"...THE MESSAGE OF HIS HEALING GRACE"
One of Ellen G. White's Most Powerful Letters About The 1888 Message
by E G White
Battle Creek, Michigan, July 23 1889
Elders Madison and Howard Miller,
My Brethren:
There are lessons that are essential for you to learn.You have a theory of the truth, but you have not the spirit of it. You have not the power of God in your hearts to draw souls to Jesus. Brother Madison Miller has been placed in a responsible position, ...but he thinks that he has all the qualifications necessary for his position, when he has not the sanctifying grace of Christ...He fails to carefully consider points of doctrine that are new to him, and is ever ready to question and cavil over that which he does not understand, and unbelief is the first thing that presents itself. He scatters the seeds of doubt, and does not seek earnestly for the grace of Christ for his soul...He is imbued with the spirit of Phariseeism which excludes from the soul the light from Heaven...
Brother Miller, why did you and your brother Howard appear so listless at the Wexford meeting?... Why did you come to the meeting, have your expenses paid, your time recompensed, when you could offer nothing that would bring light to the souls of others?...
At the meetings at Minneapolis...I presented general principles before you,...but as you have had the privilege of hearing the message which God has given me and others to bear,...yet your doubts and unbelief have been strengthening instead of diminishing. I am alarmed for you....
The King of Glory appeared in the form of a servant, clothed in the garb of humanity. When He began His public ministry in Nazareth, there was a sad and terrible exhibition of what human nature can and will be when Satan works on the heart....The men of Nazareth refused the Prince of Life...But Christ could not give them up without granting them another opportunity....He came again to test them, that they might redeem their past rejection of Him....At His second call, they would not acknowledge Him as the Messiah although they had the most convincing proof....
We are in just as much danger in our day as were the people in the days of Christ. The Lord is speaking through in the days of Christ. The Lord is speaking through His delegated messengers, but the same unbelief is exhibited....
Those who on special occasions of controversy have taken a course similar to that of the men of Nazareth [against Jesus], should take heed lest they follow their gracious light of truth....You may encase yourselves in pride, and continue to reject Christ in the person of His [1888] messengers....
We are less excusable than were the Jews, for we have before us their example of rejection of Christ and His apostles....Throughout the history of the Church in all ages, and especially in that of the Seventh Day Adventists, we have examples of those who have refused the light of God sent they by His chosen agents....You reject Christ by rejecting the message He sends. In doing so, you place yourselves under the control of the prince of darkness....God has sent messages of light to His people which would have been as healing balm had they received them; but you with others did not do this, like the men of Nazareth. You set yourselves to refuse the light, you exalted your own opinion and judgment as more valuable than the judgment of those whom God has made channels of light....
Those who labor in word and doctrine must be men who search the scriptures daily, who pray earnestly and constantly for divine enlightenment, and who receive it when it does come because they have the heavenly appointing. If the ministers would hang their helpless souls upon Christ, there would be much more moisture in their discourses. Those who, to a large degree, give evidence of being dry and fruitless, should realize that the reason for this is found in the fact that they are not connected with Christ....
The Heavenly Balm for Healing Our Wounds
God has sent you a message which He wishes you to receive---a message of light and hope and comfort for the people of God [The 1888 Message]. It is not for you to choose the channel through which the light shall come. The Lord desires to heal the wounds of His sheep and lambs, through the heavenly balm of the truth that Christ is our righteousness....The sheep that need to be fed are scattered upon the mountains of Israel; they are starving to death on dry theories....
It is a grievous sin in the sight of God for men to place themselves between the people and the message that He would have come to them as some of our brethren are now doing. There are some who, like the Jews, are doing their utmost to make the message of God of non effect. Let these doubting, questioning ones either receive the light of the truth for this time, or let them stand out of the way, that others may have an opportunity of receiving the truth, that the wrath of God may not come on them because they are bodies of darkness, when he desires them to be bodies of light.
