Remarks/Remarks At Paradise Valley Sanitarium
National City, California
September 18, 1905
Previously unpublished.
Revelation 1:1-3. It seems here at this period of the world that everything in the line of reading trash—love stories, disappointments in love—it is all this trash. From the light that I have we should keep such things out of our hearts and out of our minds. We have something to study. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 1
Verses 3-6. Do we glorify God in our minds when we give it such kind of food as all the trash that is flooding our world? Now, the Lord wants us to act upon the subject of temperance, just as surely as the drunkard that partakes of the liquor, and it benumbs his sensibilities and his faculties so that he does not appreciate righteousness, and judgment, nor even of the common duties of life. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 2
Verses 7-9. “The Word of God”—he would follow it, he would preach it, he would present it wherever he was. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 3
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day”—that is the Sabbath—“and heard behind me”—verses 10-20. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 4
So there is a light that is to go forth from us, and here we are to be the light of the world. Christ said it. And if we are to be the light of the world, we are to gather up every divine ray of light and let it shine upon the pathway of others. Never was there a time in our history when it was more essential for us to stand in living communication with God than at the present time. Light is sown for the righteous, and truth for the upright in heart. Now, that is what we want. We want to gather all the divine rays of light that shine on these churches. We want to be one of them, and we want that light to shine upon us. Here we read in the second chapter: 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 5
Verses 1-5. Now here is a work that is before us. There is a love that should dwell in the hearts of every one of us that live in response to the love that dwelt in Jesus Christ. He has given His life for us. He has taken us into right relation to Himself if we will exercise that love for one another that He has shown to us. And it is of the highest value to us to be placed in such a connection with Jesus Christ that His light and His love shall shine into our hearts. I never saw a more opportune time where we ought to be taking heed to the things that are taking place right around us to show us what must come upon the earth soon. Well, why is it that these things are presented to us of losing the first love? Now I will read in the third chapter a verse or two. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 6
Verse 1. “hast received.” They did receive. They did have the quickening influence of the Spirit of God. They did have it so that they appreciated the truth, and He says, (verses 3-4), “few names.” Now here is the blessed part of it. Verses 4, 5. We see that some will have their names there. But others have forfeited all right to have their names there, because they have not walked in the counsel of God. “I will confess his name ... his angels.” That is worth everything to us. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 7
Verses 7, 8. “shut it.” You can have the truth of God, and there is no power on earth that can shut away that truth. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 8
We have a crown. We are running a race here in this life for the crown of glory. Now that is what we want. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 9
Verses 11, 12. Now we are to seek in everything to be overcomers. We have had presented before us a clearness and light, that if we would keep the example of Jesus Christ before us, we should certainly imitate His life. What shall we do? Imitate His teachings, and we should have the pleasantness in our life that Christ has in His life. And when we think of what He has done that He might give us eternal life that He has promised, why what kind of effort shall we make that we may gain that life? What shall we do? 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 10
Well, we have the promise, “Seek, and ye shall find.” Now, I come to the Lord in my feebleness in my weakness, which I have borne all my life nearly. I come to Him and say, Now, You said it. I do not say, Make me believe it. I would not insult my Lord when He says, “Ask and ye shall receive ... opened unto you.” [Matthew 7:7.] I want to carry out this principle and if I lack it, it is because I do not come right up to believe that God will do just as He said He would. Now, this is what we want. We are here on trial, and we have established institutions, sanitariums. We have established them in various parts of our world. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 11
When I went to Australia, we felt that just as soon as possible we must have a Health Retreat. I made my house a hospital while I was there, because I pitied the suffering and the sick and had no place to take them. So we opened our house, and when the teachers at the school became overworked, I went to them and told them, You are overworking. Now you must remember that it is your privilege to guard yourself diligently lest you shall put out the life that God has given you. Your appetite, everything. Now I say, Come right to my house and stay a few weeks until you can obtain strength to carry on your work. You must not be discouraged. Come right to my house, and we will help you. We will help you every way that we can, and charge nothing for your board. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 12
