ARE YOU GATHERING? by S. H. Lane

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 25, 1902

ARE YOU GATHERING?

By S. H. Lane

WHEN the children of Israel reached the wilderness in their journey from Egypt to Canaan, they found the country a barren one. They were in want of bread, and notwithstanding their murmurings,—and in their murmurings they wished they had died in Egypt rather than face death by starvation in the wilderness,—Moses cried mightily to the Lord, and the Lord said, “I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain portion every day.” Mark what the Lord and the people did,—He rained, and they gathered. Are we not in a similar condition at the present time? Not that we as a people face starvation, but we are facing financial obligations which require that we discharge the debts upon our schools.

A few intimately connected with our schools and educational work, and all the leading brethren, have felt deeply over the situation of our school debts, and some have cried unto the Lord, and He has heard, and has given the plan of the sale of “Christ’s Object Lessons.” The book could not be produced without means, so the idea of raising a fund called “The Material Fund” was suggested and adopted. Nearly forty thousand dollars has been raised with which to buy paper, ink, binding material, and all that is necessary for the getting out of the book. The Review and Herald and Pacific Press offices have given the labor and work of printing these books, and the books have been produced by the thousands, and thus the manna—the books—has fallen before our eyes copiously. With these books we can gather in the money with which to liquidate our school debts and aid in building up schools where none now exist. Now that the books are ready, shall we not take them, and go out and gather the money, a certain portion every day?

We have a few days left in this month, also the month of March, before the busy season will come on. If we let this opportunity slip, there will not be much done until next fall; so shall we not devote the month of March everywhere throughout the country to placing these books in the hands of the people? Some of our Conferences are waking up to this matter. The great States of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin are now at work on the book. Thousands have been taken, and are now being sold. The Review and Herald office employees have agreed to take a thousand. The Battle Creek church has taken several thousand, and money is already beginning to come in through their sale. A large company of canvassers start out this week. Some are already in the field. The nurses of the Sanitarium are taking hold of this nobly, and throughout the States that I have named many are selling the book. Other States are becoming enthusiastic in this work. The New York Conference has set apart the month of March in which to aid this work. All New England is at work. Oklahoma is pressing forward. With a membership of thirteen hundred, in two weeks they sold twenty-three hundred books. Iowa and Nebraska are doing nobly, and other States are at work.

Now, if you live in a State in which nothing, or but very little, is being done, will you not individually take hold of the work? We trust all our Conference laborers and officers will seize the opportunity of working up the matter. Now is the golden moment, and we must not let it pass unimproved.

A sad calamity has befallen the Sanitarium, but all are of good courage, and now, instead of faltering because adversity has come, it should only inspire us to declare in the fear of God that the work shall go forth as never before. The principles of truth live and reign even though institutions may vanish with the fiery flame. The principles are as eternal as is the throne of God.

Reader, have you sold any of these “Object Lessons”? If not, will you not order of your tract society immediately, and begin a good work? Can you not go out and sell this book? You have intimate friends who would buy the book of you, who, perhaps, would be unwilling to buy of any other person. Who will say, “I am ready; Lord, send me”?

S. H. LANE.