Those who live just prior to the second appearing of Christ may expect a large measure of His Holy Spirit, but if ...God has ever spoken by me, some of our leading men are going over the same ground of refusing the message of mercy as the Jews did in the time of Christ...
The character and prospects of the people of God are similar to those of the Jews, who could not enter in because of unbelief. Self-[sufficiency], self-importance, and spiritual pride separated them from God, and He hid His face from them....
The light of truth is shining upon us as clearly as it shone upon the Jewish people, but the hearts of men are as hard and unimpressible as in the days of Christ. Many who claim to be standing in the light are in darkness and know it not. They have so enshrouded themselves in unbelief that they call darkness light, and light darkness. They are ignorant of that which they condemn and oppose....
There is an alarming condition of things in our churches. [Quotes Isa. 59:2; Jer.5:26, 31; 6:14; 7:14, 15]...
The Sin of Intercepting the Message of God's Healing Grace
The very men who ought to be on the alert to see what the people of God need, that the way of the Lord may be prepared, are intercepting the light God would have come to His people, and rejecting the message of His healing grace....
The language of your soul has been, "I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." ...You will say, "Are there no others who need the same reproof?" There are many who need to see that the Laodicean message applies to them. I write out your case definitely, not only that you may be benefited, but that others may see they are in the same condition....
It is my duty to say to you that you have had all the evidence that the Lord will give you in regard to the special work He is doing at this time to arouse a lukewarm, slumbering church. Those who accept the message given will heed the counsel of the true witness to the Laodiceans....
If the church refuses to hear the voice of the Heavenly Merchantman, refuses to open the door, then Christ will pass on, and it will be left destitute of His presence, destitute of true riches, but saying in self-righteousness, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17)
Many who refuse the message which the Lord sends them are seeking to find pegs on to hang doubts, to find some excuse to for rejecting the light of Heaven. In the face of clear evidence they say as did the Jews, "Show us a miracle, and we will believe. If these [1888] messengers have the truth, why do they not heal the sick?" These objections recall to mind what was said concerning Christ....
How can any of our brethren who have before them the history of the Lord of life and glory, open their lips to utter words similar to the taunting words of the murderers of our Lord? Does the Lord lead our brethren to say these things? I answer, No.... The day is just before us when Satan will answer the demands of these doubters, and present numerous miracles to confirm the faith of all those who are seeking this kind of evidence....
When men close their eyes to the light that God sends them, they will reject the most evident truth, and believe the most foolish errors. It is Satan that leads men to take false positions....
Some have said, "If this message that Brother A.T. Jones has been giving to the church is the truth, why is it that Brother [Uriah] Smith [the Review editor] and Brother [ G. I.] Butler [the General Conference president] have not received it, and heave not united with them in heralding it? These good intelligent men would surely know if this was the message of truth."
Sentiments similar to those were expressed in the days of Christ....The people looked to their leaders and asked, "If this were the truth, would not the priests and rulers know it?"....
There are many who...rely upon the interpretation and application that their teachers give....When the Lord graciously sends to us means of knowing the truth, and we turn from the precious privilege, and are indifferent to His message, we insult the Spirit of God.
...If Elder Smith or Elder Butler should reject the message of truth which the Lord has sent to the people of this time, would their unbelief make the message error? No. We are to follow no one but Christ. If men who have occupied leading positions feel at liberty to despise the message and the messenger, their unbelief is no excuse for others to do the same....
Sins of the most revolting character exist in the church today. The alarming situation of the people of God requires more than tame, spiritless, Christless, sermons to cut through the fleshy tablets of the heart, and to arouse the moral sensibility....
Ellen White's "Nearly Broken...Heart"
We should not accept any man's opinions and ideas unless through careful searching for ourselves we find that they bear the credentials of heaven. It is of the greatest importance that we individually open our hearts to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Let God speak to us through His Word; let God impress the soul....God has sent message upon message to His people, and it has nearly broken my heart to see those who we thought were taught and led by God, fall under the bewitching power of the enemy, who led them to reject the truth for this time.
