Facts and Vital Principles
The call of the hour is a call to personal service. God has given to every man his work, and neither angels nor men can do it for him. Every Seventh-day Adventist should take some part, no matter how humble it may be, in the circulation of our literature. “Where there is now one canvasser, there should be one hundred.” This would include every Seventh-day Adventist in the world. As long as there is a message to give, there will be work for the gospel canvasser. A faithful canvasser does not “burn over” his territory. He waters it. Territory improves by working, if the work is well done. It is easier to sell a book to a man who has many books than to one who has none. Buying books is a habit, and a very good one; the more a man buys, the more he wants. Every State is bristling with good canvassers, and we should hunt them out. We cannot find them by sitting in the office and reading over the church roll. Let us push the large books. They can be sold as easily as small ones. The belief that large books could not be sold has led publishers to bring out a great crop of little books of little value; and this has been one of the most fruitful causes of the present demoralization of the book work. Helps may be a help or a hindrance according to the use made of them. They are a hindrance when they hinder the large book, or take the place of it. “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand.” Make a long day, and do not be afraid to sweat. Work like the farmer, the carpenter, and the blacksmith. The man who works for God will get good wages. Don’t worry about that. “Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.” A “right” wage is all we want, surely. If we walk on the highway cast up for the ransomed of the Lord, we shall be masters of circumstances, and shall triumph over difficulties. “Higher ground” is what we want.