Children of Sister A. E. Wessels
NP
February 3, 1899
Portions of this letter are published in ML 54, 158. +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.
To Mrs. A. E. Wessels’ Children—especially Dan:
I am much troubled in regard to Sister Wessels’ children. I have seen the danger of the youth. Daniel Wessels, I have a message from the Lord to you. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 1
“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully, and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say unto my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” [Luke 12:16-21.] 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 2
The Lord’s eye is upon every soul. This rich man was dependent upon God for every breath he drew, dependent upon God to keep the living human machinery in motion. He was in the Lord’s house, this world, by sufferance, because of the Lord’s mercy and goodness. Had the protection of God been withdrawn, he would have been under the control of Satan, the enemy of God. The Lord had given the rain, the dew, the sunshine, which caused vegetation to flourish, else this rich man would have had no harvest. But his selfish heart did not realize that God owns the world. All land is the Lord’s. All the facilities which make the land productive belong to God. None of the things that the rich man was handling, and which he called his own, were his own. Every facility for obtaining riches was granted him by God. All was lent treasure, which he was to handle as a faithful steward. He was to trade on his Lord’s goods. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 3
The Lord opens an account with all His stewards. Their present and eternal interest depends upon the character of their stewardship. If they trade faithfully upon the Lord’s goods, acknowledging Him as the owner of all their blessings and all the means that they are handling, they will be greatly blessed. But if they use the Lord’s money to gratify selfishness, to glorify themselves, they will be called upon to render an account to the Giver. They have in their hands the Lord’s money or the Lord’s goods. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 4
Let them remember the foolish rich man, who said in his boasting pride, I have no place where to bestow my fruits. And he said, “This will I do: I will pull down my barns and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say unto my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” [Verses 18-21.] 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 5
This parable, if there were no other, is sufficient warning to those who have been entrusted with their Lord’s goods, but who pursue a course similar to that of the foolish rich man. His calculation was all for himself. He did not stop to consider that his life was the Lord’s, that all he was handling was the Lord’s, to be used for the advancement of the work and cause of God in our world. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 6
The Lord accomplishes His work through humanity. Christ clothes His divinity with humanity, that humanity might touch humanity. In condescending to take humanity, Christ exalted humanity. The Majesty of heaven, Commander in the heavenly courts, he revealed in person the similitude of the character of God before the world. He lived the law of God. He says, “I have kept my Father’s commandments.” “If ye keep my commandments, and abide in his love.” [John 15:10.] Should this restraint of required obedience make anyone unhappy? Hear what Christ says, “These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” [Verse 11.] 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 7
There is no true joy except Christ’s joy. All the supposed happiness a man fancies he can gain without Christ will prove to be as ashes, a disappointment. Do not suppose for a moment that an irreligious man can be a happy man. The Lord has placed every human being on test and trial. He desires to prove and try us, to see if we will be good and do good in this life, to see if he can trust us with eternal riches, and make us members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 8
Nothing can enter the heavenly courts that will work at cross-purposes with God. “For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” [Matthew 16:26, 27.] In God’s sight the whole world sinks into insignificance when compared with the value of one soul. No one to whom the Lord has revealed the glories of the eternal world, as He has to me, His humble servant, can place his hope and his soul’s interest in this world, now ripe for destruction because of the wickedness of man. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 9
I ask you, my dear friend, What will it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Your life is an uncertain matter. You may count on years of worldly pleasure, but disease or accident, something you have made no provision for, may suddenly cut you off, and you will be unready. Your reason, which you think is above the average of human beings, may be taken from you in a moment by death. Satan is the destroyer. Suffering and misery are in his ranks, and if you stand under his banner, the black banner of rebelling against God, refusing to keep His commandments, the mandate may go forth at any moment, Cut down the unfruitful tree. Why cumbereth it the ground? 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 10
A special invitation is now given you to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. At times you have been convicted, but you have neglected to listen to the invitation of the Holy Spirit, and whereas you should now be fully on the Lord’s side, loyal and true to your heavenly Father, you are as the prodigal son. Daniel Wessels, are you in any way responding to the love God expressed for you when He gave His only begotten Son that you might have eternal life? But eternal life is granted only on condition of obedience. It means much to you, my dear friend, whether you stand under the black banner of rebellion, or under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel. Christ has said, “He that is not for me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” [Matthew 12:30.] 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 11
