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GOSPEL WORKERS; 



OR, 



A PLAN FOR DOING GOOD, 



FOR EVERYBODY. 



BY REV. J. CROSS. 



si^ 




PUBLISHED BY THE 
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

150 NASSAU-STEEET, NEW YORK. 



CONTENTS. 

I. God's Vineyard 5 

[II. God calls us to Labor 10 

III. Duty of All to Work - 14 

IV. All can Work - 19 

V. Duties of Church Officers - 25 

VI. Duties of Church Members 31 

VII. Personal Labor - - 37 

VIIL Associated Effort --- 42 

IX. Associated Effort. Continued 48 

X. Duties of Mothers - - 57 

XI. Duties of Fathers - - — 64 

XII. The Condition of the Church calls for Special Effort 71 
XIIL Closing Appeal - 77 



GOSPEL WORKERS. 



GOD'S VINEYARD. 

When God had finished the work of crea- 
tion, he pronounced all things very good ; ev- 
ery thing was exactly adapted to the end for 
which it was made. Man, who was the crown- 
ing part of this work, was put in possession 
of this world as his home. All the beasts of 
the earth were subject to him. He was the 
monarch of all his heart could desire. The 
earth brought forth all he needed without la- 
bor or toil ; and while he obeyed God, he was 
a stranger to sorrow. But by man's disobe- 
dience sin entered into the world, and death 
by sin ; the very earth was cursed in conse- 
quence, and he was doomed to earn by the 



6 GOSPEL WOKKEES. 

sweat of his brow wliat God had richly pro- 
vided for him, had he remained in a state of 
innocence. 

Not only were his temporal necessities to 
be siipphed by toil, but the moral evil he had 
introduced must be removed by labor like- 
wise. God could, by an act of his almighty 
power, have repaired all the injury man had 
done in a moment of time, eHher by destroy- 
ing the creatures who brought disorder into 
his dominions, and creating others, or by pro- 
viding an immediate atonement for both soul 
and body, and reinstating man in his prime- 
val innocence. But God's plan is, to remove 
the evil man brought into the world through 
the instrumentality of the same creature that 
introduced the evil, as a penalty for his diso- 
bedience ; and in order to prepare the way, 
his Son Jesus Christ became man, not only 
to make an atonement for man's sins, but to 
teach, both by example and precept, how this 
great work was to be done. Christ, by taking 
to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, 
could enter into sympathy with man, and work 
with man. Hence Christians are called "work- 



GOD'S VINEYAKD. 7 

ers together with Christ" in building up his 
kingdom in this world. 

The Son of God, while on earth in our na- 
ture, taught the most important truths by par- 
ables, always using something with which his 
hearers were well acquainted. Palestine was 
a land of vineyards, and thousands earned 
their daily bread by laboring in them. Moun- 
tain-sides were generally chosen as tlie place 
to locate the vineyard, and as most of the 
mountains were stony, it- required much labor 
to prepare the ground and plant the vines 
and prune them. Some one was appointed to 
oversee the work, and pay the laborers for 
their services. The pay was in proportion 
to the work done. As a matter of justice, 
those who loitered away their time in idle- 
ness received little or nothing when night 
came. Christ introduced this parable of the 
vineyard, and the labor in cultivating it, to 
show how moral evil was to be removed from 
this sin-cursed world. 

This world, morally considered, is a dreary 
wilderness, and in it God has planted his 
church, for the removal of the curse intro- 



8 GOSPEL WOEKEES. 

duced by sin. Tlie Jews were God's vine- 
yard in it ; for many centuries lie bestowed 
much labor on them, but they proved un- 
faithful in his service. He sent them proph- 
ets and priests. Some they stoned, others 
^hey killed or sent away shamefully handled. 
At last he sent unto them his Son, saying, 
"Surely they will reverence my Son;" but 
they killed him, and cast him out of the 
vineyard. Yet to their surprise he rose from 
the dead, and turned them out, and employed 
another class of laborers in their stead. The 
first of these laborers were employed from 
the humblest walks of life, and were called 
apostles. They immediately went to work, 
when fully commissioned, with great earnest- 
ness, and in one day added three thousand 
additional laborers to their number. For 
some years the vineyard was enlarged with 
great rapidity ; all classes and conditions, 
high and low, rich and poor* entered in 
to labor. The wilderness and the solitary 
places were made to blossom as the rose. 
Had the same zeal and industry been con- 
tinued up to this present time that was for 



GOD'S VINEYARD. 9 

half a century, tlie work miglit have been 
done. 

True, some of those vineyards that were 
planted with such rapidity did not continue 
to bring forth good fruit long, especially those 
seven planted in Asia, which may be a warn- 
ing to all unfaithful laborers. There was one 
Ananias and Sapphira his wife, who engaged 
to work about that time, and to show their 
zeal agreed to sell all they had and trust in 
the Lord of the vineyard for the supply of 
their wants. But they hid away a part for 
their own private use, and their deception 
proved their ruin ; they were slain and cast 
out of the vinej^ard, as a warning to all insin- 
cere laborers. There is great reason to fear 
that if every Ananias and Sapphira were vis- 
ited in the same way now, the laborers would 
be greatly reduced in numbers. 



10 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

11. 

GOD CALLS US TO LABOR. 

The condition on wliicli laborers are em- 
ployed to work in the Lord's vineyard is, to 
make a total surrender of themselves, body 
and sonl, to his service, and keep back noth- 
ing. "When God regenerates a sin-polluted 
soul, he takes that soul out of the forest of 
the world, and transplants it into the vineyard 
or church of Christ. It is cut off from the 
wild \dne, and grafted into Christ, who is the 
true vine. It becomes one with Christ, and 
is so identified with him that what interests 
Christ interests that soul. In a copartner- 
ship for carrying on any business, where all 
the partners are industrious and persevering, 
they seldom fail of success. But if one half 
the firm are indolent and lazy, they seldom 
succeed well. It is just so in working Christ's 
vineyard ; if all are at work, and always at it, 
success will be" certain. 

When a soldier enlists in the service of his 



GOD CALLS TO LABOR. 11 

country, and takes tlie bounty or reward of- 
fered, lie is solemnly bound, as an honest man, 
to devote all his energies to his country's 
cause ; to neglect this will bring down on his 
head both punishment and disgrace ; and if 
he runs in the hour of danger, or deserts the 
battle-field, he loses all just claim to compen- 
sation for his time. In the act of justifica- 
tion, the sinner becomes a servant of Christ; 
he receives bountifully of God's gTace; his 
name is enrolled in the Lamb's book of life; 
he has renounced the devil as his master, and 
refuses to do his work any longer. He has 
accepted of pardon through Christ, and he is 
now under the most solemn obhgations to 
serve Christ and to work for him. To neg- 
lect this is dishonest ; it is robbing God of 
his just rights, and implies either cowardice 
oi; treason. 

