and full of glory. It is your privilege now.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 26

Verses 19-27. Now, this is the fifteenth chapter of John, and we want you to take it in. I will not follow along these subjects, because I think I have said enough. But I want that the words that I have spoken shall make some impression on the human mind. I want that the light of heaven shall so illuminate the mind that the soul is uplifted and strengthened. God is glorified by your obedience, by your words, by your works. I want you to examine this chapter, and I want you to plead with God for His converting power to rest upon your minds. Who is impressed today with the words that the voice of the feeble instrument has presented before you? It is the Bible, but who, I ask you, will pledge themselves that they will look upon conversion in a different light; conversion from sin, conversion from all that is evil, and place themselves where the light of heaven can be reflected upon them and they can reflect the same upon others?

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 27

We do plead with you that you shall make a decided influence. Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, and all the children are to work harmoniously. For what?—for an entrance. “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” [2 Peter 1:11.] Now I want to ask, Who will begin here today? How many will from this day forth make a determined effort that they will win heaven at the loss of all things, that they want eternal life above everything else? We have not a minute to lose. Who will pledge themselves to make a decided effort to follow on to know the Lord, that they may know that His going forth is prepared as the morning? Whoever will do this understandingly, will you please stand upon your feet? (Congregation arose.)

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 28

[Prayer:] Heavenly Father, we come to Thee at this time, and we ask Thee that this manifestation of those who have risen to their feet that they will seek the Lord in accordance with the testimony Thou hast given me to bear—I ask Thee, Lord, to give them strength. I ask Thee, Lord, to let the heavenly power make the impression. Encircle them in Thy wondrous grace, and may they recognize that Christ has given His life that they might be partakers of the divine nature and have a right to the tree of life.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 29

Wilt Thou bless this congregation this morning. Wilt thou bless, this morning, and wilt Thou give grace that we every one of us need to perfect a Christian character. Wilt Thou open our understanding that we may see light in Thy light, and that we may carry on a work of reform. They never, never will be ashamed of it when they come up to the city of our God, but will look up and see what they promised by this upstanding vote.

25LtMs, Ms 70, 1911, par. 30

And now we ask Thee that these may give their lives wholly to God, and Thou wilt accept them. Let them see and understand, and may their hearts be all broken before Thee, and the light of heaven shine into the hearts of the parents and the hearts of the children and of brothers and sisters, that the whole household may be a household that fears God and will not abuse the mercies of God, for the converting power of God is seeking for their reformation. Lord, bless them here today, I pray Thee, and Thy blessed name shall have all the glory. Amen.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Ms 81, 1910

San Fernando, California

April 9, 1910

Previously unpublished.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 1

(Discourse by Mrs. E. G. White at San Fernando Academy.)

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 2

As I look at this company, I remember a letter that came to me when I was in Los Angeles, I think it was, telling me of this place. They tried to give some little description of it, and the word from me was, Secure the place at once, for light has been given me that there are to be places all around that will be, as it were, forsaken, and nothing doing in them. They are for you. I do not know in just which room I spoke here first. I think it was a room above this one, a little chamber, to a little company which you could easily count. There were very, very few, but yet that did not disturb me at all, because I was sure that the Lord meant to work this field, that there was a field to be worked. And therefore I spoke a few words to them and told them what the Lord could do for them if they, on their part, would act their faith and carry out the light that God had given that He had places selected through these different sections where they were not being used, and that God would bring these into our hands.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 3

Well, now we see this large company here in just one section of that which was presented before me. I am very glad to see you all, and I want to say to you that to every one that will follow on to know the Lord, it will be known that His going forth is prepared as the morning. Now when you see the preparation of the morning, it does not blaze right in upon you all at once, but it comes gradually until the sun shines out in its beauty. I want to read to you a few words from John 15.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 4

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away.” [Verses 1, 2.]

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 5

I hope there will not be one here that will have to be taken away, not numbered with God’s people.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 6

“And every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” [Verse 2.]

