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Gathering with Christ

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 26, 1871

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 39, No. 2.

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Gathering with Christ.

By Catherine Lindsey

He that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. These solemn words of exhortation were spoken by the Saviour to his disciples while he was yet with them, and show very forcibly that none of his followers can remain neutral in the Christian warfare. Each must be a hero in the strife, or else a traitor to the cause of his Master.
Yet how many who profess to be servants of the King of kings stand idly looking on while the battle between truth and error goes fiercely on, not daring to take a decided stand for the right for fear they may be called to suffer reproach for the truth's sake!
They feel no special call to heed the Saviour's injunction to be up and doing, to labor while the day lasts; for the night cometh when no man can labor.
No burden for souls perishing in sin and ignorance all around them ever disturbs the complacency of those individuals. They seem to think that all that is required of them is merely to assent to the truth, and let others do all the work of combating error. They will come in, when the victory is won, for a share in the spoil, without any share in suffering the shame and reproach of the cross.
They forget the bloody sweat and agony of Gethsemane, the crown of thorns and the mockery of Pilate's soldiers, and the agonizing scenes of the crucifixion when the sins of the world lay heavily on the suffering Saviour, when even the Father turned away his face from his suffering Son, and he poured forth the anguish of his soul in that agonizing cry, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
They never seem to realize that the servant is no greater than his master, and that in order to reign with Christ we must first suffer with him.
Dear brethren and sisters of like precious faith, how many of us are awake as we should be to the importance of these solemn truths?
We profess to believe in the soon coming of our Saviour to redeem his people; yet how many feel the same interest in present truth that we feel in the transitory things transpiring around us?
It is very easy for us to look at the corrupt state of the popular churches of the day, and, Pharisee like, thank God that we are not in darkness as they are. But it is also well to remember that if with so much greater light we show no better fruits of righteousness than they, so much greater will be our condemnation; for to whom much is given, of the same will much be required.
Meroz was cursed because the inhabitants thereof did not come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty. We do not read that they did aught to hinder Israel, yet because they remained idle and indifferent to their cause, the Lord pronounced a special curse upon them. And as the things written aforetime were for our admonition, it becomes us to look well to our ways lest we be weighed in the balance and likewise be found wanting in the coming day, because, like that city, we did not come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
CATHERINE LINDSEY. Florence, N. J.