OUR WORK by Uriah Smith

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 8, 1892

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 18, No. 14.

OUR WORK.

By Uriah Smith

BY ELDER U. SMITH.

THE Lord declares, concerning his people, by the mouth of the prophet: “I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth and warn them from me.” If God has given to us special truths for this time, which no true Seventh-day Adventist will deny,—truths which are not found in other movements and with other people, what is our duty with reference to them?—It is our duty to make them known to all the people, in the simplest and most direct way possible.

And there are but two ways in which to do this. These are by word of mouth and by the printed page. People must hear them or read them, one or the other, or, better still, both. Every individual believer has his influence to exert within the circle of his relatives, friends, and neighbors; but ministers, teachers, canvassers, colporters, Bible workers, and correspondents are engaged more directly in the work. Would that there were a hundred of all these classes where there is now but one.

And thus to preach and circulate literature and make known to the people the light of this message, would not seem to require a great amount of elaborate machinery. We have often felt that there was danger of getting up so much machinery that most of the energy, talent, and time of the ablest workers in the cause would be all absorbed in running the machine, and establishing very fine grooves in which the work should move, when they could be better expended in the direct work of the gospel field.

Organization in certain lines, and to a certain extent, is of course indispensable. But may it not be multiplied to too great an extent, and drawn out to too fine points?

We can easily recall times in the past when everyone’s ambition seemed to be to go out into the field where people were sitting in darkness, and make known to them the special truths for this time, and bring them to the light and to Christ. And then there were everywhere in the home field accessions to the ranks of men and women who would be bone and sinew to any cause. It is not so much so now. Where is the numerical growth that should have been seen during the past few years in Michigan and other States that might be named? A writer in another denomination recently published a remark which may be applicable to our cause as well. He said, “What we need is not more harness, but more horse.”—Review and Herald.