Remember that you can be a laborer together with God. You can surrender your life to Jesus Christ, and thus become a channel of light to your brothers and sisters, expressing the love of God that has been shown for the members of the Wessels family, and that is broad enough to take in all with whom you come in contact. The divine current of grace is received from Christ, and wherever there is a receiving, there is to be a work of imparting. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 12
The Lord calls you, Daniel, Go work today in My vineyard. I have work that you can do to glorify My name. You are not your own. You are bought with a price. The Lord loves you. He calls, My son, give Me thine heart. You are Mine by creation, Mine by redemption. You can be a co-worker with Jesus Christ. The Lord has given you talents, and these talents are to be used to His name’s glory. The responsibility of every soul is exactly proportionate to the privileges and opportunities that God has given him. I have to tell you that you have not given your heart to the Lord. You have been showing contempt for the Lord. Thus did not Daniel of sacred history. He was but a youth when with his friends he was taken captive to Babylon. But he stands before the universe of heaven, before the worlds unfallen, and before a rebellious world, as a bright example of what the grace of God can do for a man in his character-building. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 13
The work of Christ is to restore the moral image of God in man. The Lord purposed what Daniel should be, and Daniel gave himself up, with all his God-given energies, to work out the plan of his Creator. He was quite young, only about sixteen years old, when he was brought to Babylon. It was not his choice to serve in these courts, to be exposed to all the profligacy, the gluttony, and the spendthrift habits of that heathen nation. But he set his heart to serve the Lord there. In his character-building he co-operated with God. He stood under Christ’s banner as a loyal subject of the heavenly King. He was a man whom God called “greatly beloved.” [Daniel 9:23.] 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 14
As he [Daniel] educated himself to reach the highest standard of character, he carried with him fragrance of the character of Christ. He was kind and submissive. He made friends with those who had charge over him, yet he would not swerve one inch from true, pure, righteous principles. He was willing to meet all the requirements of those who had rule over him, when he could do this consistently; but all the kings of the earth, all the nobles, all the men in power and authority, could not lead him to do one action that would mar his character. He was determined to be true to his God. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 15
Daniel’s example is before you. The Lord says, You can be like him in character. Will you remain away from Christ? Will you choose to be against Christ? You are either building for time and eternity the kingdom of Christ in our world, or you are devoting your God-given powers of mind and body to the work of Satan. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 16
The Lord says to you through His servant, You have but little time to work. “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; ... if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shall thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous, he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity, yea, every good path.” [Proverbs 2:1, 2, 4-9.] 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 17
Your dangers are presented before me. I love your soul. I want to see you aroused by the truth. You have been planning without God. Just as surely as you follow your own judgment, so surely will you waste the Lord’s goods in your investments. You have confidence in your own inexperienced judgment, but I warn you in the name of the Lord to take heed now, before you go any deeper into temptation. The fear of the Lord is true religion, and is profitable for this world, and for the eternal world for which we need a preparation in order to meet the Lord in peace. Come to the Word. Search the Scriptures. A strict compliance with God’s Word, obedience to the revealed will of God, is your only safety, and is good for the health of body and mind. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 18
The fruit of the Spirit is temperance as well as other excellencies. You are bought with a price; you are not your own. All that you may come into possession of is the Lord’s, and for it you must give a strict account. The Lord is testing and proving every man, to see whether he will be conscientious and true. To God’s whole family is given a trust in talents of influence and talents of money. These are not their own, to be used as they please. They are the Lord’s goods, and to Him every human agent is held accountable. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 19
I cannot endure the thought that you should make a mistake. The talent of influence, the voice, the words, all are God’s gifts. We are to use every physical and spiritual capability, not to please ourselves, but to please God. God requires you to be strictly temperate, that your intellect may be unimpaired. He desires you to use all the powers He has given you in counterworking the work of the enemy. 14LtMs, Lt 15, 1899, par. 20