p. 138 | At Ease | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 3, 1877

At Ease.

Notwithstanding the “woe” pronounced, there are hundreds “at ease in Zion.” Here is what the Baptist Union says about them:—

Like boarders at a hotel they are eager to be served, but disdain to serve. Work and responsibility are never welcome to them. They believe in receiving, but not in giving; in being worked for, but not in doing for others; in being blessed, but not in blessing. Religion to them is merely a luxury, or a convenience, or an insurance against evil to come, but not a practical, every-day matter of duty-doing. The paying and praying, testifying and doing part of religion they dislike. If the church can do anything for them, add to their comfort, help them into good society, relieve their fears, and especially if it aids their business, they are delighted to hold membership, but when it calls for labor, costs money, imposes care, they object, and often desert the fold. They are willing to be religious if the way is easy, society agreeable, fare abundant, and the work laid upon others.

It is surprising and mortifying to run over the catalogue of most churches, and note what a small minority can be regarded as working members. If all were like the majority, there would be no prayer-meetings, no Sunday-schools, no mission efforts, no preached word, and finally no church. What little they do is forced or drawn out of them, by those who carry the cause upon their hearts. If the cause prospers they faintly rejoice; if it declines, their grief is too moderate to disturb their quiet. In times of great religious zeal around them, slight activity is sometimes begotten; they open their eyes, and perhaps speak a few words of testimony, get to the prayer-meeting, and half resolve to live lives of faithfulness. But such purposes pass like the morning cloud and early dew. The slightest obstacles prevent their attendance at church, the most trivial excuses turn them from the path of duty. They are exceedingly weak, and emit discouragement in their very breaths; they lack heart, and chill the ardor of all around them.

The first stage of life above this condition of ease, is that of grumbling. A fault-finder has a little life, and hence affords a little hope of reform; but who can reform a sluggard? We always preferred a fractious, nervous, runaway horse to a lazy one, and growling Christians who will work to stupid ones. Any kind of action is better than inertia. Yet there are some grumblers worse than sleepers. Many a weary, perplexed pastor has learned this, and wished that certain troublers in Zion were, by some means, put to sleep. They find fault, impugn motives, cast suspicion, stir up strife, oppose every good work, chafe and worry the workers, and irritate the most patient. We heard of one case, where a good brother averred that he could cause a quarrel among the purest of saints, break up the best church that ever existed, and destroy the usefulness of any ten of the best ministers he ever knew, by a skillful use of a certain mischief-maker. There are others almost as bad. A very small man can do great harm. A fool can burn a building which cost the highest skill of wise men to erect. A severer woe rests upon such men, than even on those at ease in Zion. We need activity, but not bitterness and strife; workers, but not destroyers; helpers, but not hinderers.

We call for workers; the churches need them, the Sunday-schools need them, the mission cause needs them. Revivals will come, power will rest upon the saints; sinners will be converted, money will flow into the treasury, strength will increase, wisdom enlarge, love become deeper, courage stronger, experience sweeter, if the people will work.