Your ShelfYour Projects

The Message to Catholics

8%

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 13, 1906

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 83, No. 37.

Read the full edition

The Message to Catholics

By William Ambrose Spicer

During the last year, in Europe about four hundred Catholics have taken their stand for the truth. The brethren there are seeing exactly what the South American brethren report—evidence that the Lord is at this time specially leading Catholic hearts to inquire after truth.
Especially during the last year or two, the way has been preparing for the message to reach the true-hearted among the Catholics. Simultaneously with the cleansing and purifying of the church, the Lord is preparing hearts in dark Catholic and heathen lands to receive the truth.
At our Gland meeting, in Switzerland, the little band of representatives gathered from the wide-spread field of Latin Europe. It was a little band, truly. As I looked at our brethren, and thought of the giant superstitions and prejudices that they were contending against in their fields, I could think only of the words of 2 Chron. 20: 12, 13:—
“O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.”
The Lord sent victory to the people of Judah, and he is giving victory to our comrades in Latin Europe. Portugal reported its first-fruits—the first Sabbath-keeper in that land. During the last six months the Lord has visited the work in Spain in a special manner, and eight or nine have taken their stand. Italy and Belgium report new believers, France and Switzerland make good additions, and Brother Jespersson from Algeria brought the glad news that four or five in that new north African mission have accepted the Sabbath.
Two years ago I attended the Latin Union meeting at Vevey. That was a good meeting, with good reports. But there has been splendid growth during the two years,—growth in numbers and growth in grace,—and the message has won many victories in that time. The blessings of the Lord have attended the medical and educational work, as well as the field evangelistic work. The Gland Sanitarium was filled, and the spirit of the institution was strongly missionary. The great lack is in the canvassing field. But the brethren realize this, and are working to bring up this department. There is courage in the hearts of the workers in Latin Europe.
A large part of the German field is Catholic. In and out, amid the difficulties and obstructions that church and state union has put in the way, this truth is pressing grandly forward, as in old Reformation days.
It was good in the meetings in Europe to meet numbers of former Catholics who are thanking God for this message, and giving every evidence that they are as ready to sacrifice and work for the message as any of us.
The message is going swiftly forward. The way opens faster than the growing band of workers can follow on, and the cry in Europe is for more laborers to enter the harvest-field. And they are coming in, thank the Lord, at the rate of about two thousand a year.
Who that thinks of the Europe of twenty years ago can not see that God has set his hand to finish the work?
W. A. S.