One Great Call of the Hour
By W. W. E.
ONE great need of the hour is for men and women called by God and wholly consecrated to him, to give their entire time to the circulation of our books and magazines. Please note carefully this quotation from the spirit of prophecy: “The press is a power; but if its products fall dead for want of men to circulate them widely, its power is lost.” How true it is that the power of the press is lost when its products are not circulated. From the beginning of this advent movement, the Lord has, in his providence, connected the publishing work with it in a prominent way. From a very small beginning it has steadily grown until now we have what seems to us, at least, a very large work in both the production and the circulation of our literature. And none of us doubt the mighty influence this divine agency has wielded in bringing the movement to its present proportions. But our work is not finished. Indeed, we are just now coming to the hottest of the conflict with the powers of darkness. Superhuman effort has been and is being put forth to keep the people in darkness. Every conceivable devise has been invented by the great enemy of souls to occupy their attention. Many never attend religious gatherings at all, and a large class of those who do, through loyalty to their particular creed, will not attend a gospel service where they can hear God’s special message for the people of this generation. Yet they must be reached. Thousands of both these classes have been and are being reached by the printed page through the evangelistic colporteur. The students from our schools are doing a good work in this line during their summer vacation. But the season in which they have to work is altogether too short for the needs of the hour. This work must be carried forward in a strong way during the fall, winter, and spring months, as well as in the summer. In every climate it has been and is being demonstrated that the books containing present truth can be successfully sold at all seasons of the year. In the extreme northern part of Minnesota I met a brother last winter who took over four hundred dollars’ worth of orders for our large books during the month of January, and that in a very difficult part of the field. Recently I met a brother in Ontario, who eighteen years ago left his farm at the call of God to enter this work, and has with unabating zeal continued winter and summer to the present time. I heard him state publicly that he had never yet seen a day too cold for his house-to-house work. In that northern climate during all these years he has never lost any time on account of weather conditions, his sales averaging $1,800 to $2,000 a year. Some whom God has in the past called to this work have not continued in it. Read carefully the following instruction from the servant of the Lord:— “A great and important work is before us. The enemy of souls realizes this, and he is using every means in his power to lead the canvassers to take up some other line of work. This order of things should be changed. God calls the canvassers back to their work.” God is calling for those whom he has in the past called to this work but who are not now engaged in it, to reenter it. Not only is he calling for this class to return to the work, but “he calls for volunteers who will put all their energies and enlightenment into the work. . . . Who will respond to the call? Who will go forth to labor in the wisdom and grace and love of Christ for those nigh and afar off? Who will sacrifice ease and pleasure and enter the places of error, superstition, and darkness, working earnestly and perseveringly, speaking the truth in simplicity, praying in faith, and doing house-to-house labor?” “Let all who labor effectually in the canvassing field feel in their hearts that they are doing the work of the Lord in ministering to souls who know not the truth for this time. They are sounding the note of warning in the highways and byways to prepare a people for the great day of the Lord which is so soon to break upon the world. We have no time to lose. We must encourage this work. Who will go forth now with our publications? The Lord imparts a fitness for the work to every man and woman who will cooperate with divine power. All the requisite talent, courage, perseverance, faith, and tact will come as they put the armor on. A great work is to be done in our world, and human agencies will surely respond to the demand. The world must hear the warning. When the call comes, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ send back the answer, clear and distinct, ‘Here am I; send me.’” We know there are many among us with small families or with no families at all who could, by consecrating their lives17wholly to God and faithfully devoting their time and energies to evangelistic canvassing, accomplish much toward finishing the work and thus hastening the end. Please read again the words quoted in this article, and ask yourself seriously if they do not mean you. Surely these earnest words ought to meet with a response to this important call of the hour.