p. 66 | ALL AT WORK by Mr. Spurgeon

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 23, 1877

ALL AT WORK.

By Mr. Spurgeon

All the myriads of the Israelites had to go round Jericho and join in the general shout. And in apostolic days was there not a general enthusiasm throughout the entire church of God? Every man, woman, and child—for out of the mouth of babes and sucklings is perfected praise—must do the work of God. Ministers to-day may cause much mischief if they think that their wisdom can supersede the ancient methods. Let us not try to put down Christian workers because they are ignorant and unpolished. Anything in the world is better than lethargy. Fire is wanted. The truth will make its way in spite of feeble advocacy. People sometimes say, God has infinite leisure, and we may be cold and calm. But we are not God; we have a great deal to do, and little time to do it in. Pokers and axes must be fought with if no Toledo blade is at hand.

It was God's design that the Israelites should be one people, and not two. And we are most one when we get to work. Societies that do not work come to an end. God meant all to practically strive against the sin that is in the world. Gentlemen who sit at home and write essays are always unsound in the faith. What an education it would be for them to go into the slums of London and preach the gospel, even as it would be an education for some landlords to spend a night in an agricultural laborer's cottage.

We have a commission that must be obeyed. Give a man nothing to do, and he becomes morbid and introspective. A tree that bears no fruit has an ax prepared for it. If men are satisfied with subscribing so much, or rather so little, what success can be expected? It is worth a gun on our side, the enemy will say, to have an enemy on the other side doing nothing.—Mr. Spurgeon.