By My Spirit, Saith the Lord.
By Stephen N. Haskell
“It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” These words were spoken to the Jews when they were under very discouraging circumstances. They had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, with high hopes and bright prospects, to build the temple. But difficulties had arisen, so they ceased from building. But the prophets Zechariah and Haggai encouraged them to arise and build. Embarrassed pecuniarily, and by bitter enemies who were constantly at work to hinder them, they said the time had not come to build the temple. And God assured them through the prophet that it was not by might nor by power, but by his Holy Spirit that this would be accomplished; and that Zerubbabel, who had laid the foundation, should finish it. The work of God is not dependent upon man, but the success of God’s work is dependent upon his Holy Spirit. Yet God permits man to be an instrument in his hands to accomplish his designs.13 He calls individuals, and commits to them his sacred truth, that they may become light-bearers to others. He commits to men means of usefulness which are talents. He then bids them work in his vineyard. They are to recommend the truth by a holy life and godly conversation, and by every means of usefulness they possess. In this way we are to gather with Christ, then at his coming he will receive his own with usury, and then in the day of reckoning we can say, Here, Lord, are the talents which thou gavest me, and I have gained others besides those. Thus a man is rewarded with the fruits of his own life, or according to his own work. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” We are not placed alone in the world, without the privilege of mingling in the society of others. But God in his providence has so arranged this matter that there are none but what have an influence. This affects others, and we are responsible for the effect of this influence upon other minds. “None of us liveth to himself.” And the individual that can see no farther than himself, and his own interest, has none of the Spirit of Christ. The providence of God has placed directly in our pathway the poor and unfortunate that we may keep alive in our hearts the spirit of disinterested benevolence. Hence we read that the poor “shall never cease out of the land.” Deut. 15 : 7–11. God also permits us to be surrounded with men of opposite character, that other traits of character in us may be called out; and our duty under all these circumstances is very plain. It is not to be swayed to and fro like “a reed shaken with the wind,” but to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father who is in Heaven. Matt. 5 : 16. There will be thousands in the day of Judgment who will find blood in the skirts of their garments because their own interests absorbed their minds, and took up their attention so that they could not understand the openings of God’s providence. There were opportunities where they could have spoken a word for Christ, and have lightened burdens that were resting heavily upon some desponding heart. They neglected to watch for openings where they might do good, and were thus unprepared to give a tract to those whose minds the Spirit of God had prepared for the reception of it. Their unbelief told them it was of no use to introduce the subject of obtaining subscribers for those periodicals which would bring to them that instruction which their souls were longing for. God is preparing hearts all around us to receive his truth. And his people are not to be as the horse or the mule which hath no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle. It can be truly said that happy is the man that knows the joyful sound, and can tell when good cometh. A circumstance will, perhaps, illustrate this point. A Sabbath-keeping family moved into the northern part of Wisconsin. There was no interest in the neighborhood on the subject of religion. No one had any interest to hear on present truth. It was useless to keep tracts on hand to give out to their neighbors, for there was no one that would read them. They would only meet with a repulse if they should ask a person to subscribe for our religious paper. Thus reasoned sister L. Finally, a Mrs. R. wished to borrow some article and called upon sister L., who readily responded, and accidentally, or providentially, wrapped around the article borrowed, an old REVIEW. There was an article in it upon the Sabbath question. This Mrs. R. read with interest. Her mind had long been wrought up to that subject. Immediately, she repaired to the house of sister L. for some works treating upon that subject. But sister L. had none in her house. Mrs. R. had become interested and was not going to give it up so. She sent to the REVIEW Office, obtained the paper and other reading matter, and, shortly after, when a tent was pitched seven miles from that neighborhood, walked to the meeting and returned after the meeting night after night. It is needless to add that that lady and her family embraced the truth. Mrs. R. was sixty years of age, and respected by all that knew her. Sister L. would have found out this lady long ere she did, and supplied her with reading matter, had she been an active missionary. We recommend to all to become acquainted with their neighbors, not for the purpose of spending time with them in the common chit chat, and gossip of the day, but to be light-bearers to them that sit in darkness, and to exemplify the truths of the Christian religion; that in the day of reckoning, it may be said, “Because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” We can be missionaries without going to some distant land among the heathen which have never heard of God. In our own neighborhoods, and perhaps in our own families, there are excellent opportunities to reach hearts and bring them to Christ. God calls upon us to get converted and remove from our hearts a worldly, selfish spirit and let the Saviour in. Soon it will be too late, and the golden opportunities for doing good will have passed away forever. Work while it is called to-day; for soon the night cometh when no man can work. The heart that is steeled over with selfishness knows nothing of the sweetness there is in laboring for Christ. The expression, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” embraces more than to give a few dollars in money. It is to give kind, cheering words, and kind, disinterested acts of benevolence. It is to have the heart drawn out for others, and to be all alive to bring others to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, not for the sake of proselyting people, but that they may enjoy the blessedness there is in serving God, and the sweetness there is in feeding upon the precious truths of his word. The work in which we are engaged, and the system we have adopted, places within the reach of every one the means of doing something in the cause of Christ. But God does not bless the effort because he is dependent upon the instrument, but because the work is his. It is not, therefore, ourselves, but it is God through us. It is not by might or power but by God’s Holy Spirit. Our sufficiency is of God. Oftentimes the reading of a tract or a piece of an old REVIEW, as above alluded to, has been the means of saving souls. And many times an interest has been started from the reading of a single tract, and large churches have been raised up as the result. And there are, to my certain knowledge, companies of twelve or more, in different places, now rejoicing in the truth, who have never seen or heard any preacher of these things, except our periodicals. We expect this spirit of home missionary work will be more and more developed among us.