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A Few Suggestions

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 21, 1875

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 46, No. 16.

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A Few Suggestions.

By D. Downer

THE camp-meeting season is now closed. I suggest that we everywhere begin to pray for a good camp-meeting in 1876. Let us not wait until a week before the meeting, and then begin to pray for an outpouring of the Spirit, but let us seek God daily. Instead of coming to meeting to catch a spark of some one else's kindling, let every one have something good to bring as well as to take away. Our zeal will not then be a kind of forced zeal, but an overflowing of prayers and entreaties for the salvation of souls.
Begin early to plan with reference to the camp-meetings. It is a shame to loiter away the whole year, and then just at camp-meeting time, if asked if you are going, say, Yes, if God opens the way. He has given you the whole year to do that yourself. He will not open the way to indulge us in leaving all for him to do. Let us sow all the year, and our camp-meetings will become rich harvest fields.
How are we living at home? Are we living idle and careless lives, while others are stooping under the burdens of the message? Shall we come directly from home sins, to warm by the fire kindled by those who labor earnestly for the good of the church? I firmly believe that a people so favored as we have been will yet wither under the curse of God unless we leave our secret sins, and become more active in his service. When we cease to advance, is it because God's arm is wearied? No; but it is because of our wicked unbelief. We have not yet come to the most trying test of our message. May we realize it, and get a faith that will not shrink in time of severe trial.
Let us arouse to the importance of this work. I see as I never have before that we must launch out. We are too narrow in our views. Our prayers should be that God's Spirit may develop minds equal to the mighty work before us. O people of God, we are nearing eternity! The serpent has coiled himself around the globe; our message is to follow him. When this is done, our work is done.
D. DOWNER.