D. T. BOURDEAU by D. T. Bourdeau

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 10, 1872

D. T. BOURDEAU

By D. T. Bourdeau

Encouraging.

The pillar of cloud was darkness to the Egyptians, while it was light to the Israelites. So the advance steps of God's people are darkness to some, while they are light and a source of encouragement to others.

We, as a people, have been expecting that the last message would go with a loud voice, and that God would cut his work short in righteousness upon earth. But I have feared that as the means to bring about this desired result were brought into requisition, some would look upon them as evidence that it would take a long time for the message to do its work, and that consequently the coming of the Lord was a great way off. How inconsistent is this mode of reasoning. It would be far more rational to reason thus: God uses means to advance his cause, and these means are being brought into exercise; therefore they will soon accomplish their work, and we have increased evidence that the coming of the Lord is near.

To illustrate: A farmer has one thousand acres of wheat to harvest, and should one man undertake to harvest this grain with a sickle, he might despair of seeing his work accomplished. But if twenty men were to enter this field with cradles, the prospects of securing the crop would be more flattering. But if you would add to these cradlers three or four reapers, then would you know of a surety that the grain would soon be harvested. So with the work before us. It commenced with comparatively feeble means to carry it forward. We had but a few preachers, and a few publications. God greatly blessed these instrumentalities. They were like money out at a thousand per cent. Rich indeed have been the returns to the glory of God. Hundreds and thousands have been led to embrace the truth. Our facilities to publish the truth have greatly increased. We have a Health Institute, and publications on health, to relieve the bodies as well as the souls of men, and more reapers are entering the great harvest field. And thank God for the prospects of a denominational school to help in preparing more laborers to aid in carrying forward this glorious work. Surely the message will soon do its work, the Lord will soon come, and we have reason to take courage.