p. 17 | Who Will Respond? by WM. GUTHRIE.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 22, 1911

Who Will Respond?

By WM. GUTHRIE.

It has been almost two years since Elder O. K. Butler entered upon his duties as pastor of the church in the metropolis of Canada. During all this time we have been struggling to secure help for him in that great city; but up to the present, no one has been found to come to his assistance.

From the time he entered the city until now his efforts have been crowned with success, and souls have been constantly coming to the Lord, and from time to time have united with the church. We greatly need a consecrated Bible worker to join him in this work, so that the large number of calls that come to him from week to week may be filled.

An appeal has been sent in to the General Conference, with the hope that this worker might be supplied; but the calls are so many, and the demand in the Eastern cities of the United States is so great, that there seems to be no one to answer this call, though Montreal is a city of nearly seven hundred thousand inhabitants, and is the seat of the Papacy in America. If there is a city on all this continent in which earnest, faithful work should be done at once, it is safe to say that Montreal is that city. There is no part of the Quebec Conference territory that has yielded better results than this city. Many of the French are coming to the church, and are accepting the light of present truth. Who will help Elder Butler to gather out these precious gems for the Master's crown?

For the encouragement of any who may contemplate answering this call, I will say that we have a hard field. The winters are long and sometimes cold. The city is large and wicked. The churches have a strong hold on the people, so that it is very difficult to tear individuals from their moorings in the harbor of ease and supposed safety. We also have a Dominion Lord's Day act, which forbids almost all kinds of work on Sunday, thus making it more difficult to lead people to obedience to the true Sabbath. But God says, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound,” and truly he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. This call is to a Paul, to whom God may make known how great things he may suffer for the salvation of those who now sit in darkness.

We are sure that Satan can not get such absolute control of any city or country that God can not gather out the honest in heart. As a light may be seen farthest in a dark night, so the truth shines all the brighter in the dark places of earth.

Should these lines come before the eyes of one whom God may impress to come over and help us, we shall be pleased to have such write either to the General Conference or to the undersigned.

WM. GUTHRIE.

Port Hope, Ontario.