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 7

Some do not like it, but that is the very process that is going to bring everyone in right relation to God. Associating with the world, and in the world and carrying on the work more or less with the world, you need every one of you to have a living connection with God. Why? He gave His only blessed Son for you and for me and for every soul upon the earth. He gave His only beloved Son, and you know to what. Christ laid aside His royal robe and kingly crown, and clothed Himself with humanity and came a babe, to live the life on earth from babyhood up to His crucifixion. And when we consider what a sacrifice He has made, then we may consider that all the sacrifices we can make are of but very little estimation.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 8

I will continue to read. Verse 2. He brings some trials upon you, and afflictions, to draw your mind to God and to heavenly things. Every soul He purchased with His own blood. Behold Him hanging upon the cross, the nails driven through His hands and through His feet, and there He hung while those who had caused Him to hang there were mocking and deriding Him.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 9

Now, we want to come into a condition where we shall glorify God. We want to be in a position where we can honor Him and show that we appreciate Him.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 10

Verses 1-5. Then how important it is that parents should educate their children from childhood up, that these children shall be submissive to the parents, and the parents submissive to God. From the light God has given me, we want the reformation in our homes, so that the entire household shall be sanctified to God. Verses 6, 7. Now these were among His very last promises before He was stretched on that cross of crucifixion.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 11

“If ye abide in Me.” Mothers, children, students, all hear this: “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you,” because you will not ask amiss. With an abiding Christ, with the glory of God in view, you will not make any mistake in asking the Lord.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 12

Verse 8. Now you can consider what the fruit is in words, in actions, in efforts to help every one that is around you, whoever they are, to help them to see more distinctly, to discern Christ more distinctly, and let your words be of such a character that you will not be ashamed to meet them when you meet Christ. “Herein is My Father glorified”—that is evidence of your discipleship.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 13

Verses 9 and 10. It is no play work, no haphazard work, that the Christian has to perform. It is a solemn, sacred work from day to day, that he may give the right teaching and mould to the character of his children that shall be brought into the world. Christians are to be laborers together with God; as Christ has labored for us, we are to be laborers together with God. This is the very work, to bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I know there are some parents that carry the burden; I know there are some parents that plead with God in the morning, at noon, and at night. I know they plead with God most earnestly for their children, that they shall have the right mould of character, that Christ can look upon them with pleasure, that they will love Christ, and Christ will love them.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 14

Verses 10 to 12. What a Saviour we have! If we love one another as Christ has loved us, if we are trying to serve Him and bring souls to Christ, we are laborers together with God, even though we have never set our foot in the pulpit. It is not the ministers merely; it is parents, fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters that are to work and walk in the family relation to bring that family relation before God in such a way that the Lord will hear their petitions, and then labor right in the line of your prayers to bring them where they can honor and glorify Him.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 15

“This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” [Verse 12.] “This is my commandment,” Christ says, and I hope that this congregation will carry that out to the letter. Why? Because you will be happy in this world; you will be happy under affliction; you will be happy in doing your best; you will be happy because you will appreciate the love of God, and gratitude will go out from your heart continually in thanksgiving to God.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 16

Verses 12-14. And if you work right counter to the way that Christ worked, you are not His friends. God wants every one of you; Christ died for every one of you. He was crucified for every one of you, that you might have an entrance into the city of our God, that He might meet you there.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 17

“Henceforth I call you not servants; ... I have made known unto you.” [Verse 15.] He brought it to you. It is in the world—the Bible.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 18

“Ye have not chosen me, ... should go and bring forth fruit.” [Verse 16.]

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 19

All heaven will come to your help. Angels of God will be round about every one of you who will try to work in harmony with the instruction of Jesus Christ, and they will preserve you from accident and harm, many times when you know it not. And I want to tell you, afflictions will come as they came upon Christ, but you will remember the words, “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.” [Verse 16.] Now let us consider that. Let us consider every promise, that we are not asking merely in our human strength.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 20

If you could have seen what has been represented to me concerning the evil angels that have fallen from heaven because they would not concede to the God of heaven! They are in this world, and they are working unseen. They are hearing what I am saying today. They are right around about us, but God calls for a company that shall have faith that lays hold upon eternal realities and that study His Word and search the Scriptures, and He will work from the little child up. He will use them.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 21