In the conversion of a soul, God designs 
not only the salvation of that individual, but 
the improvement of his church or \dneyard. 
If no change were manifested in the conduct 
of the man, God would have no glory from 
his work, and his cause would suffer reproach 



12 GOSPEL WOEKERS. 

by it. It is tlirougli tlie instrumentality of 
converted men and women that God has 
enlarged his church and brought millions to 
heaven, and it is through them that all the 
world is finally to be brought to Christ. They 
are the agents, his word the instrument they 
are to work with, and his Spirit the moving 
power. Their hands must hold the plough 
and sow the seed, and he has promised they 
shall gather sheaves with joy. 

The same principles govern both the nat- 
ural and moral world ; the man who ploughs 
and sows in the natural world seldom begs in 
harvest. Owing to the unfriendly nature of 
the soil, his ingatherings may be small, but 
he seldom fails entirely. So with Christ's 
workers ; their field may be stony ground, or 
birds may devour much of the seed, but still 
faithful labor will secure a harvest. The la- 
borer in the vineyard of Christ is not respon- 
sible for the results, only for the labor. The 
order is. Go work to-day in my vineyard ; God 
will order the results. In working for Christ, 
we are not to make our rewards the principal 
object, as we do in ordinary labor; but we 



GOD CALLS TO LABOB. 13 

are to work for the glory of our Master, that 
whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, 
we may do all for the glory of God. Still, 
no one pays as punctually as God does. He 
that waters shall be watered. The moment 
we begin to work for God, we begin to real- 
ize the reward. No wonder there are so many 
poor Christians in the church — I mean spir- 
itually poor — while there is so httle done to 
increase spiritual wealth. 



14 GOSPEL WOBKEKS. 

III. 

DUTY OF ALL TO WORK. 

If industry is tlie avenue to wealtli in tem- 
poral things, it is doubly so in spiritual things. 
If indolence leads to bankruptcy in temporal 
things, it will more certainly in spiritual 
things-. I knew a man once so far gone in 
spiritual bankruptcy that he was about to 
leave the church; he came in contact with 
a genuine gospel worker, who advised him 
to go to work for Christ without delay, and 
he would soon get reUef. He resolved that 
evening to go to work for the good of the first 
sinner he met. Early the next morning the 
wickedest old sinner in the whole community 
called on business. The sight of the man, in 
view of the promise he had made, frightened 
him ; but as soon as the business was trans- 
acted for which the man came, he began to 
preach Christ to him with a stammering 
tongue. To his utter surprise, in a few mo- 
ments the man began to weep, and said, "No 



DUTY OF ALL TO WORK. 15 

man ever spoke to me about my soul before;" 
and it resulted in tliat man's salvation. In a 
moment the man that had been without hope 
for months had his soul overflowing with spir- 
itual joy. The remedy was instantaneous, 
and so it will be in almost every instance. 
We give this as an infallible cure for spiritual 
despondency. A man that will lie down and 
refuse to exercise his hmbs will soon become 
unable to use them. So the Christian who 
refuses to exercise the powers of his soul for 
Christ will soon become a spiritual paralytic, 
while he that works for Christ will increase 
his strength from day to day. 

J?ractical Christianity is working for God — 
not for a day or a year, but for Hfe ; neglect- 
ing to do it is practical atheism or denying 
God's authority. How is the world to know 
you belong to Christ, if you do nothing for 
him? Christ said, "By their fruits ye shall 
know them;" and he that is not for Christ is 
against him ; there is no neutral ground be- 
tween those who work for Christ and those 
who work for Belial. 

These words of Christ do not refer directly 



16 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

to tlie evidences of our good estate, as when 
we are told to give diligence to make our call- 
ing and election sure, or to work out our sal- 
vation vv^itli fear and trembling. Tliey refer 
manifestly to working for the salvation of 
others. This becomes obvious when we look 
at some of the figurative descriptions of the 
church of Christ. The church is compared 
to an army — every Christian to a soldier. 
All have the same enemies, and are exposed 
to the same dangers. An army is raised and 
drilled either to invade an enemy's country or 
defend our own. A soldier's life is a life of 
toil and danger, and no one who goes into an 
army expects to esQape toil and hardship, es- 
pecially when a cunning foe is menacing its 
ranks. The church of Christ is in an enemy's 
country, surrounded with vigilant foes, whose 
leader neither sleeps nor slumbers. His long 
experience in guerrilla warfare and sudden 
raids on the church calls for the utmost vigi- 
lance on the part of Christ's soldiers. They 
need to have on their whole armor, and stand 
in the line of battle. Could any thing but 
defeat be expected, if half an army were sleep- 



DUTY OF ALL TO WORK. H 

ing at tlieir posts unarmed? and would any 
brave commander respect such soldiers, or 
give them any reward for such service ? And 
can we expect the church of Christ, with a 
sleeping army of Christians, to make any ad- 
vances in this world, which is under the rule 
of the prince of darkness? Those that lag- 
behind in the day of battle endanger those 
that go forward ; and had better be out of 
the army than in it. So all those who refuse 
to work in the church are only so much use- 
less material, to be dragged along by those 
who do the work. As an army needs hospi- 
tals for the sick and wounded, so does the 
church need her hospitals for weak, sickly 
Christians. Indeed some churches might 
well be turned into hospitals, and nurses 
brought in from other churches to take care 
of them. Such Christians are not gospel 
workers. 

The soldiers who work in this army, dig- 
ging trenches and building fortifications, are 
not Avorking for a despot, who uses them to 
gratify his own ambition, but for their owii 
defence, and for the protection of their fami- 

Qo»p. Workers. 2 



18 GOSPEL WORKEES. 

lies and friends, all exposed to the raids of a 
malignant enemy, who is going about like a 
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 
Now, if it is true that he that provideth not 
for himself and his household — in temporal 
things — hath denied the faith, and is worse 
than an infidel, is it not equally true in rela- 
tion to eternal things? The man who lets 
his family starve through idleness is despised 
in the community. And can a man that neg- 
lects to labor for their souls' salvation be 
respected either by God or man ? 



ALL CAN WORK. 19 



lY. 

ALL CAN WORK. 

