Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 24 (1909)

Ms 127, 1909

Sermon/Reaching the Cities

Three Rivers, Michigan

July 27, 1909

Previously unpublished.

Revelation 22:1-4. “They shall see his face.” You know the word was spoken to one that was anxious to see His face, to Moses, that no one could see His face and live, but you see here the circumstances have changed. “They shall see his face,” it is when they shall have a place in the city of God. “And his name shall be in their foreheads.” [Verse 4.] Verses 5-17. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 1

Now, we want that all should understand that we have a message to bear. It does not merely rest upon the ministers. We have a work to do, every one of us. It is not merely to feel that after you have been at the meeting that then that your work is done. There is a world to be saved, and we want every soul to understand that those that have the light are to communicate the light. They are not to hide it under a bushel, but they are to communicate it. “Let your light so shine before men ... good works.” [Matthew 5:16.] 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 2

Now if they see your good works, and they will in the course that Christ has marked out, they will take knowledge of you, that you have been with Jesus. Now I want to just talk a short time, and I want you to understand that there is a sacred responsibility that rests upon every soul of us, to follow on to know the Lord that we may know His going forth is prepared as the morning. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 3

We have got light. If we are following on to know the Lord, we have light, we have evidence, we have truth, and that truth is to be justified to the world. And if we remain right in our houses and do but follow on to know the Lord, and do not feel any particular influence to lose and to inspire us to go out to communicate the light that we know to others, then we need converting, because our light is to be communicated. It comes from the highest source, and we see light in Christ Jesus, and we must follow on to know the light. There is a heaven to win, and a hell to shun. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 4

I want to say just a few words this morning, and then we will leave the meeting to you. I want to say that it is time for us that we were placing ourselves in right relation to God. Now, if you have the knowledge of the truth, then communicate it. If you have not, seek that knowledge that you may communicate it. The light is to shine forth to the world in clear, distinct rays, and if your souls are converted, whoever you are, you cannot hide your light under a bushel, but let your light shine before men that they by seeing your good works may glorify your Father which is in heaven. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 5

Now here is a message that we cannot turn from, that is in the Word, that they are to go forth to all nations. The light that they have is to be communicated. It is a light for the salvation of souls, and we are to impart that light. There is a world to be saved. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 6

I am sorry that we do not have a whole congregation. I want to speak to a whole congregation. I want them to know what God requires of every one of them, whether they are Sabbathkeepers or not Sabbathkeepers. There is a heaven to win, and I want to tell you that we want that evidence in ourselves that we cannot keep the light to ourselves, that we must impart it to those that are around us. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 7

Then how shall we do it? We are to improve every opportunity that we can to get the light distinctly before others. There is not to be a using of the means that you have, because it is in your possession and in your hands, as though you had created these means, as though they were yours. God has put them into the hands of His servants that they may use these means to glorify His holy name. There is a world to be saved. And when I see those large cities, like Buffalo, like Portland, Maine—I have spoken in these two cities so that the little portion of the city was met. And yet the Spirit of God came in great power upon me in giving the message to these few. And I want you every one to have the impression of the Spirit of God, that you have a saving faith, and that this truth must be communicated to all the people possible. There is nothing I have to say but that I want the whole world, if I could get at them to say it to them. I want to tell them! O what a great work there is before us! I want it to be known that we are every one of us to do everything that we can to communicate the light, to open the door to those that are in darkness. And that is just what I wanted to say to the whole congregation. I wanted to tell them just what we have to do, that we have the most sacred work to do, for Christ is coming. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 8

And we want all the means that are possible, that we may use it intelligently. And remember how Christ worked, walking on foot from place to place, from city to city, and the crowd following Him until there came to be five thousand persons besides women and children, and they had nothing to eat. Well, then what? Tell them to sit down, He said. And they sat down, and He fed them. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 9

Now we want to be in a position to enter every place possible. If I did not feel the responsibility, I would not at my age be traveling from city to city, and speaking the words at camp meetings and tent meetings, but it is because I know that our people are not half awake. And we want to be in that very position that we shall understand there is a world to be saved. Now, we can have the communication from our heavenly Father, and we can seek light from Him, and we can carry light into the darkest chambers wherever we may be. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 10