Parents must be careful how they deal with their children. Deal with them in such a way that they will remember that they are God’s property and that they must not allow Satan to take possession of their minds and characters, because their characters must appear as God wants them to appear—in harmony with the One who has given His only begotten Son for the life of the world. He came down into this world as a child, and He gave His life because sinners would not let Him live. He gave His life, and He wants you to read this Book. He wants you to put away all your novels and lovesick stories out of the house. I will not let one remain if I see it in my house. Why? Why, I have a voice here. I have a lesson book. I cannot afford to bring this trash into my mind. I cannot afford it. I have only one life to live, and that life will determine my future, eternal life in the kingdom of glory. If I ever get there it will be through humble obedience to do the will of God, not to have my own way.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 22

Teach your children that they are not to have their own way. But it is not by pounding their flesh that you will teach them that they are not to have their own way. Take them aside, kneel down with them, ask God to soften and subdue their hearts, ask God to let the presence of His angels be round about the children as they go out and come in. Unless He kept them, you have no idea how things would come out with them. Angels of God are appointed to guard the children. Parents, will you act your part in the home? Will you pray with your children, and teach them the way of the Lord? God help us that we may be converted daily, and then we shall understand the working of the Holy Spirit of God.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 23

“This is my commandment, that ye love one another.” [Verse 12.] Will we remember this? We must remember that all are God’s property, and we must not hate anyone, but try to help them, everyone to help the next one. We are not to love their evil works, but it is the “one another,” the living agency, that God is speaking of, and He wants these living agencies to be brought into harmony one with another, to help one another as best they can. We want all the power that God can give us, and He can give us power that will make impressions.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 24

“How do you feel?” says one, often and often. “Do you feel strong enough to reach the several hundred that have come out to hear?” “No,” I say, “I do not. I do not depend on myself. If God does not give me strength when I get upon my feet, I will sit down and say I have not strength to speak.” But I want to tell you we have too little trust in God, too little faith. I do want God to be glorified. I want that we shall have an increase of faith, that we should lay hold upon that One who died on Calvary’s cross. When one thief was berating Christ with the words, “Save thyself and save us,” the other one said, “Lord, will you remember me when you come into your kingdom?” He said, “I say unto you today, thou shalt be with me in paradise.” [Luke 23:39-43.] He honored his faith.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 25

[John 15] Verse 19. That means the world. There are those that respect them although they have no religion themselves. But I want to tell you that it is best for every one of us to hide ourselves in Jesus Christ. I want to tell every one of you to lay hold upon the hope set before you in the gospel. If Christ has not given you instruction enough, I want to know where you can get it.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 26

Verses 20-27.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 27

Now, there is a great deal in that chapter, and we want every one of us to respect Christ, to have faith in Christ, to lay our helpless souls in hope upon the promises of Christ, and then act out those promises to the world.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 28

I have an intense desire that every soul possible shall come to a knowledge of the truth. If I had not, I would not have continued my labors East and West, in foreign countries, although I am now in my eighty-third year. Yet I have faith. I know Him. I know Him, and I know that He will never leave me. If I go forward in His name, He will be my support. I have wrestled all night in pain sometimes, and it seemed impossible for me to go before the people. But I dared not show unbelief, and God has helped me. Only recently I have stood before them when it seemed that I could not stand upon my feet, and the Lord has sustained me every moment. I know Him, because He has fulfilled His word to me.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 29

And I want to say to you, parents, Do your duty to your children, for there are a great many who neglect their duties to their children. Do not scold and fret at them; that will not save them at all; but take them right away and pray with them. Ask God to help them, and He will hear your prayers, and it will impress the children more than all the whipping that you could give them. It will help them, and God will unite your hearts with theirs.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 30

Oh, let us seek with all our hearts to represent Christ in our lives. Begin at home, and let the home life be a sacred one where God can come in and where He can let the influence of His Spirit rest upon the children and where they will be under the influence of the Spirit of God. But if you show any passion, lifting your hand to the children, it would put the devil into them and they would not care what they did. Now the enemy is at work for the children, and let the parents work with all their powers and their influence to train the children. This is quite a company of children, and what intense interest should be in the minds of the parents. God wants you, children.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 31

When the Master was upon earth, upon one occasion they brought the children to Him. We cannot tell what the burden was that was upon the mothers but they felt that they could not bear the trouble any longer, so one family after another gathered up their children, and they would meet their neighbors and tell them where they were going, and another and another would join them. And when they came up, there was Christ teaching and educating in the field. Do you suppose He did not know who was coming to Him? The disciples were sending them away, saying that the Master could not be troubled. Here He is giving a discourse to the people. Christ catches it, and He says, “Forbid them not. Let the children come to Me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 19:14.]

