I MUST WRITE by H. F. Phelps

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 21, 1868

I MUST WRITE.

By H. F. Phelps

I OFTEN think thus; but a press of other duties often prevents. “Duty calls but one way at a time,” is a true proverb. But to be able to decide what is duty at all times, is the question not so easy to be decided; at least I so find it. The wise man seems to think there is a time for everything. He says, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Eccl. iii, 1. In verse 7, he says, “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.”

I have not yet forgotten the promise I made some time ago, in regard to doing well my part toward sustaining our paper; giving Bro. Smith plenty of articles from which to select, and so have its columns well filled with original matter. No. I still mean to do my duty. But it seems there is a time “to keep silence,” as well as a time “to speak.” The best time for me “to speak,” is when I am measurably free from other duties, at least enough so that I can find the time. But when pressed by many a care, so that I cannot find time, or having time, am so nearly exhausted in body and mind, that I cannot collect my thoughts, I think there is the time “to keep silence.” For unless I feel my mind free—feel that in the course of the day or week I have gained some advancement, or new baptism of the Spirit, how can I, a weak, puny man, write to acceptance, or to edification; for I do not write but to do good; and unless I can do good, I had rather “keep silence.” For even though I might, by hard work, be able to get up something that might pass, yet I fear that the errors would be so common, that, if we take into consideration (and most certainly we should), the time and labor it would cost the editor to hew, and counter hew, so as to fit it to the piece, the good would be more than balanced by the trouble it might cause.

It seems to me that it would be but a lame offering at the very best, and should it be accepted? Oh! let us offer to God a sacrifice acceptable, the very best. I think I see the need of those who write for this paper being wholly dead to this world and alive to God. Oh! that I might become thus in every sense of the word.

Let us draw nigh to God with the whole heart, and offer a sacrifice acceptable, not a lame one. If we were to offer a lamb, or a goat, as people were once required to do, how it would look to overdrive it, in our desire to spend as little time as possible, so as to be at our worldly business again, and so lame it, and then offer it to God. Would it be accepted?

What is our duty? How many of us could, and should contribute one article each week, or one each month? But now is the point at which I have been aiming so long. We have a duty to do, many of us, and shall we, I say, shall we allow ourselves to be so overburdened with cares of this life, as not to be able to offer to God a sacrifice well pleasing to him; that is, so as not to be able to contribute our mite to sustain a paper devoted to so good a cause?

H. F. PHELPS.

Pine Island, Minn.