Do not men know from the word of God that just such a message as has lately been going to the churches, must be given in order that the very work which has been going on among us might be accomplished? Some who ought to have been first to catch the heavenly inspiration of truth, have been directly opposed to the message of God. They have been doing all that was in their power to show contempt for both the message and the messenger, and Jesus could not do many mighty works because of their unbelief.
However, truth will move on, passing by those who despise and reject it. Although apparently retarded, it cannot be extinguished. When the message of God meets with opposition, He gives it additional force that it may exert greater influence. Endowed with vital, heavenly energy, it will cut its way through the thickest barriers, dispel darkness, refute error, gain conquests, and triumph over every obstacle. Those who would triumph in the truth will have to act a part in the sight of the universe which will bring to them the reward of "well done."...
Misunderstanding, misapplication, of the truth will alienate the hearts of those who have been brethren. But this would not be if self and self-esteem, if customs and traditions, were not disturbed by the message of truth....
The watchmen on the walls of Zion are asleep. Many have no burden of the work, they have no positive warning to give. There are many who have heard the message for this time and have seen its results, and they cannot but acknowledge that the work is good, but from fear that some will take extreme positions and that fanaticism may arise in our ranks, they have permitted their imaginations to create many obstacles to hinder the advance of the work, and they have presented these difficulties to others, expatiating on the dangers of accepting the doctrine. They have sought to counteract the influence of the message of truth.
Suppose they should succeed in these efforts, what would be the result? The message to arouse a lukewarm church would cease, and the testimony exalting the righteousness of Christ would be silenced. Suppose the work should be given into the hands of these opposers and faultfinders, and they should be permitted to give to the church the doctrine and the labor they desired to give; would they present anything better than the Lord has sent to His people at this time through His chosen agents?
Have those who opposed the light openly or in secret been giving the people the food that would nourish their souls? Have they been presenting the message which the time demands, that the camp may be purified from all moral defilement? Have they anything to offer to take the place of the truth which has been given with fervor and zeal to prepare the way for the Lord's coming?
The character, the motives , and purposes of the workmen whom God has sent, have been and will continue to be misrepresented. Men will catch at words and statements that they suppose to be faulty, and will magnify and falsify these utterances. But what kind of work are these lookers-on doing? Has the Lord placed them in the judgment-seat to condemn His message and messengers?...
The World Must Hear The Fouth Angel's Message
The world is a second Sodom, the end is right upon us; and is it reasonable to think that there is no message to make ready a people to stand in the day of God's preparation?....Why is there so much pulling back?...Is the third angel's message to go out in darkness, or to lighten the whole earth with it's glory? Is the light of God's Spirit to be quelched, and the church to be left as destitute of the grace of Christ as the hills of Gilboa were of dew and rain? Certainly all must admit that it is time that a vivifying heavenly influence should be brought to bear upon our churches....
The message of God has been presented to the people with clearness and force; it is the very message which God means that His church shall have at this time. Your refusal to listen to it, your rejection of it, while it will not stop the work, will result in great loss to your souls. Every ray of light that God has given to His people is necessary for them in the emergency that is to come....
There are many who preach discourses lamenting the extensive and deplorable depravity now existing in the world, but they fail to do their part in shedding heaven's light into the world's moral darkness....There is need that the converting power of God should come upon our ministering brethren, for many of the people are far in advance of them in experience in the things of God....
It is the most difficult thing in the world to convince men who do not want to be convinced....They hold back, and almost hope and pray that those upon whom the Lord has laid burden will not succeed, for if success crowns the efforts of the burden-bearers, it will prove these doubters to be in the wrong.
When men open their hearts to unbelief, they open them to the great deceiver, the accuser of the brethren. With the glorious light of truth emanating from God, with abundant evidence that the work for this time [the 1888 message] is ordained of heaven, beware that you do not harden your hearts and ask for further proof, saying, "Show us a miracle."
--The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, pp. 388-428
Return to FREE RBF BOOKS
Return to main page