That is what we had to do in Australia. That is what we had to do in the countries where we have traveled. It is to go to them under the most disagreeable circumstances that you can imagine, to stand before the people, while the walls all around were reeking with wet, and running down. There I stood to proclaim the truth, few or many, however it was. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 11

Now, we want to have the spirit of communication. And we want that all should lift every ounce that is possible to be lifted, in order to get the message before the people. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 12

We are not all of us a rich company. We are in moderate circumstances. And so they were in the apostles’ times. They had to gather in places where it was possible for them to create an interest in order to help the distant fields who were believing and yet they had no means to advance the work at all. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 13

The Lord wants us to be thoroughly converted, and stay converted. And it is for us to consider that there is a world to save. There are only just a few places that are entered. Who is communicating to let the message go forth to the people that they shall be warned? I woke up this morning, after resting a few hours, and I could not sleep any more. My mind was traveling, traveling. How can we arouse the people? It is by coming right into close connection with Jesus Christ, holding fast to seek Him with all the heart, that we may find Him. That is the very work. And don’t you let go. Hold right on. There is a world to save, and we want a clear understanding that we may carry the truth to believers and unbelievers, and stir up the minds of the people to meet their God. Now whatever work there is to be done in this line, it never ends. There is no end to it. Just as long as we are on the face of this earth, and there are mortals unwarned every soul of you has a work. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 14

O, you can reach them if you are under the influence of the Holy Spirit of God, that the souls that are perishing in their sins may be converted and turn unto the light with full purpose of heart. And you will not have to go alone. There are those that will accompany you. There are those that you can speak to and urge to take hold of the work with you in our cities, anywhere and everywhere, and when you begin to do it, you will feel your need of a higher power. But when you shut yourselves up within yourselves, and leave the cities as they have been left! 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 15

The great cities are to be worked, and they are kept before me day and night. I am speaking to the crowds day and night, whether I am asleep or awake. There are matters that I am giving to the people, to prepare, for He that is to come will come, and will not tarry. And we are unready. Now, let every one lay by him in store of such as God has trusted him with, and let them be ready so that when they can arouse the people, they will not have already laid out everything that they have for things that are unnecessary. We will try to deny ourselves. We will try to follow on to know the Lord, that we may know His going forth is prepared as the morning. And He says, Let you light so shine before men that they by seeing your good works shall glorify your Father which is in heaven. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 16

Well, how do you expect to enter the cities? That is the question I have asked of our brethren? Do you expect that those that have means in the city are going to come to you and say, Won’t you come and preach to us, when they do not know what the truth is, and we will try to arouse the people. You have to break right in and appoint your meetings, as we used to, anywhere we could get into the cities. And then an interest will be created, and the Spirit of the Lord will just as surely come into these meetings, and we shall see of the salvation of our God. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 17

We want light, precious light from the Scriptures, and we want to act it, and we want to teach it, and we want to act in that simplicity so that they will understand it. We want to know where our feet are tending. We want to know whether persons will come right up to us and ask us, Why didn’t you warn us? Why did you leave us to be in darkness? Why didn’t you tell us that this thing was to be? 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 18

Well, the Lord requires us to do this very work, and will we do it? Will we take right hold earnestly to do the very work that God would have us to do, missionary work, anywhere, everywhere? 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 19

I went into a large city, houses made of brick, and here were whole streets that were all houses, and there was no place to get to only on the front steps, if they could get out anywhere, no garden, the houses packed right in. Who has warned them? Who understands it? I feel such and intensity of desire. It seems as though I could hardly contain myself. I want to tell you that Christ is coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And you want to meet Him with the “You have done your work.” You have done what you could. You have done all you could to enlighten minds. And you want to be prepared for the coming of the Son of man with power and great glory. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 20

The work must be taken hold of intelligently and willingly, and as you take hold of the work there will be openings in almost every place. They are not coming to you and lay down their money right before your feet, saying, We want you to come and enter our field and go to work. You press right in. Establish your meetings if you do not have but three there. And then you keep at work, and you will have more, and then let others come in another place, not all in one place, but enter these cities, and see what you can do, and the next gathering, if God spares us, there will be a different showing. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 21