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 32

I thank the Lord that we have a Saviour. I thank the Lord with heart and soul and voice that we have a Saviour today, and He knows every trouble and every affliction that comes upon the soul, and He is ready to help you if you will be helped. I see life for us, and I may have the opportunity to speak to you on some other part of it.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 33

The enemy is gathering up all his forces and powers to work at the present time to divert minds, and there will be woven into writings the most precious, intelligent words. Well, you will say, how do you do that? Who are they? Angels fallen from heaven. The highest angel rebelled because he could not have the highest place in heaven, and therefore there was war in heaven, and he was turned out upon the earth; and I suppose he is hearing what I say today. Do you think that these evil angels cannot weave in the knowledge they had in the heavenly courts? They will put in the most intelligent sentences here and there. People will say, Do you think that any one that can write like that, that can put in such beautiful sentences, is not a Christian? They will make that as a plea, and it is coming to the time when the world will be filled with such publications. They will take this Bible and pick out sentences, and put something else in the place of these. They are going to do this.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 34

I tell you that Lucifer who fell from heaven, is a busy workman. He is working with all his power, and so are all those fallen angels; and they are highly educated. Did they lose all their education? They took their education and brought it along with them, that they might use it to grasp souls. They can make the plea of their wonderful intelligence, and we want to become intelligent, too, that we may be able to meet the powers of darkness, not by changing the Word, but by the very Word of God we can meet them.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 35

In Second Peter we have the assurance that if we comply with the requirements, adding to our faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and brotherly kindness charity, that we shall never fall. Now remember that. There is the everlasting insurance: “Ye shall never fall,” if we live on the plan of addition, adding grace to grace. [2 Peter 1:5-10.]

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 36

We want more religion, more humility, more meekness, to lay right hold of the Mighty One, and you can have it if you will. God gives it to you, for an everlasting inheritance is prepared for those who will follow on to know the Lord.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 37

I want to say to every soul, Let us be converted daily. It is a daily conversion that we need to meet these powers of darkness, and if we have a daily conversion we shall never fall. Why should you not follow on to know the Lord? He is everything to you. His power, His grace, His godliness are all to you. He will work for you, and He wants every teacher that is here today, who instructs the minds of youth, to keep the heavenly agencies awake in their minds in such a way that it will have an influence upon them.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 38

I want heaven. I want to see the King in His beauty. I want to behold His matchless charms. I want the crown that I can lay at His feet. I want the harp, that I can sing His praises. I want to enter in through the gates into the city, and have right to the tree of life. I want that He should lead me under the tree of life, and that He shall place the fruit in my hands, and in your hands. I want you to be there. And now I will not hold any longer, but I will say to teachers, Remember, do not leave a wrong impression on the minds of scholars.

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 39

I say to the parents, Bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and let the love of Christ abide in the heart, and angels of God will manifest themselves unto you and unto the one you are trying to save. Salvation, salvation, salvation is worth everything to us. Do not make littleness of heaven. I beg of you to bring heaven into your hearts by studying the Scriptures. May God help every one of you. Will you try? If you will, rise to your feet. Amen and Amen. Now I will offer a word of prayer:

25LtMs, Ms 81, 1910, par. 40

Heavenly Father, we present these souls to Thee as those that have expressed themselves that they want to be Thy children and Thy servants. Encircle them in the arms of Thy love, I beseech Thee, and make an impression on the minds and hearts of they people by the words that I have tried to give them. And I ask of Thee to teach fathers and mothers how to lead their children to the very God of heaven by their instruction, and that at last they will be transferred into the city of God, there to see the King in His beauty. Amen.