Well, we would find believers and unbelievers. It was not all believers, but we found the unbelievers began to take knowledge of us, that we had been with Jesus, that we were trying to carry out the principles of the gospel. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 13
And then they asked us, What will you do now when the Sunday law is carried into execution? Said I, I have got that all mapped out in my mind what I will do, and what I will advise you to do. Make Sunday a missionary day. Go right out from house to house and carry the publications, not the trash of the world, but carry the publications that will teach them how to obtain eternal life. You are giving them in thus doing an opportunity to read and to inform themselves. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 14
When families would be taken sick, I went to see them. We cooked for them, and we took care of them in their home until they came up from the sick beds. Then, in one family, the head of the family—there were several children that took hold to begin to examine—had ability enough, but he was steeped in drunkenness and tobacco. He was from a high family, but all these intemperate habits had him to pieces. But instead of finding fault with him, I tried to help him to the truth. His wife had been washing for a living, and when she would bring in the money, he must have that tobacco or liquor, he must have it, until he took hold of the truth. He had a mind that he could comprehend it. He took hold of the truth, and said he, “Here goes the pipe, here goes the tobacco, I will take no more. I will have nothing more.” 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 15
What did his wife do but break out weeping. “Why,” said he, “what are you crying for, wife?” “O I have thought how I have felt all these years while I have been dividing my pittance, that I earned, over the tobacco for you to indulge in your appetite for tobacco. I have thought how much better our family would have been.” I lifted up the quilt that was near me on a bed, and I saw there nothing but just the coarsest straw, and a blanket spread over it. How my heart ached. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 16
“Now what am I going to do?” he said. “Come to my place. You work, and we will pay you for what you do.” We knew that was the way to take up his mind. We brought him in and he commenced to work. Well, he did not earn one fourth of what we gave him, but we wanted to encourage him. He was weak, and he had to gain strength. He did gain strength, and that noble mind exercised itself and began to come back, and we were so grateful for it. He was so weak physically. But we made no difference. We took him right on the place. Whether he earned money or did not earn money, we gave him his wages every time. It was saving a soul from death, that is what we were doing. He did the right thing by his family, and then his influence began to be exercised around in the neighborhood. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 17
Still another, a fisherman, would walk right down and talk to the fishermen. Well, that humble fisherman brought, O, so many into the truth by going to their houses and telling them what the Lord had done for him. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 18
There was one who came up running without a hat on his head, and he said, “Come down. It is two miles, but I cannot stop, I have to go right back.” Said he, “There is a young man there who is dying and we want you to come right down.” Well, we went down, and there he was. There was a large family, all large, stout grown-up men, and here was one who would not touch liquor. This was the very one that was sick. He would not touch liquor nor tobacco, but he had contracted a fever, and they did not know how to take care of him. Now, this fisherman that was reformed, he had learned from us, and he went right in to take care of that case. He worked with it until he mastered it. The physician had come 25 miles, that would cost 25 dollars. He looked at him, and said, What shall we do for him? “Well, if he gets to be very weak, give him a little liquor.” “No,” said he, “I will not give him a drop of it.” 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 19
But he took the case through until it seemed that we had gotten the victory; he stayed there to watch, and came up again, running, without a hat on his head. Said he, “Come down quick.” Well, we got the team up and went down that way. There was that poor man. “What is the matter, what has brought him so?” “Well, the doctor said,”—they were all drunkards, his brothers and his father—“he said if he manifested any weakness, give him a little liquor.” Well, what was a little liquor to them? They poured that liquor down his throat until he ceased to breathe, kept pouring it down and pouring it down, till they put out his life. When we came into the house, the mother said, “O you are a little too late. My son—they poured the liquor down his throat until he gurgled and gurgled his life away.” There they were, drunk themselves. That is how the intemperance was doing. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 20
We went to work. We could do nothing for the man, he was dead. But we thought we would do something for that neighborhood, and we went to work, and there were souls converted. We held meetings, one up in our meetinghouse, another would be held there. When they asked what they should do, said I, “On Sunday go right out and take this missionary work. Find souls wherever you can, and work for them.” Now, that is just the way that we have tried to do. We want to see a greater intensity on these subjects. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 21
