You are engaged in a great and good work and in this constant strain the physical, mental and moral powers are taxed to the uttermost and ought not to be, because the future demands of your tact, your experience and your practical knowledge. It comes to me with force at times the great violence you are doing to yourself when you have knowledge of just the result that you must shorten your life and I feel intensely over this matter. For it will not make the matter one whit better. I have learned, if you go calmly along trusting in God, committing the keeping of your soul to Him as unto a faithful Creator you will be able to preserve the calmness and ease, a peace that cannot be marred, that will astonish you.BCL 8.1

It is these men who feel so intensely as James White, J.N. Andrews and yourself that wear and are bruised in spirit. Now if they would heed counsel and would educate and train themselves to endure what cannot be cured and just lean more heavily and continuously upon divine power, then the wear and the friction would almost entirely cease. The peace of Christ comes into the soul. God means we shall trust in Him and enjoy His goodness; He lays out day by day before us. And we must have eyes and perceptive powers to take these things in.BCL 8.2

However great and glorious the full and perfect deliverance from evil we shall realize in heaven it is not all to be kept for the time of final deliverance. God brings it into our present life. We need daily to cultivate faith in a present Saviour. Trusting in a power out of and above ourselves and this exercise of faith in unseen support and power which is waiting the demand of the needy and dependent we then can trust amid clouds as well as sunshine, singing of present deliverance and present enjoyment of His love.BCL 8.3

The life we now live must be by faith in the Son of God. The Christian life is a strangely mingled scene of sorrows and joys, disappointments and hopes, tears and confidence. There will be much dissatisfaction with self, as he views his own heart so deeply stirred, surged with passion that seems to bear all before it and then follows remorse and sorrow and repentance followed by peace and deep hidden joys, because he knows as his faith grasps the promises that are revealed in God's Word that he has the forgiving love of a long-suffering Saviour. And that Saviour he seeks to bring into his life, weave into His character.BCL 8.4

It is these revealings, these discoveries of God's goodness that makes the soul-humble and leads it to cry out in gratitude, I live, yet not I, for Christ liveth in me, We have reason to be comforted. Severe outward trials may press around the soul where Jesus lives. Let us turn to Him, for the consolations He has provided for us in His Word.BCL 9.1

The nether springs of hope and comfort may appear to fail us, but the upper springs which feed the river of God are full of supply and can never be dried up. God would have you look away from the cause of your afflictions to Him who is the owner of soul, body and spirit. He is the lover of the soul. He knows the value of the soul. He is the true vine, and we are the branches. We shall have no spiritual nourishment only as we draw it from Jesus who is the true life of the soul.BCL 9.2

“Ye believe in God, believe also in Me”, says Jesus. It is the will of Jesus that we shall be full of hope, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, and love. It is not God's will that we should remain in sorrow and discouragement. While it is His will that we should discern His love and His matchless mercy....BCL 9.3

There is only one way for you, and that is to save your own life by laying burdens on others that you may live to save the lives of many. We prize your superior scientific skill. We need it. We do not want to lose it. And we ought to have some power of influence to control your course of action lest you will become a man of an unbalanced mind, and the precious skill you have will lie buried in a ruined casket.BCL 9.4

I do not write to burden you. I feel deeply for you and you must change your course of action. You are living two years in one, and I utter my protest against this. You understand this taxation, this pressure of the living machinery cannot continue without giving out of some of the fine works and then, oh, my brother, then, what death, that which you would be far worse, living without power to do it at all.BCL 9.5

I thank God for that which you have been to the cause of God. I thank my heavenly Father for the light which He has reflected through you and for this reason, I want you to live and continue to be a source of light.BCL 9.6

I see in the plans you have devised light and wisdom, and if these will help you to practice temperance in your labor you have through the wisdom of God been wise, but if notwithstanding you will keep dragging and pushing the whole load, which others connected with the institution could and should do, then your only future is to be crushed under it.BCL 9.7

The Lord has sustained you, I do not for a moment question this. You say you have asked your brethren to select men to come into the sanitarium to be educated and trained to bear responsibilities. Cannot you see that the men, your brethren, would think might do, you might count a failure and be tried at the stupidity of your brethren. There is not one who would venture this. I would not dare to do it myself.BCL 10.1

Re-copied Aug. 6, 1928 B—57—04 V. E. R.

Medical Missionary Work and the Ministry