A FEW WORDS FOR THE REVIEW.
By C. Lawton
This little weekly messenger is winging its way through the length and breadth of the land from week to week, laden with its precious fruit to the hungry, scattered flock. With what joy we hail its arrival, and with what eagerness we peruse its contents and refresh ourselves with its spiritual food! If it is so rich a treasure to those who have brethren and sisters with them in the truth, how much more so to those who are alone, and have no one to meet with on the Sabbath. O, what a privilege it is to such to have this little sheet to read on the holy Sabbath, especially if their spiritual appetite is good. With this, the Bible, and prayer, the Sabbath passes away pleasantly and profitably. To me the Review is next to the Bible. O what a precious treasure is the word of the Lord! Thank God, we can have both to read. The light that emanates from these, with the books, is sufficient to guide us in the way of the truth, if we never hear a sermon. And it seems to me we should be without excuse if we did not embrace the truth with no other help than these. But I would inquire with Bro. Clarke, Why is it we do not hear more from the brethren and sisters through the Review? Perhaps it is with many of them as it is with me: they feel incapable of saying anything to edification, and may be saying with me, Why do not those who are capable of giving instruction and have much of the Spirit write more? O, how I wish they would. How I like to feast on their spiritual food. But I fear there is a fault here; all have not the same gifts, but salvation is free, and one may be as pure and devoted as any other. Many of us know by experience when we love God supremely and our neighbor as ourselves, that though our gifts may be small, this pure love will constrain us to speak out our feelings to each other. And though we cannot be as eloquent as some, nor instruct as a messenger, yet we can talk of the love of Jesus. We can speak of the trial of our faith and the victories we have gained through Christ, and this will encourage others. The love of Christ will enable us to sympathize with each other in all our trials and afflictions. We can weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Dear brethren and sisters, let us put on the whole armor, and be found wholly on the Lord's side, that we may be prepared to let our light shine, and others may be led by our holy living to embrace the truth and with us receive a crown of life.
C. LAWTON.