This command is given to all, from the least 
to the greatest : fight the good fight of faith, 
war a good warfare, put on the whole armor 
of God, resist the devil. All this means the 
most earnest, energetic working ; it does not 
mean that they are all the time to he in win- 
ter quarters, or build barracks and fortifica- 
tions, and await an attack from the enemy. 
But the church is to be aggressive, make con- 
quests for Christ, expel the usurper and all 
his hosts.* This world was not made for the 
prince of darkness ; it was made for holy be- 
ings, created in the image of God; but the 
vile fiend, when he failed to make a conquest 
of heaven, and was thrust out with his helhsh 
crew, set out to make conquests elsewhere, 
found his way to this earth, defrauded our 
first parents of their birthright, and set up his 
kingdom here. So anxious was he for divine 
adoration, that he offered to give it to the 



20 GOSPEL WOEKERS. 

Son of God, wlien He became man, if He 
wonlcL worship liim. Hence lie has no rights 
here ; he is a vile usurper, and must be dis- 
possessed. This revolted province of Jeho- 
vah's dominions has to be wrested from him, 
and who has so good a right to do it as man? 
Jehovah could have expelled liim in a moment 
by an act of his almighty power, but he chose 
to do it by making man the instrument, pro- 
viding a way by which man could be avenged 
on his enemy. The seed of the woman was 
to bruise his head ; and when we contemplate 
the misery and woe he has introduced into this 
world, the sorrow, toil, and pain he has given 
to every son and daughter of Adam, is it not 
marvellous that every one does not gxert him- 
self to dispossess him ? If it was in the pow- 
er of any man, or company of men, to do as 
much injury to a toAvn or city in a day as 
Satan does, the civil authorities would not 
be able to prevent their being mobbed. The 
work of the church is to expel this vile mon- 
ster out of this beautiful world, and restore 
it to its primeval state. Every man in this 
world is our brother ; and had it not been for 



ALL CAN WORK. 23 

th\s malignant spirit, none of us would ever 
have been asliamecl of our kin. "Wlio then 
but a traitor to God and the whole family of 
man can remain idle, while this foul spirit is 
dragging our friends down to his dark and 
doleful abode ? 

In the previous part of this series, we have 
tried to show that it is the duty of all to work 
for Christ. We now intend to show lioio all 
can luork. All shall be left without excuse. 

"We take for an illustration the building of 
the temjDle in Jerusalem. The plan of the 
building was given by God himself, and com- 
mitted to master-builders of his own choosing. 
Their business vras to see how every stone 
was laid, and that all the vast multitude em- 
ploj'ed did their work faithfully. No doubt 
there were various gxades of overseers attend- 
ing on each department of the work, all sub- 
ject to the master-builders to whom the plan 
of the building was especially committed. 
Some were clearing off and levelling the foun- 
dation; others were on the mountain-sides, 
quarrying the huge rocks ; others were squar- 
ing them to the size directed; others were 



22 GOSPEL WOEKEES. 

engaged in hauling them to the building ; oth- 
ers raising them to their appointed place; 
others making mortar and carrying it to the 
builders. There were a vast multitude on 
the mountains of Lebanon, cutting and squar- 
ing cedar-trees, and floating them towards 
Jerusalem; others were working in gold and 
fine brass ; while many were engaged in mak- 
ing the curtains and fringes. Even the children 
might be combing the wool or camel's hair. 
Others had to provide the wheat and corn to 
feed the laborers, and furnish the gold and 
other materials for the ornaments. Indeed 
the whole church was at work. All their 
energies were directed to this one great ob- 
ject, and the result was the most magnificent 
building the world ever saw. Now, we think 
this illustration in relation to the division of 
labor may be with propriety applied to the 
building of the New Testament church. All 
can do something, and we now intend to 
show how it can be done, and that it cannot 
be left undone without incurring God's dis- 
pleasure. 

The apostles were chosen of God as the 



ALL CAN WORK. 23 

mastei^-builclers in the New Testament church ; 
but they had to qilarry the rocks and hew the 
timber themselves. They built on no other 
man's foundation; they went out into the 
highways and hedges, and compelled men to 
come in. They did not build fine churches, 
and settle down over them as pastors, but 
they w^ent from place to place, estabHshing 
churches and setting under-workmen over 
them, to feed the flock and direct their labors. 
We read in the New Testament of^both men 
and women that were fellow-helpers in this 
great work in the church. We are told that 
on the day of Pentecost, when three thousand 
were converted, they immediately began to 
tell of the wonderful works of God ; that is, 
they began to preach and tell what God had 
done for their souls : thus began gospel work. 
The effect of this earnest gospel labor was 
in a few years to overturn heathen mythology 
and pagan superstitions, and almost expel 
the prince of darkness from his strong-holds. 
And who can doubt that if the same work- 
ing spirit had continued a few centuries, all 
the hosts of hell would have been driven 



24 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

from earth, and the happiness of Eden been 
regamed. 

But danger always lurks behind security in 
an enemy's country. Eternal vigilance can 
alone secure success. When Aaron and Hur 
left Moses to hold up his own hands, the 
Amalekites prevailed. God's mite-givers and 
mason-tenders must all be busy. 

When head workmen began to seek their 
own aggrandizement, and work by plans of 
their own inventing, the result was, they 
marred God's work, and defaced the church 
by daubing with untempered mortar. The 
beautiful spiritual temple, commenced by in- 
spired hands, became divided : one was for 
Paul, another for Apollos, and another for 
Cephas. But as the work declined in one 
place, it was begun in another. Those that 
were persecuted for Christ's saike, and exiled 
from their homes, began their work in other 
places ; and thus the wrath of man was made 
to praise God, and faithful labor was reward- 
ed wherever it was performed. 



DUTIES OF CHUKCH OFFICEKS. 25 



DUTIES OF CHURCH OFFICERS. 

We have now come to the main object we 
have in view in writing this series, which is 
to stir up the officers and private members of 
our American churches. The erection of the 
temple would never have been accompHshed 
if none but the overseers had engaged in la- 
bor. The Quarriers in the mountains, the 
hewers of wood and the drawers of water, had 
all to work ; and so it must be in the church 
of Christ, before Satan's empire is overturned. 

We shall first address ourselves to office- 
bearers in the church who are not set apart 
to the work of public official preaching. All 
denominations have some order of lay rulers 
in the church, who are chosen on account of 
tLeir supposed piety and wisdom for that pur- 
pose. These persons are generally looked up 
to in the church, and when faithful are enti- 
tled to double honor. They are expected to 
take the lead as gospel workers in Sabbath- 



26 GOSPEL WOBKERS. 

schools and prajer-iijeetings, to visit tlie sick, 
assist tlie pastor in watcliing over the flock, 
and be foremost in every good word and work ; 
and above all, to be examples in holy living 
and upright walking before God. They are 
really the Aarons and Hurs in the camp of 
the New Testament Israel. In view of their 
office, there is more expected of them than 
of the private members. They are the lieu- 
tenants, sergeants, and corporals of the Lord's 
army; the leaders of small subdivisions and 
scouting parties to guard the outposts. With- 
out such officers an army would be unsafe in 
an enemy's country ; and where they are inef- 
ficient and negligent in duty, they endanger the 
whole army. Even the best selected positions 
and most carefully arranged line of battle may 
all be baffled and defeated by a few of these 
under-officers neglecting tneir duty. Their 
responsibiUty is awful ; the battle is for men's 
souls, that must live or die for ever. The hon- 
ors that await the victors are not medals of 
gold, but crowns of glory, that never fade away. 
The question may now arise in the minds 
of some of this class who have done but little 