These sanitariums are a very solemn thing to us. It costs money to put up the building that we are trying to put up, but I say “Amen” to all that is done with it. The Lord is at work, and we want to prepare treatment rooms, so we can give treatments in the right way. There were no treatment rooms. The house is nice, it is good. We praise God for it. I looked at it, and struggled to obtain it. But the missionary works all around had to be seen to, as well, and it was difficult to obtain the money to obtain these institutions. But God has put them within our reach. He saw what we must do. And whenever He put it within our reach, we thanked the Lord. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 22
I feel that we ought to be the most grateful people in the world. I do not want any one that has charge here to feel discouraged, if they see the means is limited, because the Lord will provide the means. He will do it. And we do not want any one to lose their faith, but we do want that there should be exercised in the house here good common sense. We do want that those that shall engage in the work here, that the number should not be so limited to save means that some of the precious ones, the nurses, those that are doing their best, will fail in strength. Now, God has given us strength, and He wants us to preserve it. He does not want us to expend that strength needlessly. He wants us to know that when we have gone far enough we should stop. If anybody should say, “Here you should work more,” let them understand that we have somebody that owns the body, that has bought it with a price, and that we must take care of the body, so as not to use it up needlessly. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 23
Now, we have those that are ministers. Well, they have given themselves to the work until it seems as though there was no hope for them. My husband died because of overwork. We went together, united together for 26 years, and the Lord was with us. The blessing of the Lord was with us, 36 years it was. Now we want that every one of you should feel under solemn obligation to God, that in a sanitarium where there are sick people to be attended to and cared for, it is of the greatest consequence that you have a cheerful countenance, cheerful words to speak, and that you are not willing and waning away because you give too much attention and work yourself too hard. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 24
Those that have been accustomed to the sanitariums may have to learn that there is a limit to endurance. One may have the strength that he can do double what another can do, yet that other mind may be a planner. He may be an architect, and in planning, it wears the brain, it tells on the brain nerve power. He wants every one that shall have any connection with this institution, he wants that there should be a tenderness and a care and a light going forth from us to those very ones, to help them to help themselves. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 25
It is not virtue in me to sacrifice my life and put it out, although I have nearly done it many times. I spoke to 20,000 people in Groveland, Massachusetts, by the count of the tickets they took, and after I had spoken in the forenoon, our people came and said, There is no voice can reach them but yours. Can you give us a short discourse in the afternoon? Well, I said I would do it, and I did do it. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 26
As soon as I had closed, I knew that I had exercised myself more than I ought to, but there came up 12 men, one a noble-looking man, and he was the head of a large party of temperance people. He said, “We can have the house Monday night, and we can get it for so much less. Will you come and speak to us?” I turned to my husband and said, “How can I do it?” “You know,” said I, “that Monday is the gathering in day, the souls gather in Monday. I have got to stand here and work for those that shall be brought in.” There were 75 baptized there. But my husband said, “The Lord can give you strength,” and I agreed to go there. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 27
When the time came, I was so used up that I could not read a text in the Bible. I could not go to the baptism. I did not know what to do. The distance was 5 or 7 miles. Elder Haskell said, I will take my team and you need not be troubled about getting on and off the cars. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 28
I thought, If I can only get up in the desk, and lean on the desk, perhaps I can stand on my feet. The men went before me, one temperance man, as far as liquor is concerned, but the tobacco was streaming down his beard, and as we went up he said, “Mrs. White, give them the tobacco question strong.” I looked at him. “And this from you?” said I. “Yes,” said he, “this from me; there is no man to talk against tobacco, but a woman can. A miserable habit,” he said. Said he, “You may convert me.” 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 29
Well, we went up. “Now,” said he, “I will give you $20, if you will speak tonight,” and I told him I would. My husband was there, and when I got to a certain point, said he, “I will just touch a bell, and you stop, and then take it up again. We want to make the collection then.” 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 30
I stood upon my feet, tottering. It seemed to me I should fall. Looking to the Lord, it seemed an impossibility. But the blessing of the Lord came upon me and such sweet peace, such comfort of love, it was like a canopy that was shut down over me. Behind me there were 25 men on the platform. I was just as clear as though the matter lay printed out before me, when I could not read a word in the Bible before, I was so weak. But the blessing of God came, and they knew it. My husband said strong men there got hold of his hand and wrung it. “So,” said he, “I do not know when I will get over it, they wrung my hand so as you were talking.” They said they never heard anything like it. It was God, not me, that gave me that word to speak to the people. That place was Haverhill, Massachusetts. It was Groveland where I spoke to the 20,000. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 31
