368
Testimonies for the Church Volume 3
in reaching other nations! Her extensive knowledge of missionary
fields would give us access to those of other tongues whom we cannot
now approach. God brought this gift among us to meet our present
[408]
emergency; but we prized not the gift, and He took her from us. She is
at rest from her labors, but her self-denying works follow her. It is to
be deplored that our missionary work should be retarded for the want
of knowledge how to gain access to the different nations and localities
in the great harvest field.
We feel anguish of spirit because some gifts are lost to us that we
might now have if we had only been awake. Laborers have been kept
back from the whitening harvest. It becomes the people of God to
humble their hearts before Him, and in the deepest humiliation to pray
the Lord to pardon our apathy and selfish indulgence, and to blot out
the shameful record of duties neglected and privileges unimproved. In
contemplation of the cross of Calvary the true Christian will abandon
the thought of restricting his offerings to that which costs him nothing
and will hear in trumpet tones:
Go, labor in My vineyard;
There’s resting by and by.
When Jesus was about to ascend on high, He pointed to the harvest
fields and said to His followers: “Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel.” “Freely ye have received, freely give.” Shall we deny self
that the wasting harvest may be gathered?
God calls for talents of influence and of means. Shall we refuse
to obey? Our heavenly Father bestows gifts and solicits a portion
back, that He may test us whether we are worthy to have the gift of
everlasting life.
* * * * *