DUTIES OF CHURCH OFFICERS. 27 

or nothing for Christ, What shall I do, and 
how shall I do it ? My friend, the old prov- 
erb is true, "Where there is a will there is a 
way." The first thing is to get the will. I 
think I hear some one whispering to himself 
or herself, The will must come from God, and 
he has never given me the disposition to be a 
gospel worker. Did God ever give you an 
education or a crop without effort on your 
part to obtain it ? I think not. The disposi- 
^n to work for God is gotten pretty much the 
same way other things are gotten. Do you 
read the missionary reports of the various be- 
nevolent societies, and kee^ yourself informed 
as to the wants of dying souls? Do you 
notice the thousands all around you that are 
dying in their sins ? And do you believe that 
eternal banishment fi'om God awaits the final- 
ly impenitent ? Do you believe the gospel is 
the remedy, and God's people the agents to 
apply it ; and that he will hold you responsi- 
ble for your share of the work ? If all your 
neighbors around you were dying with hun- 
ger, and 3^ou knew where there was plenty 
of bread, would jon excuse yourself on the 



28 GOSPEL WORKEES. 

ground tliat God had given you no disposition 
to go and tell tliem wliere it was ? No. Their 
sad condition would stimulate 3^ou to act with 
energy and haste. And why not when the 
soul is endangered? How can you account' 
for the disposition in the one case and not in 
the other ? ^ Must there not be a lurking infi- 
delity about you somewhere, or an unpardon- 
able ignorance as to your duty ? If you be- 
lieved as fully in soul-danger as you do in 
body-danger it would be otherwise. 

The effect of inefficient officers is to make 
an inefficient army, and vice versa. You are 
first to stir yourself up by considering the 
wants of dying souls around you ; pray for 
them tiU your heart becomes interested in 
their salvation, and then the work will be- 
come dehghtful. ^Your neglect of duty dis- 
courages those you should lead, and holds 
them back from God's v/ork. Thus, instead 
of building Zion's walls, you prevent others 
from doing it by your example. All such 
church officers will have a fearful account to 
render at the last day. 

It is your duty to hold prayer-meetings, and 



DUTIES OF CHURCH OFFICEES. 29 

teach in Sabbath-scliools, and cnt out work 
for all in your district ; to be punctual in 
attendance at all such places, visit families, 
talk and pray with them, and use all the means 
God has put in your power to do good. I 
know a church that was begun by an elder in 
a very wicked place ; and with the aid of two 
others he built up a church of two hundred 
members in ten years, with only occasional 
preaching. One of them has become a min- 
ister, another a general agent of the Ameri- 
can Tract Society, and the other a colporteur. 
These were all humble farmers when they be- 
gan, but work developed their power and in- 
creased their usefulness. Scores are now in 
the ministry who began their w^ork for God 
without intending to enter -the ministry, and 
they are generally the most useful men. We 
have doubts whether any man has sufficient 
evidence to believe he has been called of God 
to preach the gospel till he is made the in- 
strument of salvation to some souls. Is there 
not a school-house near you, or some private 
dwelling where you can hold a prayer-meeting 
and Sabbath-school ? If so, is it not *a place 



30 GOSPEL WORKEES. 

where yoii can work for God? You must 
soon meet your neighbors that live around 
you in eternity, and give an account for the 
improvement or misimprovement of your tal- 
ents and opportunities to do them good. It 
makes me feel sad when I think of the many 
office-bearers in the church whom I know, 
that do not even worship God in their fami- 
lies. A minister once said to me, with tears 
in his eyes, "I have seven office-bearers in 
my church, only one of whom has prayers in 
his house even on Sunday ; none of the others 
ever pray in their famihes." Within the last 
fifteen years, several pastors have been called 
and settled there for a short time, but none 
have succeeded ; neither can any man succeed 
while that state of things remains. Christ says, 
*.' He that is not with me is against me, and he 
that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." 
I entreat you, whoever you are that hold 
office in the church of Christ, break off these 
l^ands of indolence that bind your soul, and 
go to work for Christ. You will never know 
of God's salvation in its highest attainable 
sense until you become a gospel worker. 



DUTIES OF CHURCH MEMBEES. 31 

VI. 

DUTIES OF CHURCB MEMBERS. 

We have addressed those who hold office 
and direct the work of the spiritual temple ; 
but after all we must depend, under God, 
upon the rank and file for the subjugation of 
this world to Christ. They hav%not only to 
furnish the supplies, but to do much of the 
labor. Take all the officers of the best army 
in the world, and send them into an enemy's 
country without supplies or common soldiers, 
and they can do but little. 

"We shall first refer to the matter of supplies. 
It is the duty of every patriot to support the 
government under which he hves and from 
which he derives protection while constitu- 
tionally administered ; and where this is neg- 
lected there is strong reason to doubt the 
man's patriotism ; so there is strong reason 
to doubt the loyalty of that person to Christ 
who neglects to furnish supplies according to 
his ability to Christ's cause. Let such a one 



32 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

remember tliat the decisions of tlie great day 
are made on the ground not only of sins com- 
mitted, but of duties neglected. "Inasmuch 
as ye did it iiot to one of these little ones, ye 
did it not to me." Bead the last part of 
the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, and pon- 
der it in your heart. It was He that spoke 
as man never spoke that uttered that awful 
sentence, and he will repeat it again on the 
judgment-day. I that write and you that 
read must hear it, willing or unwilHng. Many 
professed Christians can find money to spend 
in the pursuit of pleasure or extravagant 
dress or equipage, that can find none to aid 
in Christ's work. Ask them to give to the 
cause of missions, or to send Bibles and re- 
ligious tracts to the destitute, and they are 
too poor ; but advertise the sale of jDrofitable 
stocks, and they have hundreds of dollars to 
invest, I have known professedly reHgious 
men to stay away from their business a whole 
day when an agent of some benevolent soci- 
ety was about, for fear they would have to 
give a few dollars ; and thus actually to lose 
more by their absence than they would be 



DUTIES OF CHURCH MEMBERS. 33 

expected to give. Others will tell you to call 
again, wlien it is as conveni'ent to give then 
as at any other time ; but their hope is, that 
you will either not call, or that they may hap- 
pen to be absent when you come. Are such 
gospel workers ? Christ's glory and the sal- 
vation of souls cannot be uppermost in such 
hearts. Although the Christian religion is 
the cheapest system of religion to be found on 
earth, and even cheaper than infidehty, judg- 
ing from the worldly circumstances of those 
that embrace the different systems, stiU many 
complain of the former. Some able exposi- 
tors of Jewish law say that the Jews gave one 
third of the whole of their proceeds each year ; 
and that just so long as they did it punctually 
and honestly they increased in wealth, and as 
soon as they withheld they became poor. 

