Talk/Address to the Church Members at Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
September 7, 1909
Portions of this manuscript are published in CG 244-245; AH 323; 1MCP 170; 1MR 120-121; 10MR 320-322.
By Mrs. E. G. White, September 7, 1909. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 1
“Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk, without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness unto the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knewest not; and nations that knew not thee shall run after thee, because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for He hath glorified thee.” [Isaiah 55:1-5.] 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 2
This everlasting covenant the Lord makes with all who seek Him with the whole heart and comply with the conditions of salvation. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 3
“Seek ye the Lord, while He may be found; call ye upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” [Verses 6, 7.] 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 4
The words are spoken to those who have once known the Lord and have claimed His name, but who have backslidden from Him. Let these, the prophet says, “return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, that it may bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” [Verses 7-11.] 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 5
“O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of precious stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror, for it shall not come nigh thee. ... No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord.” [Isaiah 54:11-14, 17.] 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 6
God is doing this for His people in these last days; we have seen of His salvation in a remarkable manner, and we want to continue to see it. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 7
Our schools are being established in those places where we consider this line of work can be carried forward with success. Our sanitariums are established on the right hand and on the left. We are sending forth our laborers into different fields where the truth has not yet been proclaimed, that those who are waiting for the truths of the third angel’s message may be brought in connection with them. Our schools are established for the education and training of the youth. Through our sanitariums we are seeking to bring to a certain class of people physical and spiritual healing. When afflicted ones are in need, we do not ask them if they are Sabbathkeepers before we give them help. We bring them in connection with our work and try to teach them what it means to be a Sabbathkeeper. We should endeavor to keep before these souls at all times an example of practical faith in the Word of God. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 8
We need to come into harmony with God, that He may heal us of our spiritual infirmities. But this is not all that He will do for the believing soul. He will teach us to do the righteous deeds that marked the earthly life of Christ. Let our laborers come into harmony with the great Teacher and work in the simplicity of true godliness. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 9
“Thy children shall be all taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children.” [Verse 13.] Do we give heed to this promise, and are we seeing to it that our children are taught of the Lord? Are we making them understand the requirements of God at the very beginning of their lives? Christ gave His precious life, that they might be partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 10
Parents, you know something of the inducements by which Satan tries to lead your children into folly. He is working with all his powers to lead them astray. With a determination that many do not dream of, he is seeking to gain control of their minds and to make the commandments of God of no effect in their lives. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 11
He leads them to grieve the hearts of their parents. Never let the parents at such times manifest anger, never strike a blow in passion. The Lord wants the hearts of these children from their very babyhood to be given to His service. While they are too young to reason with, divert their minds as best you can; and as they become older, teach them by precept and example that you cannot indulge their wrong desires. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 12
Instruct them patiently. Sometimes they will have to be punished, but never do it in such a way that they will feel they have been punished in anger. By such a course you only work a greater evil. Many unhappy differences in the family circle might be avoided if parents would obey the counsel of the Lord in the training of their children. In righteousness shalt thou be established, God declares;—that is, in doing the works of righteousness. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 13
We need to present to the youth an inducement for rightdoing. Silver and gold is not sufficient for this. Let us reveal to them the love and mercy and grace of Christ, the preciousness of His Word, and the joys of the overcomer. In efforts of this kind you will do a work that will last throughout eternity. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 14
“Thy children shall be all taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children.” [Verse 13.] O how many times I have brought this promise to the Lord and have proved its truthfulness. I have taken many children into my home and by patient labor and prayer have sought to instruct them according to the light God has given. The Lord has co-operated with my efforts, and these children have responded to my labors in their behalf. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 15
We are living in the last days of this earth’s history, and it is time we understood what we must do to be saved. The Lord will work intelligently for all who will work intelligently for Him. My brethren and sisters, there is something more for you to do than to sit in your churches Sabbath after Sabbath and to listen to the preaching of the Word. You have a work to do for friends and neighbors. God requires of you that you visit these families and seek to create an interest in the truth for this time. You are not laboring together with God if you neglect the work of helping others to take hold upon eternal realities. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 16
Our ministers are not to be encouraged to hover about the churches to repeat to the believers week after week the same truths. We have a truth that is saving and precious. The Word of God must be planted in many hearts; the bread of life must be dealt out to many hungering souls. If we will study carefully the 58th chapter of Isaiah with these words I have read to you from the 55th and 54th chapters, you will see that there is a precious and an extended work to be done by the people of God. It is a blessed work to lift up Christ before the world. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 17
When the work of the judgment is finished and decisions have been made for eternity, it will be seen that it is those who have given themselves wholeheartedly to the service of God who will stand right with heaven. Some of these may not have been able to leave their families to go to some mission field, but they have been missionaries in their own neighborhood. Their hearts have been so filled with the love of God that their great anxiety has been to win souls for Him. This has been more to them than silver and gold and the precious things of this world. And as they have labored in simplicity to minister the Word of truth, the Spirit of God has sent home the Word to the hearts of the people. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 18
My brethren and sisters, let us study the simplicity there is in the Word of God. Let us see what we can do to advance the cause of Christ in the earth. Christ was in this world as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. There were many who set themselves against His work. There will be those who will oppose you. But your work is to preach Christ and Him crucified; and when you do this, the salvation of God will be revealed in the conversion of souls. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 19
When your minister is called away to some other place to labor, you can speak words of encouragement and blessing to one another. If you have that living faith that it is the privilege of every believer to possess, you will not hold your minister here to labor for you when there is greater need of his ministry elsewhere. Let the light shine where you are. Lay hold of the power that there is in Christ, and learn to overcome through the merits of His blood and the word of your testimony. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 20
Since I left my home in California in April, I have visited many places and have spoken to thousands of people. This is the last stop I expect to make before reaching my home again. I would leave these words with you: Carry the work forward in faith and humble dependence upon God. Let each believer have light in himself; then the blessing of God will rest upon you, and you will see the salvation of God in the advancement of His work in this place. 24LtMs, Ms 93, 1909, par. 21