Manuscript Releases, vol. 4 [Nos. 210-259]

MR No. 237—Ellen White’s Burden for God’s People

4MR 307.1

Brooklyn, New York, Sunday, November 16, 1890—I spoke to a full house at eleven o’clock Sabbath a.m. with much freedom. I do not think I have ever seen a better class of people before me. There was nobility and intelligence. We had a good social meeting. Many excEllent testimonies were borne. The sisters Charlotte and Sarah Haskins, whom I knew in my youth, were present to hear me. I was glad to meet them. Spoke from John 15.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Ms 77, 1910

Los Angeles, California

March 26, 1910

Previously unpublished.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 1

(John 15:1) and onward. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away.” [Verse 2.] Bear that in mind. The fruit, the fruit, the fruit manifests what we are. It is not our word, it is not our profession, but the fruit we bear. Let every one of us consider that it is a most precious opportunity we have that we may become acquainted with Jesus Christ by a personal profession, and the carrying out of that profession in our lives. He is intently watching to see how many are bearing fruit to His name’s glory. We are not to glorify ourselves, but be just as submissive to God as a child is to his parent.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 2

Christ came to our world and gave us an example of what we should be. “Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it.” [Verse 2.] So if you have trials, do not think that you are cast away and are not children of God because you have trials. We are to give proof by bearing these trials and pressing close to Jesus Christ in prayer, in submission, in giving our will to the will of Christ, that His will shall be manifest in us. It means everything to us.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 3

“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away.” [Verse 2.] Do any of you want to be taken away? Do you want it to be so that you shall have no living connection with Jesus Christ? Not one of you can afford this. What we want is that living connection with Jesus Christ and every day to learn of Him.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 4

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” [Verse 5.] There will not be complaining, nor faultfinding because you have trials. Go right on your knees to Christ and tell Him, I am not worthy to be Your child, but if You will bless me and give me strength, I will walk humbly before You step by step. We are here preparing for the future, immortal life; and if you gain that, what do you gain? You gain a crown of glory; you gain an entrance into the city of our God. You will have a life that measures with the life of God, and therefore you want to fulfill every requirement that God has given. Come out from the world and be separate. That is what we are to do.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 5

“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” That is, they are clean in their understanding. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” [Verses 3, 4.]

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 6

There is a large company here, and I want to say to you that Christ has given His life to save you. What a sacrifice! What abuse He suffered even in His crucifixion, [made by His enemies] as humiliating as possible. He bore all this that He might bear our sins, your sins, and that He might take away your sins if you will let Him. He cannot take them away unless you are willing to give up these sins and to be converted daily to God. Now let us make a business of this matter. If you have never given yourself fully, soul, body, and spirit, to God, let not another day pass until you do honor to Jesus Christ who gave His precious life that we might not perish, but have everlasting life. This we can obtain if we lay hold of Him by a living faith and live in accordance with His Word, working the works of Christ, being patient, kind, and tender, true fathers and mothers, working out the plan of salvation that is given to us.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 7

You must become acquainted with Him, that you may when in trial lay your perplexities before Him. Go right by yourself and tell Him all about it, as a child would go to his parents. Go to our Saviour, and just tell Him your necessities. What we need is to be in harmony with Him. Ask Him to lay His fashioning hand upon you, that you may have His image in your life. “Ask what ye will, and it shall be done.” [Verse 7.]

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 8

You will ask in the right spirit; you will pray in the right spirit; your actions will be in accordance, and the fruit of the vine will be produced. It is the fruit that Christ wants. Why? Because you are abiding in Christ. You will not ask things that are unreasonable if you abide in Him and He in you. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” [Verse 7.] Thank the Lord. If I had not had this promise given to me when I was twelve years old and onward for several years when I was trying to get an experience, I should have been in despair, and I think my life would have gone out.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 9

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” [Verses 8, 9.] He wants every one of you. He does not want a single soul of you to be lost. He wants the fathers and mothers to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He wants these fathers and mothers to educated their children to be children of God. You cannot give them up to the world and yet bring a good report unto God. What you want is to be in submission to the will and way of God. That I want to be, that I mean to be, if I know what it is.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 10

Christ tell us how His Father is glorified. He gave His only begotten Son that through the gift of His Son we should become His disciples through faith.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 11

“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.” [Verses 9, 10.]

