p. 16 | Why Not? by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Sep 5, 1900

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 26, No. 36.

Why Not?

By Editor

Why should not the "good soldiers of Christ Jesus" be as energetic and courageous as the patriots of worldly governments? Is there not a greater incentive to self-sacrifice and earnest zeal in the cause of the Lord than in any mere worldly cause? These questions are suggested by the following expression, in the Missionary Review:—

"No sooner do a few missionaries fall in China than some persons are ready to denounce missions, and not a few of God's professed people lose heart and would recall the laborers from the field, and actually abandon the attempt to push the conquests of the cross."

The killing of hundreds and thousands of foreign soldiers in China does not have such an effect in any of the so-called Christian nations. Their places can be readily filled by volunteers. Yes, the more soldiers fighting against China there are killed, the greater the anxiety to fill up the ranks, and even to greatly enlarge the invading army. Why should the soldiers of Christ, backed by the love of God and the power of the Spirit, be more reluctant to push on in quest of souls for the Master, than are the soldiers of earthly governments in pursuing merely temporal advantage.