NEW ENGLAND by D. A. Robinson

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 31, 1878

NEW ENGLAND.

By D. A. Robinson

The past three weeks I have spent in holding meetings with the churches and companies at Westmoreland, N. H., So. Amherst, Mass., Norfolk, Conn., and last Sabbath and first-day, Oct. 12, 13, with the church at Curtis Corner, R. I., it being the time for their district quarterly meeting.

The friends at Westmoreland have been quite prompt in meeting their pledges, which is commendable, but they need to become more thoroughly imbued with the missionary spirit, and to become real workers in this cause. At South Amherst six were baptized and added to the church. God has blessed them, and there are others who will unite with them soon. They should have here before long a small house of worship. This they could build themselves if they had the spirit of it. God helps those who help themselves. Some of the brethren here need to drink in more largely of a sacrificing spirit. Angels are soon to be sent to gather from the earth a people possessing this very trait of character. This is shown by the following words: “Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” Some of us will have to cultivate this trait before we ever enter the portals of glory.

At Norfolk I baptized seven and organized a church of the scattered friends there and in Western Massachusetts. One brother and his wife who embraced the truth some twenty-five years ago under the labors of Eld. A. S. Hutchins, with their daughter, were baptized at this meeting.

The district quarterly meeting at Curtis Corner, R. I., was almost a failure, so far as the presence of those of other churches was concerned. This would not have been the case had the brethren and sisters had as much interest as one sister who walked ten miles to attend the meeting on Sunday morning. Several of our brethren and sisters in this district, unless they take advance steps and move forward with the work of God, will soon find that they are far behind.

What is done in this district in the missionary work is done by a very few. “My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” We say, God bless the faithful few; but what about those who do nothing? I read in my Bible that the Lord cursed Meroz at one time—for what? For doing more than they ought to have done? No. For wrong acts? No. Well, what had they done? Nothing. And they were cursed for it? Yes; cursed for doing nothing. Your secretary sends out blanks every quarter to each of you, yet but few of these are returned. Send in your reports, brethren. If you have done nothing, notify us of that fact by signing your name to the blank and sending it in.

But you can all do something. There are about sixty members in your district. Suppose you should scatter two hundred pages of reading matter each for the next quarter, that would amount to twelve thousand pages. Again, suppose you each send with your report a personal donation of 25 cts. (and many could do much more than that), this would place $15 in your treasury at the end of every quarter. In this way the money would be raised without any special effort, and nobody would feel it either.

Our opportunities for working in this cause will soon be gone. Somebody will soon hear the “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” We shall hear it if we have been faithful in the work assigned us.

D. A. ROBINSON.