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 12

It is no make-believe business to be a child of God, for Satan will dispute every step that you take. But if you live your life in Christ Jesus, He covers you, He protects you, He gives you the power to become sons of God, children of the Most High.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 13

Father, mothers, what a responsibility rests upon you to have that living faith that grasps the hand of infinite power. Christ has made all these promises for us and pledged them with His life. We have no reason to question that He means just what He says, and He wants every soul of you to represent Him to the world. If you make a profession and do not live up to it, but bring your children up to grow after the worldly fashion and order, then you are responsible for their characters. We want, fathers and mothers, every one of us to be converted daily to Jesus Christ, and then what will we do? Verses 3 and 4. Do you think that He tells us the truth? It is an abiding Christ that we must have, and in having an abiding Christ, you will have the comfort of the grace of God in your hearts.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 14

Now you are in this city. What confusion there is in the streets of Los Angeles, and in every city. In many of the large cities, as we have gone through them, we have tried to bear our testimonies. And I want to tell you that God will sympathize with you in every trial that you have if you will let Him. But if you shut yourself right up to yourself, if you will do just as you please, thinking you will come out all right, you will find that you will come out all wrong. Our precious Saviour gave His life for us, and the question is, Who appreciates it? Who will work out their own salvation with fear and with trembling? Such ones will grasp the hand of infinite power and say, I will be saved through the grace of Jesus Christ who gave His life for me.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 15

Fathers, mothers, never in the world will you convert your children by working counter to the work of Christ. You want to be children of God, and bow your will to the will of God. You want the light of heaven to be with you as you go into the closet, as you plead with God to give you a parent’s heart that is sanctified to Jesus Christ. There is to be no scolding, no fretting. Take these children and kneel before God and plead with Him in their behalf. Let them know that it is everything to them and to you whether they will yield their hearts to be sanctified through the grace of Christ. If you get angry with them, and in impatience cause them pain, do you think you will convert them in that way?

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 16

Mothers, I plead with you, do not let yourselves be drawn away from a mother’s duty. Do not, I beg of you, think, Oh, they will come out all right; it is no use to restrain children so much. The devil wants you to think that. That is just the idea that he wants to get into your minds. You must fight every step of the way. When I have seen children mismanaged I have said, Give them to me. And I have taken child after child, and I tried to fashion them after Christ’s order. I never found it did much good to pound them.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 17

Once I thought I would have to punish the child, but I took her in the room with me, and I said, We will pray. After I had prayed, I asked her if she would like to say a few words to the Lord. I told her that it was the first time that I had brought anything in my hand with which to correct her, and that I did not want to use it this time. I said, Can you just ask the Lord to forgive you for what you have done? The lips were opened, and the moment the lips were opened the heart was broken, and there she wept and wept. Could I have struck a blow to that child? I told her, I am so thankful that I did not have to correct you. It hurts me worse than it does you. If you will try to do right, we will take you out in the fields where you can pick the flowers, and we will kneel down there and pray all together.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 18

I want to tell you that there are many children who go to ruin because the parents do not know how to handle them. They get out of patience with them, and then they lose the battle. They hate their fathers and mothers. But we will work in a different way. We will talk with them and pray with them and try to help them. You want to enter in through the pearly gates into the city, and when those gates are thrown open, you want to go in with your children, saying, “Here am I and the children whom Thou hast given me.” You want to see these children receive the crown and the harp, saved, eternally saved in the kingdom of glory. Is it not worthwhile to overcome your own passion? You create a warfare when you might have peace.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 19

How long does Christ bear with us!

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 20

It is the fruit that you bear in your family that creates an influence to reach other souls in the same line. We are each to help each other. Where there is a useless branch, it is to be taken away. When there are evil traits in your children’s characters, you are to talk with them and pray with them and seek to soften their dispositions, and you will in doing this soften your own dispositions.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 21

Verses 8 to 12. Love those with whom you associate in church capacity. Love the members of your family. The husband and wife should never scold and fret in the presence of the children. It is a terrible example.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 22

Verses 13 and 14. He had just come to the point where He was going to lay down His life. “Ye are my friends.” Here is a point that every one of us needs to understand. We are to walk in the direction of these words.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 23

Verse 15. Precious Saviour, we thank Thee with heart and soul and voice; we thank Thee that Thou hast given Thy expensive life, such terrible suffering, that we might have a right to the life in the kingdom of glory. Will we strive for it? Will we labor for it?