There are some who are not able to go out 
into the highways and hedges to work, owing 
to age or bodily infirmities, whom God has 
blessed with large means. All governments 
take substitutes in the place of those who can- 
not go to war, and we have a wonderful case 
of substitution in the divine government — 

Gosp. Workers. 3 



34 GOSPEL WOEKEES. 

God the Father taking his Son Jesiis Christ 
as a substitute for sinners. Those unable 
personally to engage, can v/ork by proxy. 
There are many willing and anxious to work 
for Christ in some department for which they 
are fitted, but who must have some support, 
and without it they cannot go. Now, if you 
pay or aid in paying one of those who ^ould 
not otherwise go, you are as truly a gospel 
worker as he that goes. I well knew a lady 
who was very infirm, and had an annual in- 
come of just six hundred dollars. She gave 
one hundred and fifty dollars of that to a man 
to visit families and distribute books and 
tracts in a destitute region. But she did not 
stop there ; she invited a few pious ladies to 
her house once each week, to unite their pray- 
ers Tvith hers to God to bless that man's la- 
bors, and few men within my knowledge have 
ever been so successful in saving souls. How 
many hundreds there are in our land that 
could do as this woman. If you are in such 
circumstances, go and do likewise, and in the 
gTeat day of eternity you will have the reward 
of a gospel worker. 



DUTIES OF CHURCH MEMBERS. 35 

Nothing perhaps casts sucli a dark sliadow 
over tlie great mass of religious professors as 
their want of gospel benevolence. Much of 
the barrenness of soul that seems to pervade 
the church no doubt comes from this cause. 
The man that only sows half enough seed on 
his ground must expect but half a crop, while 
he that sows bountifully shall reap bounti- 
fully. No doubt thousands who are cramped 
in their worldly circumstances and barren in 
soul, are so by neglecting their duty to God 
and man. There are a number of texts that 
I cannot explain on any other principle. " He 
that watereth shall be watered;" "there is 
that scatter eth, and yet increaseth ;" to him 
that giveth shall be given, good measure and 
running over. The whole history of the Jew- 
ish nation proved this doctrine true, as we 
have already suggested. Their prosperity 
ebbed and flowed in proportioja to their faith- 
fulness in paying their tithes and offerings. 
When they complained of their poverty and 
distress, God tells them the cause : they had 
robbed him. Then he urges them to prove 
his faitlifulness to his promise by bringing 



36 GOSPEL WORKEES. 

all tlieir tithes into the storehouse, and see 
if he would not pour out on them a blessing 
until there was not room to receive it. Many- 
professors of rehgion actually speak and act 
as if God had no claims upon them. How 
often do we hear men say, Oh, I must be just 
before I am generous. That is the very prin- 
ciple I want to urge upon you. God's claims 
are the first. You are one of God's tenants, 
and justice says. Pay him first. The Jew was 
to give the first fruits of his field and of his 
flocks and herds, and till this was done he 
had no right to use any for himself. Then 
to be just, you must give God the first, and 
to do otherwise is dishonest. God is the real 
owner of all that you have, and if you are a 
Christian, he has a two-fold right to you : he 
has the right to you by creation, and a still 
higher right by redemption. Make no more 
of these sinful^excuses, but become a gospel 
worker by proxy, if you can in no other way. 



PERSONAL LABOR. 31 

VII. 

PERSONAL LABOR. 

We now come to speak of tlie duty of per- 
sonal labor. Tliis we look upon as indispen- 
sable in making liigh attainments in tlie divine 
life, and as perhaps standing above every 
thing else in promoting our own soul's highest 
interest. Giving money to keep others at 
work in the vineyard is an important means 
of grace; and we generally find that among 
those who have physical abihty, those who 
give most in proportion to their means, do 
most. The disposition to give and the will to 
do generally go hand in hand. 

We take the high ground that no soul was 
ever born of God who cannot labor person- 
ally for Christ. High or low, rich or poor, 
sick or well, you can do something for Christ. 
A martyr who was gagged during a time of 
terrible j)ersecution, when asked to recant, 
pointed to heaven with his finger, as if to say. 
There is Christ. 



38 GOSrEL WORKERS. 

The same difficulty will come up to which 
we alluded in a previous chapter, the want of 
disposition. The only way you can speedily 
and certainly get rid of this difficulty is to go 
to work. The longer you carry a burden the 
heavier it becomes, or rather, the more unable 
you are to bear it. 

I knew an elder in the Presbyterian church 
who lived in a village of about five hundred 
inhabitants. Keligion was at a very low ebb. 
He felt very deeply for the condition of the 
church and for perishing souls. He resolved 
to go and visit the famihes, and scatter relig- 
ious tracts among them. He selected his 
tracts, but his heart failed. He put off start- 
ing for the time, with a hope that he should 
get a disposition to go. The more he thought 
over it, the more lions he saw in the way. 
The matter lay heavy on his soul night and 
day. He jDrayed and prayed again, but all 
his praying did not remove the lions. At 
last he started with fear and trembling, and 
walked into the adjoining house, and began 
with a stammering" tongue. In a moment his 
tongue was loosed, and his soul fired with a 



PERSONAL LABOE. 39 

live coal from God's altar, and the result was 
the awakening of a young man. He went to 
the next house without fear. A young girl 
was awakened. By this time his soul w^as 
fired with an irresistible impetuosity, and at 
the next house two souls were awakened. 
Special religious services were held, and in a 
month nearly one hundred souls were hope- 
fully converted. I do not mean to say that it is 
the duty of ev6ry Christian to do just what this 
man did, and to the same extent that he did it. 
But there are a thousand ways, in some of 
which all can be gospel workers. 

I well knew a Mr. B — — , who was ticket- 
agent at an important railroad office for five 
years, and made it a rule to give a small tract 
with each ticket he sold. He told me that he 
had received twenty-two letters from persons 
who had received tracts from him, stating that 
ihey had been the means of their conversion. 
He bought fifty dollars' worth annually out of 
his salary, to distribute in this way. He told 
me that when he was married he was an infi- 
del, but his mother-in-law was an untiring 
tract distributer, and he lived with her, and 



40 GOSPEL WORKEES. 

she put a tract at liis door every Sunday morn- 
ing. For a year lie scarcely read one of tliem. 
At last the title of one struck him ; he read, 
and was saved. This man's position seemed 
to be an unlikely one to do good, yet he was a 
successful gospel worker. 