There had been the greatest opposition to our faith, to the Bible truth that we were presenting. They ridiculed our people right in the streets. Those very persons came up to the stand and begged of me to stay with them that night, spend it in their families. They gave me as many as ten invitations. But I wanted to get back among our own people. I had done my duty. I had done what the Lord wanted me to and I went back. I felt not the evil effects that I dreaded I should feel. But I want to say we cannot be presumptuous. That case took away every particle of opposition. The people that lived there that were trying to keep the Sabbath, they said they should think it was a new world, for every one took off their hat and shook hands with them, when before, they would cross over to the other side of the street. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 32
Now, the Lord will work for us. He has worked for me in such cases. He did in Europe, and it seemed so queer to them that a woman should get up to speak. It was Armory Hall, and there were bishops and ministers, and to think that a woman should get up before them and attempt to speak. But the power of the Lord was upon me. The grace of Christ carried me through. At first there was sneering, sneering, but I had not talked ten minutes before every sneer was hidden, and the tears were coursing down their cheeks. Well, these are just items in my history as has been in Switzerland, in France, in Norway, and Italy and all through those countries. The Lord has given me a testimony for them. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 33
Now I want to say, The Lord wants every one of us to take care of what capability there is. Now I see here those that need care. I feel sorry for them. I feel as though I could weep as I see them, because the strength is exhausted, but I want to tell you that Christ is the great missionary. He can do great things, and I trust in Him. And every one of us must trust in Him in our weakness. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 34
Do not let us be improvident of our strength because some that do not know our infirmities may feel to blame us because we do not do more. Let each individual take care of his own soul, unless you have evidence that there is lazy neglect. God wants every one of us to make improvement here. He wants that there should be an educational power here. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 35
We hear that there are persons that will come here to this sanitarium, and I shall advise by all means that they come. You do not want to use up every scrap of vitality that there is in this work here. You cannot afford it. Here are the many meals at the different times that have to be gotten. That is a tax. There is a tax here and a tax there and a tax somewhere else. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 36
Let every one of us stand here as sensible men and women, and know that women cannot stand on their feet for ten hours a day. That is impossible. There must be a care of the mortal frame that God has given. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 37
I know that one person can do more than another person in the same time. There will be a slowness in doing the work, and sometimes it is a great trial. I think they might do better if they would handle their hands a little more expeditiously. In some things I think they might do better. But still, we are not to be judge of another’s strength. You cannot tell. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 38
Now here we have two nurses to take care of one case. It is a life and death question, and they are giving forth of their strength, until I insist upon one leaving here and going where she can get rest and sleep, and she must do so. But we have got to get somebody in the place, and they ought to be here. Now if there are those—I have been inquiring, and we find that there is a woman and her husband—get them by all means. And when you come to a stand and do not know where the money is coming from, you just write to Sister White, and if necessary she will go right to the bank, as I have done repeatedly, and draw money and pay 8% interest. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 39
I stood there in Australia. I worked there for the teachers, bringing them to my house and keeping them until they would gain strength to go one with their work. The strength that we have is very precious, the intelligent strength to be nurses, that they can give lessons of instruction to those that shall come here. We want this to be an educational school. We want that the power of God shall be revealed as the great Master Healer in the restoration to health of those that are sick. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 40
But you have to have courage for yourself; you cannot sit down in unbelief; you must do what you can do. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 41
