Book and Tract Department.
By Editor
Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days. EDITED BY ELD. JAMES WHITE. We have selected from our many tracts the following as best suited to general circulation: The Law and the Gospel,—God’s Memorial,—Sufferings of Christ,—Seven Reasons for Sunday-keeping Examined,—Which Day do You Keep, and Why?—God’s Answers to Man’s Excuses,—The Sabbath by Elihu,—Time Lost; Old and New Style,—Scripture References,—Sign of the Day of God,—Some Features of Our Times,—Appeal on Immortality,—Much in Little, on Immortality,—The Rich Man and Lazarus,—Departing and Being with Christ,—Brief Thoughts, on Immortality,—Thoughts for the Candid, on Immortality,—Samuel and the Witch of Endor,—Sixteen Objections to the Advent Faith Answered. This package will be sent, post paid, for the small sum of twenty-five cents. It contains fifteen hours’ reading which you can send to your friends for a very small sum of money. You deem it very important to talk to your friends on the subjects connected with the last message of mercy to man. This is right. But, then, there are your distant friends to whom you cannot speak face to face. And you cannot always find time to visit and talk with friends who are near you. Well, here is fifteen hours’ talk which you can put into the hands of friends, far and near, for the sum of twenty-five cents. And it is probable that the truth of God is said in these tracts better than most of our readers can talk it. These tracts have been written with much care and humble prayer for help from God. The truth is brought out in them in a clear and forcible manner. Many of our friends will accomplish most in simply introducing our views of present truth, and then leaving the tracts to argue the case. When you talk with friends, they usually wish half of the time. You talk truth, and, perhaps, they talk error. You give light, and they feel called upon to meet it with popular darkness. But when they read our tracts, the tracts are talking all the time. This is a decided advantage. Again, in the absence of self-command, and a good share of the grace of God, your feelings are in danger of being stirred at unreasonable opposition arising from ignorance and prejudice. But these tracts never get excited. They are always calm, and maintain a humble dignity. We say to our friends, it is well to talk the truth as you may have time and freedom in the Spirit of God in so doing. But it may be cheapest and best to introduce the truth to distant friends by letter, and near friends by a little talk, and then let the tracts have the main charge of the case, for a time, at least. LAST WEEK we called attention to the good work going on in Washington Territory, reported by Bro. J. F. Wood. This brother writes again, Oct. 31: “The first lot of books is received, and I have sold most of them. I send you $8.00 for more. I also send you two subscribers for the REVIEW AND HERALD.” We have now sent this brother $40.00 worth of our publications, besides the REVIEW AND HERALD, and our hymn book. This is one of the many openings to send out the truth. May it please God, in his good providence, to open thousands of such. And may the light shine out everywhere from this Office, as the rays of natural light proceed from the sun. A BROTHER writes from Danforth, Ill.: “There are those here very anxious to hear some of our preachers. One man said he would give $10.00 toward paying expenses. Others have told me that they would help. They have been reading our books, and seem to be very much interested.” This shows what our books are doing. The people are perishing for want of knowledge, and they must have books, pamphlets, and tracts.166 ANDREWS’ TEN SERMONS ON THE SABBATH AND LAW, has had a rapid circulation. During the last eighty days, four thousand copies have been ordered. This work is in the hands of the compositors for a second edition of ten thousand, five hundred. To those who have not read these Sermons, we would say, You have only to read them to know their merit. Please obtain them, and read them, again and again. They are the result of years of patient and deep thought. After you have read them, you will wish to let the people have them. You will wish to help us in giving them a very wide circulation. We will send you five copies by mail, post paid, for $1.00. By this means you can supply yourselves to lend, or to give, to your neighbors and friends. We will send these Sermons to your friends in any part of the country, post paid, for 20 cents a copy, if you will send us names and addresses. Here is a good opportunity for you to work in harmony with that text, “Buy the truth, and sell it not.” In this way you may accomplish much good. Try it, friends. Sr. ———, of ———, writes to this Office: “Sr. G., by the kindness and thoughtfulness of Sr. D., has had a copy of the Ten Sermons. And really her mind has been enlightened, and her heart touched. She says she has kept the Sabbath ever since she read the Sermons, three or four weeks since. She is very much interested. She wants more books on the Sabbath question to circulate. We gave her several.” Those who wish to labor successfully in this branch of the work should first seek for that love of souls which was manifested in the life, and by the death, of Jesus. Then there will be kindled in their breasts such love for the truth, and such love for perishing souls, that it will be their greatest delight to sacrifice, and to patiently toil, to save them from error and from death. Try it, friends. Seek for a new conversion and consecration to the work. And may God bless your efforts.