Judge S of Western Virginia always 

took a pocket full of tracts to court with him. 
On one occasion he had before him a desper- 
ate character indicted for assault and battery. 
When he pronounced the sentence of the 
court on him he gave him a tract. It led to 
his conversion, and he became an eminent 
minister of the gospel. 

A merchant of my acquaintance put a tract 
in every bundle of goods he sold. He told 
me he was astonished at the number of in- 
stances in which they had accompHshed good, 
and that he believed they increased his cus- 
tom and profits five times as much as the 
tracts cost. 

A pious lawyer told me of one of his clients 
who had spent a large fortune in litigation 
and intemperance, to whom he gave the tract, 
The Fool's Pence, and it was the means of 



PEBSONAL LABOE. 41 

his conversion; and now, said he, I always 
keep them on hand. 

A pions father in the city of E had a 

son that became a great prodigal. He finally 
left home and went to New Orleans. His 
father sent " Come to Jesus" to him by mail. 
It led him to Christ, and he returned home 
" clothed and in his right mind." 

We have stated these facts to show that in 
every condition of hfe we can be gospel work- 
ers. The facilities for gospel work have been 
so increased that all are left without excuse. 
Labor-saving machinery for working in the 
moral world has fully kept pace with the ma- 
chinery in cultivating the natural world ; and 
woe unto him that will not use it. Better for 
him if he had never been born. 



42 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

VIII. 

ASSOCIATED EFFORT. 

Before we proceed in urging isolated indi- 
vidual effort in gospel work, we devote a chap- 
ter to associat.ed effort While there is much, 
very much, that can -be done by individual 
effort, still a greater work perhaps may be 
done by combined effort. There was many a 
stone in the temple at Jerusalem that no one 
or two individuals could ever have put in its 
proper place. Armies, railroad companies, in- 
corporated institutions for humane and char- 
itable purposes, all act on the principle of 
combination. It gives a moral power just in 
proportion to the number and influence of 
those associated together. There is a certain 
class of people in the world that are more 
influenced by the name of Judge somebody, 
or Mrs. Dr. somebody else, than they are by 
the object to be attained. Thus, the with- 
holding of earnest cooperation on the part of 



ASSOCIATED EFFOBT. 43 

persons of influence is throwing obstacles in 
the way of doing good. Influence is just so 
much capital invested in any good associa- 
tion, and will be so rewarded at last. 

The great Head of the church seems to 
take notice of little things — sparrows, mites, 
and cups of cold water — which many lofty- 
minded people entirely overlook. The point 
which we wish to press with all earnestness 
is, the united effort of God's people of every 
name in the direct work of saving souls from 
death. 

There are certain great fundamental truths 
in which aU real Christians agree, and with- 
out any sacrifice of principle they can unite 
with their fellow-Christians of other names 
in pressing them on their fellow-men. The 
want of this cooperation in gospel work is one 
of the gTeat reasons why God's work pro- 
gresses so slowly. Ignorant as the world is 
of spiritual rehgion, it has formed a pretty 
correct idea of the way religion should affect 
those that embrace it. The world think they 
should feel alike, act alike, and work alike, 
and all together. "By this shall the world 



44 GOSPEL WOKKERS. 

know ye are my disciples, if ye love one an- 
other ;" and people that love one another can 
certainly work together. What we would 
urge is, the formation of an association in 
every town and village in our country, and in 
all the rural districts, for the promotion of vital 
godliness and gospel work. No matter by 
what name you call the association — call them 
Busy Bees, Christ's Helpers, Gospel Workers, 
Tract Visitors, or what you please — so they 
do the work. Neither does it matter where 
you get the tools you work with, provided'the 
work is done. 

In all plans where Christians bear different 
names and associate together, which experi- 
ence has proved the best way, they must 
select tools that all are willing to work with. 
In other words, form a tract society, divide 
the place into districts, select such tracts and 
little books as you all think best suited to save 
souls, and go once or twice each month to 
every family; give or loan them what you 
think is best suited to their case. Go two 
and two if you can, as the first disciples did. 
Talk earnestly and affectionately to aU you 



ASSOCIATED EFFOET. 45 

meet about salvation; meet together once 
each month to consult and pray over your 
work, and I have no doubt you will be able 
to report, as the early disciples did, that the 
very devils were subject unto you. And 
what will surprise you most will be the aston- 
ishing effect on yourself. It may settle a 
question that has often troubled you sadly, Am 
I a child of God, or am I not? If you find 
the work a pleasant one, and feel that you are 
in sympathy with Christ, who wept over sin- 
ners, then you have evidence that you are his ; 
but if you cannot become interested for souls 
by this work, then you have made a discov- 
ery that may be worth more than a world, that 
you were one of the self-deceived ones. In 
either case you may, and I have no doubt will, 
be greatly the gainer. Many a humble, trem- 
bling Christian has been able to read his title 
clear to mansions in the skies by means of a 
few hours work. 

In rural districts and country congrega- 
tions I would suggest a plan somewhat dif- 
ferent. Kaise a fand sufficient to purchase 
the books and tracts, and ajDpoint as many 



4G GOSPEL WOEKEES. 

persons as are necessary to hand one to eacli 
family on eacli Sabbath when there is preach- 
ing. If the stock is sufficient, instruct those 
that receive it to hand it to some one else; 
if not, let it be returned on the next Sabbath 
and another gotten. In this way each family 
will have a sermon in hand, and perhaps in 
the head and the heart. In the course of a 
year each family would have read some of the 
best religious hterature of the age. The la- 
bors of the pastor would be backed up and 
almost doubled. Fifty dollars will supply the 
largest congregation in our country with a 
tract every Sabbath. 

I believe the arithmetic of earth could never 
compute the results of one year's labor of this 
kind, if it was adopted in aU the churches in 
our land. And if we can influence only one 
hundred villages and churches to enter upon 
this work, we shall be amply rewarded for 
writing this series. 

If one in five of the five milhon professed 
Christians in this land could be induced to 
enter upon this work, each would have a 
parish of thirty souls to labor and pray for. 



ASSOCIATED EFFORT. 4t 

Even if one in fifty would enter, on the work, 
it would more tlaan double the moral power 
of the church. How then shall we get such 
a work begun? Let pastors invite all the 
female members of their churches who can to 
meet at some point, and lay the matter before 
them, and organize them into a society, and 
they will soon raise the funds and have the 
work begun. Every pastor should labor to 
imite his people in this work; and the pas- 
tor that is the most active in it will reap the 
most benefit from it. In the army, the com- 
mander that can arrange his men so that 
each one is brought into effective service, 
other things being equal, will be the most 
successful. So that pastor that can set his 
people to work to the best possible advan- 
tage doubles his own power and usefulness. 
The grand defect of this age of the church is, 
that in so many cases the pastor is left to 
do all the work himself, except in the Sun- 
day-school, and not unfrequently most of it 
there too. 