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 24

Mothers, never scold your children. It will not do them a bit of good. Take some of these words and read them to them, and pray with them. Do not be the one that needs the correction more than the child does, because the child knows so much less than you do, and you ought to study how you can keep the tempter away from your child, that he shall not have the victory over him. Christ wants you to work so that you may save your children. You are to work by overcoming yourself. Overcome your own disposition.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 25

Fathers, will you unite with the mothers to bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? We love the children, and we want to see them as children of the Most High God. We want to see them crowned, entering in through the gates into the city of God. We want to see the children with the parents passing in through the gates into the city, there to go no more out into the wicked world—saved, eternally saved, if they gain the city when their warfare here is accomplished.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 26

Time is closing. We want to be righteous; we want to follow on to know the Lord, that we may know that His going forth is prepared as the morning. Will we do it? Parents and children, I feel such intensity as I consider how many children are growing up with scarcely any care to teach them that they are children of God. They must act as children of God; they must have hearts in unity with Jesus Christ.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 27

When this parable of the vine and the branches was presented to me, I lost consciousness. I did not know where I was. When I regained consciousness, I found that I was in my own chamber. It was presented before me that I was to bring these things before the people. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” [Verse 7.] We thank Thee, heavenly Father, with heart and soul and voice. Help us. Help the parents and the children. Help them to be overcomers by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.

25LtMs, Ms 77, 1910, par. 28

When I came to myself, I found that I was sitting in my writing chair, and I did not know how long I had been unconscious. Oh, I had such impressions made upon my mind that parents should make to their children! It seemed I could hardly wait. I must go where I could see the children and the parents together, and I must plead with them. You who are older in years should know more, and your children have leniency from you. God grant that every mother that is in this room shall be truly converted, and every father, to stand by the side of the mother.

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Do not, I beg of you, have an iron rod in your house, for you will often rule unjustly if this is the case. You want Christ who has borne so much for you. He came into this world as an infant to go through life from infancy to manhood. But He did not commit sin, because the God of salvation protected Him; and when He began to work, it was with all faithfulness that He did everything. And the children would say to Him, Why do you take so much pains? He would begin to sing songs of heaven, and the first thing they knew, all would be singing. Now what we want is to sing the songs of heaven. We want to have pleasurable notes in our voices. What we want is salvation every day.

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Verses 1 and 2. Some do not bear the right kind of fruit. How does He purge the branch? He corrects the errors. He shows what their errors are and what they must do to please Jesus, the blessed Saviour who gave His life for them. Shall we begin, as we never have before, to humble ourselves under the hand of God, and He will bind us up. He understands how.

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You may profess to be genuine Christians, but if you scold and fret if everything does not go just as you would have it, you are anything but that. Suppose that we begin today to seek to become branches of the true vine. Christ has pledged Himself to glorify God through us if we will make the effort to cling to the Mighty One and to bear fruit to His glory. We can do it because Christ gives us the power, and therefore every one of us can begin the battle.

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Here is a large, wicked city, and there are others like it. What are we all doing to bring the light of truth just as it is into these cities? Are we trying to exert every influence possible to sweep back the powers of darkness and to let the sunshine of His glory in? Are you trying, fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, to make a covenant with God by sacrifice? This is what our Saviour wants you to do. He came to our world, and you know what He bore. He hung on Calvary’s cross, and the poor thief who was hanging by His side said to Him, Remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. Christ said that He would, and He will do just as He has said. There was that thief hanging on the cross, and he showed his faith in the redeeming Saviour right there.

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Now let us overcome our passions. Let us be converted. The converting power of God is to be felt in this city. Let those who profess to be converted give themselves fully unto God.

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Verses 10-14. Now, this is the work that rests upon us. I want to say to you that the wickedness in these cities is increasing continually, and unless we are increasing in spirituality, and unless we can be co-laborers with Jesus Christ to bring these souls to the knowledge of the truth, we shall not be a branch in the true vine. The branch in the true vine bears fruit of the first order. Every one of us needs to be converted to Jesus Christ. Let us this very day make a covenant with God by sacrifice.