When they came to St. Helena—our sanitarium was there—there were those that were given up to die. Said I, “They are not going to die.” Brother St. John, they said he could not live, it was no use. I went in and spoke to him. Said I, “St. John, what is it?” Well, he said there was no life in his limbs, he was chilly all the day. Said I, “We will cure that.” I went and got two great mill blankets and folded them up. I got hot water in hot water bags, and put them right over the blankets, and let the blankets come clear up around him, and we kept him right there in bed from morning till night for three weeks; and then he began to feel as though he was getting a little life in his body. He was all used up. He is alive today. How astonished we were when he came and said, I have bought a piece of land right next to yours and I am going to clear it. And he did clear it. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 42
It is not best to place ourselves in peril. I shall advise some here to make a change, in order to preserve the strength that God has given them. I cannot do otherwise, that is my mission. They say, Are you a prophet, Mrs. White? I do not claim to a be a prophet. Then what are you?—A messenger. Well, what does that mean? To look after the orphans and the fatherless, the overworked and the motherless, and to take the youth that are where nothing can reach them and bring them into my home and educate and train them. And when I see a man of hoary hairs, when I see him toiling, toiling, I think of the past—of what he was—and when I see him in such a position, I want to speak a word to him in season. Now, my work is not to allow oppression anywhere, to go right to them and ask them: “What are you doing?” 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 43
God wants us to love one another, and He wants this institution to stand. What is our work? The medical missionary work, that is our work. Why? Because they can anticipate, they can read, they can understand enough to know that the human being is God’s property, and that they must take care of what little strength they have, if they will continue to have strength. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 44
What is money to us? What will a man be profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Well, if souls are so precious as that, what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Now, if it is presented in that light before us, every one of us must have hearts of flesh, and not of steel. Every one of us must be in a position where we must watch, watch, watch. In the sanitariums that I have been acquainted with, there would be a poor young man struggling to get a medical education, but where were the fathers and mothers to see that they were going down into the grave, where were those to watch for them? One was brought home to live a few days, and then die. What good did their education do them? 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 45
Every one of those should have had men and women of sensibility to read in their countenance just what was going on, the physician especially. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 46
Now, this is a sanitarium. It is not a hotel. People are not working here as in a hotel, they are working here because they want to help the sick and the suffering. And God will give them intuition, He will give them understanding of mind, He will give them judgment, every man that is in connection with the work. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 47
We want every one to link together; we do not want any one that shall have communications that had not ought to be, finding fault, we do not want any such spirit here. We want this to be a place where angels of God can come in. We want this to be a place where the mighty power of God can work through human agencies. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 48
Now, if one is so indolent that he cannot be kept, then separate him from the institution, but do not let a lack of harmony come in. We want perfect unity. We want that not a soul should be in discord. If you have anything to say, do just as the Bible says, Go right to the one and talk with him. Do not tell what somebody said, but go right to the one and talk with him, and tell him. You may talk with me, because the Lord has given me the burden of these souls, but do not go to a poor weak soul, just as weak as you are in spiritual things, what good will that do? God help us to come to the light as He is in the light. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 49
You may have the happiest time here in this sanitarium. The glory of God may be revealed, and you can seek God and He will help you. He will give you understanding; He will give you wisdom. Our sanitariums are to stand upon the highest level of any kind of enterprise in our world. In commercial business, in mines they may have, they may come and ask you to invest your means in these. I told them at the camp-meeting, we have got our institutions that we are establishing, and we cannot afford for you to try anything for to gain money to put into mining stock. We have got the highest mine to work in that was ever touched or thought of. It is the hidden treasure of Christ. He declares that this treasure shall be found, and we want to teach the men and women how to find it. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 50
Our sanitariums were to be built so that we could have a communication with those that have been unnecessarily against us. We want them to have the truth as it is in Jesus, and we calculate to do all that we can to bring souls to a knowledge of the truth. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 51
Now, I do not know but that I have talked long enough, and we will have a little season of prayer. This is the last day I shall be with you for I do not know how long, so you will bear with me. Let every one have faith in God. I cannot have faith for you. You must have faith for yourself. I can ask Christ to look upon every sick and afflicted one, but you must cast your helpless soul upon the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour. 20LtMs, Ms 193, 1905, par. 52