48 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

IX. 

ASSOCIATED EFFORT. 

CONTINUED. 

As we look upon this as a matter of vital 
importance, we feel it our duty to devote 
another chapter to it. In some places it may 
not be possible to get pastors to enter on this 
work, for reasons that may be satisfactory to 
themselves. In such a case we would appeal 
especially to ladies. To the honor of woman, 
she was last at the cross and first at the sep- 
ulchre. We are fully aware that many are so 
situated or tied down with domestic cares or 
infirmities, that they cannot go out to work 
in the gospel vineyard; but there is scarcely 
a village of two or three hundred souls in our 
country, where there is not one or more that, 
by exercising a little self-denial, could visit 
every family in the village once or twice each 
month with a tract or small book ; and there 
is scarcely a village to be found of that size, 



ASSOCIATED EFFORT. 49 

where there are not some persons who seldom 
or never go to church. Now if these persons 
were dying of some dreadful plague, and you 
knew a remedy, would you not quit your work 
and ran with all speed to give it to them or 
tell them of it? Yes, you v/ould even rise out 
of your bed at midnight to wait upon them ; 
and even if you had doubts about their will- 
ingness to receive it, that would not prevent 
you from doing your duty. Just apply this 
principle, and act accordingly. These neigh- 
bors are dying of sin, and will soon be beyond 
recovery ; you know the remedy, and that if 
it is received it will certainly cure them. You 
can tell them you had the same disease, and 
how it cured you. If they reject both you 
and the remedy, you have your reward in the 
consciousness that you have done your duty ; 
you cannot know whether they will reject you 
or not, till you try ; you must not take it for 
granted that they will, till you make the effort. 
May it not be that jour indifference about 
your Master's work is the very reason they 
have neglected their souls ? I firmly believe 
that the indifftrence of professors of religion 

Gosp. WnrkeiR. 4 



50 GOSPEL WOEKERS. 

has done much to increase infidelity and re- 
tard the progress of God's work. Unless the 
professed people of God awake to their duty, 
I fear a few more years will leave u& Httle 
better than the seven churches of Asia. 

A distinguished minister said to the wiiter 
a few days ago, " My heart trembles for the 
ark of God in this land : I hear men in whose 
piety I once had confidence now saying, ' Ke- 
ligion is played out ;' and they neither respect 
God's day nor name." If there ever was a 
time in the history of God's church when his 
people were called on to put forth earnest 
effort, now is the time. We appeal to the 
pious praying women of the land : Come to 
the help of the Lord against the mighty. It 
was woman that first proclaimed to the world, 
" The Lord is risen." Talli to each other about 
the affairs of Christ's kingdom till your hearts 
burn Hke the hearts of the disciples on their 
way to Emmaus ; ]3ray together, plan together, 
work together, and God will work with you. 

Do n't be afraid of the scoffs of the world ; 
your Master was scoffed at before you, and 
blessed are ye when ye are ;^ersecuted for 



ASSOCIATED EFFORT. 51 

rigliteousness' sake : rejoice and be exceeding 
glad, for great is yonr reward in lieaven. But 
do not many suffer reyiling for the want of 
religion, by the world calling them hypocrites, 
and simply because they do nothing to distin- 
guish themselves from the world? and v>^hat 
is worse, Christ's cause suffers by the sinful 
indifference of those who are his professed 
people more than from any thing else. 

I beseech you, do n't throw this little book 
aside and say, " I am not called on to do any 
thing of this kind." Where did you get that 
revelation ? Has God told you so ? No, my 
friend, it comes from the prince of darkness. 
Well he knows that many a GoKath has fallen 
before just such weapons as we are urging 
you to use ; and if we can succeed in rousing 
a few thousand pious women to engage in this 
work, it will throw all hell into consternation ; 
it would be equal to Luther before the Diet 
of Worms. I know very well Satan will say 
to each one, "A httle more sleep, a httle more 
slumber, a httle more folding of the hands to 
sleep." He will arouse all the imagmary lions 
that cowardice can invent, and no doubt wiD 



52 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

overcome some of the more timid. But I can 
tell you from past experience, and so can all 
wlio have tried it, that these lions will flee 
before jou as chaff' before the wind or like the 
mirage of the desert. Then you will go on 
your way rejoicing with joy unspeakable and 
full of glory. As you water others God will 
water you. 

I think I hear some one saying, " I have 
been visiting and scattering tracts, and I don't 
see that they have done any good." The 
prophet Isaiah said, " Who hath believed our 
report ? and to whom is the arm of the Lord 
revealed?" But should he therefore have 
stopped warning the people? We are told 
of a city where Christ could do no mighty 
works, because of their unbelief. Should he 
have returned to heaven, and given up his 
mission, because of the unbelief of men? 
How often do preachers labor a whole year 
without any conversions. Should all minis- 
ters that see no immediate fruits of their la- 
bors stop preaching? It may be you are one 
of those from whom God sees it is necessary 
to conceal the good you do, to keep down 



ASSOCIATED EFFORT. 53 

spiritual pride ; or you may neglect to watch 
for tlie fruit of your labors. Have you in- 
quired kindly what your neighbor thought of 
the little book or tract you gave him ? Per- 
haps not. You may have acted like a man 
who ploughed and sowed his field, but never 
returned to see about the crop. 

A lady in the city of A told me she 

had visited every family that lived in three 
squares of the city once each month for fifteen 
years. For three or four years she put a tract 
in most cases under the door, and went on 
without knowing o£ any good results ; but 
gradually she became known, and began to 
talk to the people ; and on inquiry, to her sur- 
prise, quite a number spoke of the tracts as 
the means of their awakening, and she found 
manj^ of these tracts had been preserved for 

years. Another, in the city of C , told 

mexprecisely the same of her labors. 

I spent a night recently in a thriving farm- 
er's house. Although rehgious books were but 
few, in reading in the old family Bible at wor- 
ship I found a number of tracts in it, some of 
which looked very old. On inquiry, I found 



54 GOSPEL WOBKEES. 

they had had some of them a score of years. 
They told me they read them often in con- 
nection with the Bible. 

A short time ago a tract distributer gave 
the tract, " What shall I do for Jesns ?" to a 
church-member that had never done any thing 
in the church. The next day he rented one 
of the best pews in the church, the next Sun- 
day took a class in the Sabbath-school, and 
had his pew filled with people — he sat in the 
choir himself — and when congratulated about 
the interest he took, said he, "It is due to a 
little tract." We could fill many pages with 
facts to encourage such gospel workers. 