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Our Saviour left His throne, and He came to this world as a little child. In His work He went from place to place on foot, taking the Word and going through the cities, gathering the people about Him. In one company there were five thousand following Him. He said, These are weary. They must have rest. He had been leading them all the time to a grassy place where He could invite them to sit down and rest. He asked His disciples, How much food have you? Five loaves and two small fishes, they replied. [Mark 6:38.] They brought them on, and that fed the whole company. And after all had had food, they gathered up twelve baskets full of fragments.

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What we need is self-sacrifice and self-denial. We want to push the triumphs of the cross of Christ every day, and if we will do this, we shall see the salvation of God in our homes. Do not speak cross words, because that will teach your children to do the same. Kneel down and pray, and tell the Lord that you are grieved because the children have grieved Him. Beating them will not make the heart any more tender. But the Lord can help you and direct you in judgment. May God give the grace that is needed this day to children and to parents, that the converting power of God may come upon every one of them.

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As I look upon this company, I wonder how many of us will meet in the kingdom of glory. I want to be there. I shall be there, if I follow on to know the Lord, that His going forth is prepared as the morning. And as we follow on to become acquainted with Christ and His truth, He opens our understanding. The devil tries to close it in every way possible. If every one of you that profess to be Christians will be converted daily, you will see of the salvation of God in this city, as we saw them converted in 1843 and 1844 and onward; and now we have the light God has given as we followed on.

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We have our institutions in nearly all sections of America. We must labor in New York City and in all the large cities. And we want workers. We want everyone who will be converted to the truth to bear fruit. Christ will help the branch to bear the right kind of fruit. If you will follow on to know the Lord, you will know that His going forth is prepared as the morning. We want new conversion, we want new sanctification, we want to seek the Lord as we come together in our churches. We want to seek Him with all our hearts, that we may find Him. Then lift your voices in praise to God; that is bearing fruit to His glory. We want to see souls converted. We want converted souls that will come and labor for the salvation of those that are perishing around them.

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Will every one of you consider that salvation is worth winning? Will you take hold of the work? Do you want to be transferred to the higher school? Do you want an entrance into the kingdom of glory? If you do, commence your work without delay, and then you may lead other souls into the path of righteousness. I love my Saviour because He first loved me. I love to do His will. When I thought of coming here, I said, I have not the strength, for I still feel the effect of the labor put forth in Mountain View and Lodi. But the Lord gives me strength, and I thank Him. And I want your help, every one of you, mothers and fathers. Christ is coming. We want your help, that you may convert the members of your families.

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Fathers, we want you to be overcomers, that you may wear the crown in the city of God and touch the golden harp and fill all heaven with rich music and with songs to the Lamb. Oh, that God would help! Will you be converted? Will you stand up this day, you that will be converted? Is it worth enough to be converted? It is worth everything. I am now in my eighty-third year, and I have been working constantly from one end of the earth to the other, in different cities and among different nationalities. I want women to help. I want the men to take right hold, that the salvation of God may be revealed in our communities. Will you make a covenant that from this time on you will try to serve God with full purpose of heart? Whoever will do this, rise to your feet. Amen and amen.

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Prayer: Heavenly Father, we present to Thee this company that have pledged themselves that they will be followers of God, to bear the fruit of the true vine, and You will help them because You have promised. And we ask Thee that Thy blessing shall rest upon all this standing company that have pledged themselves to seek for a higher life, a higher education, that they may be presented to the King of glory. I ask Thy blessing upon them. Give them a heart to know that they are workers, laborers together with God, and that Thou wilt be their Helper if they will follow on to know the Lord. Amen.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Lt 24, 1912

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I ask you to read the fourteenth chapter of John and to study its lessons. We need to crowd into our lives all the comfort we possibly can. We need to dwell on the words of courage that Christ spoke to His disciples toward the close of His earthly ministry. The fourteenth and fifteenth chapters of John should be very precious to every believing heart. Though a cruel death was just before Him, Christ’s words to His followers were full of hope. He desired to bring all the comfort possible to their hearts. Let us be strong in Him.