Youth As Missionary Workers
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children. There is need of a religious revival in every household in our
land. Fathers and mothers, it is a marvel in the sight of heaven that the
souls of your children are so little valued. Christ is grieved, and Satan
triumphs.
We have a message of warning to the church. God says to you, “Be
zealous and repent.” “I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove
thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Precious time has
been squandered in which you might have won souls to Christ,—souls
that through your love of ease are now lost. Every member of the
church should awake to duty now. May God help you to take on the
burden. Let the church-members pray and fast and believe. Let the
hearts of parents be turned to their children, and the hearts of children
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to their parents, “Lest I come,” saith the Lord, “and smite the earth
with a curse.” Your souls are in peril. Shall the Sun of Righteousness
set, and leave you enshrouded in the darkness of eternal night?
Great light and privileges were given to the Jewish nation, but their
sin was in neglecting to improve these blessings. Great privileges
are granted to those whom God has made the depositaries of his law.
These privileges are not evidences of our piety, and do not commend
us to God; but they lay us under most solemn obligation to respond
in holiness of life to the benefits received. Privileges abused will ever
result in corresponding darkness and judgment from God.
But God never forsakes a people until they first forsake him. “Re-
turn, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause my
anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not
keep anger forever.”