Our Camp Meetings
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the ministers had no more sense of the sacredness of their work than
children.
I saw what these yearly gatherings might be, and what they should
be—meetings of earnest labor. Ministers should seek a heart prepara-
tion before entering upon the work of helping others, for the people
are far in advance of many of the ministers. They should untiringly
wrestle in prayer until the Lord blesses them. When the love of God is
burning on the altar of their hearts, they will not preach to exhibit their
own smartness, but to present Christ who taketh away the sins of the
world.
In the early church Christianity was taught in its purity; its precepts
were given by the voice of inspiration; its ordinances were uncorrupted
by the device of men. The church revealed the spirit of Christ and
appeared beautiful in its simplicity. Its adorning was the holy principles
and exemplary lives of its members. Multitudes were won to Christ,
not by display or learning, but by the power of God which attended
the plain preaching of His word. But the church has become corrupt.
And now there is greater necessity than ever that ministers should be
channels of light.
There are many flippant talkers of Bible truth, whose souls are as
barren of the Spirit of God as were the hills of Gilboa of dew and rain.
But what we need is men who are thoroughly converted themselves
[167]
and can teach others how to give their hearts to God. The power of
godliness has almost ceased to be in our churches. And why is this?
The Lord is still waiting to be gracious; He has not closed the windows
of heaven. We have separated ourselves from Him. We need to fix the
eye of faith upon the cross and believe that Jesus is our strength, our
salvation.
As we see so little burden of the work resting upon ministers and
people, we inquire: When the Lord comes, shall He find faith on the
earth? It is faith that is lacking. God has an abundance of grace and
power awaiting our demand. But the reason we do not feel our great
need of it is because we look to ourselves and not to Jesus. We do not
exalt Jesus and rely wholly upon His merits.
Would that I could impress upon ministers and people the necessity
of a deeper work of grace in the heart and more thorough preparation
to enter into the spirit and labor of our camp meetings, that they may
receive the greatest possible benefit from these meetings. These yearly