Printers and Publishers

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 1, 1916

Printers and Publishers

WHILE we have large plants known as publishing houses, the real publishers are those who circulate the product of our printing plants. The primary meaning of “publish” is to make public; to make known to the people in general. “Print” and “publish” are often confused. A book may be printed without being published; it is published only when it is put into circulation. The psalmist used the word in this meaning when he said, “The Lord gave the word; great was the company of those that published it.” Ps. 68: 11. The psalmist does not refer to publishing houses in this text, but to individuals. The company of publishers in times past has been great, but the Lord’s word to the last generation of the world is to go with “a loud voice,” which means increased power and many more publishers. The call today is for publishers. Every believer in the third angel’s message really ought to be in some way a publisher of the message he believes to be the last the Lord is to give to the world.

In this time when the public mind is fairly susceptible to the call of God, and while there is peace and prosperity in the land, we should not waste the golden hours with the ordinary things of life. There are thousands and thousands of people who can and will attend to these ordinary affairs, but there are only a few in whose hearts the message burns so deep and the love of souls is so strong that they are constrained to give all their efforts to the publishing of the good news of the soon-coming King.

The Lord has promised to pay liberally all who labor for him. While we are his publishers, we may safely depend upon him for our support. With the call for publishers the promise is made, “Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you.” God is good enough and strong enough to fulfil his promise to every one who becomes an active publisher of the message.

The great need of the day is publishers,—men and women who will give themselves entirely to the work of making known to the people our publications which contain the message the Lord is giving to the world at this special time. Thousands and even millions do not know of these publications and their contents. Many of these would rejoice in the knowledge of the truth as much as we if they had the opportunity.

Wherever our publishers go, they find appreciative people, as is illustrated in the following incident recently reported by W. B. Payne, in the Northern Union Reaper:—

“While in Yankton one Sunday afternoon recently, I called on two ministers and the president of the W. C. T. U. The next day the last-named person ordered seven hundred copies of the Temperance Instructor for free distribution in Yankton.”

Nearly every day the Present Truth Series receives inquiries from those who have had a copy sent them through the mails, or by chance have seen a copy somewhere. They invariably wish other copies. Some want to know if they cannot have extra copies for friends. The Present Truth Series is not only very interesting to the public, but it proclaims nearly every phase of the message.

While we have the message in so many attractive forms which the people appreciate and want, and while the Lord has blessed us with a knowledge of this special truth for the last days, and has called us to be publishers, promising to pay us whatever is right for our services, what will be our condemnation if we fail to respond?