TOO POOR TO TAKE THE REVIEW.
By A. Lanphear
THERE are but few with whom I can converse and receive kind admonition (of those of like precious faith) except through the Review. And I thank the Lord for such a medium of correspondence. It seems to me that every believer in present truth should have it. Yet there are many that neglect to take it, and why? "O, I am too poor," says one, "I cannot afford it." Now, dear brother, is this really the case? Do you not know the terms of the Review? only two dollars a year. If you have good health you can earn enough in two or three days to pay for it. If indeed poor you can have it I think for half price. If very poor you can have it free. Can you not afford it on any of these terms? Poor indeed that brother that is deprived of the kind letters brought weekly to hand by the Review. Sometimes I think we plead poverty, when if we would carefully examine ourselves, we should find it was the love of the world creeping in which causes us to look on the dark side, and have more interest in what we shall eat or drink, and wear, than for the spiritual welfare of our families and the church. The true lovers of present truth will have an interest to know how the cause prospers in various parts of the land that they may rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep. And how shall we have this knowledge without the Review? We are a scattered people. The Lord is calling out one here and another there from the rubbish and darkness of the world, and the traditions and corruption of a fallen and lifeless church, into the glorious liberty of the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and fitting up a people for translation at the appearing of Jesus. And if we are the Lord's true Israel, then we are one body, whose head is Christ. And if we are one body, then we have one common interest, one common cause, and one mind and spirit. If I love the Lord, I love my brethren. If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. We know that we have passed from death unto life if we love the brethren. "He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." The apostle Paul says, "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking14the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as we see the day approaching." "But exhorting one another." How can this be done by the whole church (while scattered some five, some ten, twenty, thirty, and fifty miles from each other) except through the paper? Through this we can exhort one another to love and good works. Every brother and sister should have the Review, and every one should have a word of comfort to the flock of Christ through that medium, and thus fulfill the injunction, "exhort one another." Too poor to take the Review? Ah! poor indeed is that brother that cannot take it. But thank the Lord there are none so poor that they cannot have it. The Lord will take care of his own poor. The Psalmist has said, "Once I was young, but now I am old, yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." The Lord, through the generosity of his children has provided that all may have the Review. Let us support our paper and the press by our means and our prayers that it be not burdened with pecuniary trials, but may be free to send forth line upon line, and precept upon precept, that the great Head of the church may raise up a multitude who shall rejoice in the glorious doctrines of our holy religion. Let it go forth opening the eyes of the blind, rescuing the truth of God from the rubbish of human tradition, and publishing the glorious theme of salvation and eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, raising the standard of moral virtue by proclaiming God's holy law, and teaching men to observe the commandments of God rather than the traditions of men. Dear brethren, it is no time for sleep or slumber. The Lord draweth near. Signs portend that the day of the Lord is at hand. The nations are getting angry and are perplexed; men's hearts failing them for fear and for looking for those things which are coming on the earth. Satan well knows that his time is short, so he is stirring up the nations of the earth to strife and contention. These are fearful times, but only the beginning of the end. The prophet Joel says, "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." It does seem to me that the earth is getting ripe for destruction, and that soon the angel will cry with a loud voice to him that hath the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the great question with us should be, Are we getting ready for the coming storm. In our country from one end to the other, the cry is, To arms! to arms! and we are in the midst of rebellion and civil war. The Lord will have a controversy with this nation. Her sins have come up before the Lord. Vengeance is mine, and I will repay saith the Lord. Let us be faithful, and we shall soon have a victory such as they do not get who triumph over mortal foes. May the Lord make us perfect in every good work, to do his will working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Nile, Allegany Co., N. Y.