If God gives me strength now at nearly eighty-two years old, I shall be in the cities. I have entered the city of Portland, just a little corner. When we lived there years ago, it was Deering’s Oaks, but they have cut down Deering’s Oaks, and now there are only a few standing there, and there was our camp meeting. And the power of God was upon that camp meeting, and I know that there will be many souls as the result of that effort that we made. But that is only in one little corner. Now where are the people that will be ready to go out into the city and establish places? That is the way we did in 1842, 1843, and 1844. That is the way we did to warn the people. And the ministers would stand in the desk, and they would preach the Word there with such power, of the coming of the Son of man. The leading men, Himes, Miller, and Litch, and others. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 22

Now God wants us to be in that relation to Him that He can inspire us with His Holy Spirit, and words will be spoken right to the point. That is just what is wanted. There is a world to be saved, and we want to dedicate ourselves to God, heart and soul and mind, and we want to be intelligent in the Word, that we can communicate the Word. We want the Word to be communicated. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 23

And the means, save it. You may not be wealthy, but you can help a little. And somebody can help more, and some can help less, but let us do our best, that we may create means to press the truth into various places. And when we do that, and it is all that we can do, who does the rest of it? When you have done all that you can do, who does the rest, working with the humble instrument? The angels of God are right about the workers, and the angels of God will be around about every worker that consecrates himself to the work, that has an intensity of desire to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 24

It is time, high time that the cities were worked. And when I got into the city of Portland, where I had lived so many years, I just told the Lord all about it, that I could only speak before the people, I could not convert them. I could only give a message before the people, but the Lord God of Israel must do the work. Well, the power of God rested upon me in a similar manner to what it did at the Takoma Park Conference. It rested upon me as I talked, and as I prayed there was a large company that were to occupy seats, and every seat was filled, and yet they could not find room for them all to be seated. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 25

There they have a little meetinghouse started. The foundation is started, but everybody is very poor, that is interested in the work, and they must have help to build up that little meetinghouse. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 26

And every soul of us has got to be awake to do our last binding off of the work of God in this world. And if He gives us a little time, we will redeem the time, in the name of the Lord God of Israel, we will redeem it, brethren. We will go right into these houses, and we will take our books, we will make an excuse to sell books, small or large, and we will bring these books, and we will ask them if they do not want to buy a book, and we will get introduced to them, and then you will tell them what you are doing, and you will find more sympathy than you have any idea. I know it, you will find it. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 27

And the God of Israel will be with the workers. But the little that has been done, I hardly know what to say. We have our sanitariums, we have our institutions, we have places where we can call together companies, and where we can send forth the message that is to be given to companies, but there seems to be a lethargy over those that have the truth and know the truth, and we want to plead with you that every thing that can be done in the line of means, to advance in various places, shall be done, and the Lord will just as surely let His blessing rest upon every worker, if they will do this. Now they say, We cannot get into the cities. They have not tried. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 28

There are the places. There is Buffalo I thought of. Who has been into Buffalo? Who has tried to labor there, and who has been into these hard places, grand places? Portland has had one little corner, and every seat was just as full, and then there were some that could not set seated. Now we want the power of God to come. The power of God was upon me there as I spoke and as I prayed. What the future influence will be depends very much upon those who are there, and how they will carry the work. But they need help in every way. And don’t let our minds go into merchandise and different things to lay out our work in such a way that we use it all, for we have nothing to spare. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 29

We want life; we want truth; we want to stand before the people in the name of the Lord God of Israel, tell them that the Lord wants them to have truth, precious truth. That is what we want, not to stand back and say, How can we get in? Begin with a little house, hire a meetinghouse, or a place somewhere, and have meetings, and they will draw. The people will invite you to come in and give the truth to them. That is what they will do. What we want is the truth in the heart. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 30

And this precious message that we have, everybody wants it. Now brethren and sisters, there are very few brethren here today, but we want to say to those that are here, God has appointed you to a work, and that work must not be neglected. We must begin right around us, wherever we are, whatever city. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 31

God will open the way as soon as you begin to act as though you would work; He will open the way. 24LtMs, Ms 127, 1909, par. 32