My brother, you are represented to me as
in danger of standing apart from our people, feeling that you
are a complete whole. But if you bind yourself up with those
of your own mind, apart from the church, which is Christ's body,
you will make a confederacy that will be broken to pieces; for
no union can stand but that which God has framed. Those who are
receiving an education in medical lines hear insinuations from
time to time that disparage the church and the ministry. These
insinuations are seeds that will spring up and bear fruit. The
students might better be educated to realize that the church
of Christ on earth is to be respected. They need a clear knowledge
of the reasons of our faith. This knowledge they must have, in
order to serve God acceptably. Line upon line, precept upon precept,
they must receive the Bible evidence of the truth as it is in
Jesus.
Do not, I beg of you, instill into the
minds of the students ideas that will cause them to lose confidence
in God's appointed ministers. But this you are most certainly
doing, whether you are aware of it or not. In His providence
the Lord has placed you in a position where you may do a good
work for Him in connection with the gospel ministry, bringing
the truth before many who otherwise would not become acquainted
with it. Temptations will come to you to think that in order
to carry forward the medical missionary work you must stand aloof
from church organization or church discipline. To stand thus
would place you on an unsound footing. The work done for those
who come to you for instruction is not complete unless they are
educated to work in connection with the church.
The medical missionary work is not to be
made all and inall. In this point you are carrying things to
extremes. There is a large work to be done. Publications teaching
the truth are to be circulated everywhere. Medical students should
not be encouraged to circulate only the books treating on health
reform. Be careful that you are not found working out your own
plans, to the disregard of God's plans.
Extract from a letter written in 1898 from
Cooranbong, New South Wales.--My brother, the Lord God of Israel
must be your counselor. Satan has come down with great power
to work with all deceivableness of unrighteousness. Lean hard
on Christ. You have worked untiringly to bring about good results.
Do not now make mistakes. Never, never seek to remove one landmark
that the Lord has given His people. The truth stands firmly established
on the eternal Rock--a foundation that storm and tempest can
never move.
Remember that just as soon as you allow
your influence to lead away from the straight and narrow path
that the Lord has cast up for His people, your prosperity will
cease; for God will not be your guide. Again and again the record
of Nebuchadnezzar's life has been presented to me to present
to you, that you may be warned not to trust in your own wisdom
or to make flesh your arm. Do not lower the banner of truth or
allow it to drop from your hands in order to unite with the solemn
message for these last days anything that will tend to hide the
peculiar features of our faith.