WE firmly believe that as a people we have a definite mission to fulfill, a special message to proclaim to this generation. No other people are engaged in this work; hence we feel great responsibility.
There are many worthy objects of labor in which we would love to engage. But to do this, and thus spend our time, our limited means, and our energies, on those objects which have the sympathy and support of the Christian world, we must neglect our God-given mission for which no others will care.
Upon the subjects of faith, repentance, conversion, free salvation, and the other cardinal doctrines of Christianity, we are in harmony with the Protestant world. But the battle upon these questions has been fought, and these doctrines now are not disputed. They only have to be stated to be assented to. Hence, there is no necessity for much time and labor to be spent upon these subjects.
Besides, the people can hear about these in the churches any time; while the special truths which we are teaching are as generally neglected by all the religious teachers of the day. The prophecies are almost wholly neglected; God's law is down-trodden; and the world is not warned of the soon coming day of wrath. A special preparation is needed to prepare the people of God to stand in the day of trouble. In the providence of God we have the light upon these subjects. We feel the burden of our message, and God is pressing us out to give the warning, to sound the alarm.
This is our mission; this our field of labor. Shall we leave it destitute and go into other fields already well supplied with laborers? Paul had the right view of such matters when he said, "I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." 1 Cor. 2:2. This was the message laid upon him to proclaim to the world. He would not be drawn aside from this to engage in and other enterprise, however important it might be. The whole energy of his soul was given to this one theme, a crucified Redeemer.
Paul was a man of broad views, and there were many enterprises in which he might have engaged with much profit to humanity. But he passed them all by and concentrated all his energies upon the one special mission which God had laid upon him. So must we if we hope to succeed.
Our missionaries are not numerous; our means are limited and our time is very short; while a whole world with its teeming millions is before us to be warned of the near coming of the Lord. Should our ministers, as they enter new fields at great expense, preach upon every subject which might benefit humanity, they would soon exhaust their means and their strength, their work would be confined to a few villages, and we would lose sight of our special work. The principles of our message when received into the heart, lead to the strictest temperence, to benevolence, to faith, to repentance, and to all the Christian virtues.
If God has given us a message, he will hold us responsible to see that it is proclaimed. If he has called others to a different work, let them attend to that. These are some of our reasons for concentrating our efforts upon our specific work. We appeal to the friends of this cause not to let their means or efforts be diverted into other channels. Let us keep to our work and put forth our united strength to push it forward. It needs and deserves our sympathy, thought and means. When we have consecrated these to the work laid upon us, then may we hope to succeed in the name of God. D. M. CANRIGHT. Oakland, Cal.