In the building of the temple, it is said there 
was a rough unshapely stone that lay in the 
way most of the time the temple was building, 
that seemed unfit for use ; but in topping out 
the building, there was a place that no stone 
could be found to fit. At last the rejected 
stone was tried, and just suited the place. So 
there is no stone in the spiritual temple but 
can be worked in somewhere. I have often 
heard a pastor of my acquaintance say, that 
the most useful man in his church was a half 



ASSOCIATED EFFORT. 55 

idiot ; that notices of extra meetings of any 
kind, funerals, etc., were by Billy Eobert- 
son attended to with such earnestness that 
he was sure to have a good attendance ; that 
of prayer-meetings in the different neighbor- 
hoods that some would have forgotten, they 
were always reminded a few hours before by 
him; while his rebukes of sin and neglect of 
duty were dreaded by all that knew him. 
Would not many churches be greatly bene- 
fited by having such a truth-telling messen- 
ger to run around and notify the people of 
every lecture and prayer-meeting ? Judging 
from the attendance, we suppose many forget 
such meetings. 

In these and other ways every one, from 
the highest to the lowest, can be a gospel 
worker. Yes, afflicted, suffering, bed-ridden 
child of God, even you can work. There is a 
home work you can do. The most heavenly 

preacher I ever heard was a Mrs. S , who 

had lain on her bed over twenty years. Her 
tongue was always loosed to speak for Christ, 
her heart overflowing, and her countenance 
radiant with spiritual joy. A heavenly influ- 



56 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

ence pervaded her cliamber that all' felt who 
entered it ; she had a constant refreshing of 
soul. Why cannot all be so? Who is to 
blame for the want of what she had ? God 
giveth wilUngiy and upbraideth not. He says, 
" Ask, and ye shall receive ; seek, and ye shall 
find." Thus the way is open for all to get the 
grace to do as she did. It is said the apostle 
John lived till he was so old and feeble that 
all he could say was, "Little children, love 
one another;" but he said what he could. 
You can tell of the love of Christ to you, of 
the grace he gives you to bear the infirmities 
of life, of your hope of heaven and the joys to 
come. You can tell your family and neigh- 
bors of what Christ has done for you ; that 
you have found in him something that filled 
the aching void that was in your soul, that 
there is an ample supj)ly for their souls too, 
and that they must either seek it or perish. 
This is gospel work which you can do. Then 
the reflex influence on your own soul will raise 
you still higher and higher in the divine life. 



DUTIES OF MOTHERS. 5t 

X. 

DUTIES OF MOTHERS. 

Theee is a class of Christians that have in 
many cases a pretty good excuse for doing 
little out-door work for Christ, but they haye 
the most important of all work to do — I mean 
mothers. Their work is to lay the foundation. 
All know that a safe structure can never be 
built on a bad foundation. Mothers are 
Christ's moulders ; they give the first shaping 
to immortal minds; and if the shaping is 
wrong, it is seldom well righted. The soft 
clay can be put into any shape ; but when 
once hardened in the fire, it wiU break, but 
not bend. Mothers, you hold this clay in 
your hands ; and God has said, Mould it for 
me. This is your work, and you cannot trans- 
fer it to another with safety. God says em- 
phatically to every mother. Train up this child 
in the way he should go, and when he is old 
he will not depart from it. Train ; this word 
is very expressive in this connection. You 



68 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

know the vine is trained on the wall ; you lead 
the tender growing branch in whatever direc- 
tion you wish it to go, but you generally train 
it upwards. So train that tender branch that 
God has put into your hand upwards, heav- 
enward, to God and holiness. Many mothers 
mistake the time to commence this training ; 
they let the child grow too long before they 
begin. Some are even afraid that religion, 
as they call it, would injure the health and 
depress the spirits of their child. This is a 
grand mistake ; notwithstanding all that sin 
has done in the world, still man has conscience 
and reason, and is susceptible to religious 
truth ; more so in childhood than in manhood. 
Little children that are carefully taught make 
astonishing advances in rehgious knowledge. 
The mind may be compared to a great empty 
reservoir, that must be filled. Mothers have 
the filling of it at first ; and if it is well filled 
with the knowledge of divine things, this will 
keep out many sinful things ; or, as Luther 
expressed it, " Fill the bushel with wheat, and 
the devil will get but little chaff in it." In all 
you say and do your child imitates you ; every 



DUTIES OF MOTHERS. 59 

word and action makes an impression lasting 
as eternity. They become incorporated into 
its very being ; it grows np your second self ; 
your moral character is impressed on it. 

Not long since, a good man engaged in 
distributing books and tracts called at a mis- 
erable cabin, and found a woman and seven 
children in abject poverty. He did not see 
the husband, but was told by the wife that he 
was a drunkard, and cruel to his famil^^ — even 
sold their scanty earnings to buy whiskey. 
He gave his wife a Temperance Manual for 
him to read. Some months after he met a 
little girl on the road, one of this man's daugh- 
ters. He spoke to the child, and she recog- 
nized him, and said, " You are the man that 
left the book at our house, and you must come 
in and see dad." He turned to the cabin, and 
by the time he reached it the little girl had 
notified her^ father that the man who brought 
the book was there: When they met, said he, 
"Are you the man who iDrought the book 
here ?" He said he had been there and left 
a Temperance Manual. The book had been 
the means of his conversion, and he was now 



60 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

a praying man. Hear liis story : " I was tlie 
son of a poor mclow, who died wlien I was six 
years old. But morning and eyening, from 
the time I could speak, she made me kneel 
by her side and say my prayers, and then she 
prayed for me : and the last thing I can recol- 
lect of her was, her cold hand on my head 
when she was dying, uttering a broken prayer 
for God to send some kind ministering angel 
to take care of her son. I fell into bad hands ; 
became a bad boy and worse man ; but when 
reading that book, I thought I could hear that 
last prayer, and feel that cold hand on my 
head, and I got no rest till I found peace in 
beheving in Christ." 

In 1844, the writer became acquainted wdth 

Mr. W , a man of more than ordinary 

piety; indeed, I have seldom met a man of 
such untiring zeal in the Master's cause. My 
business led me to spend some days in his 
neighborhood, and much of the time with him. 
As most of our conversation was on the sub- 
ject of religion, he gave me the following his- 
tory of his life and conversion. Said he, 
" My father was a very pious man, but died 



DUTIES OF MOTHERS. 61 

when I was fifteen years old ; I was the oldest 
child of seven, with which my mother was 
left a widow. She had a farm that by care 
and industry would support us, and I had to 
become head farmer. My mother is a devot- 
ed Christian, and has been from early life. 
She worshipped God in her house with us 
night and morning. For a time I feared her 
and obeyed her, and we got along very well ; 
but when I got to be eighteen or nineteen 
years old, I became very intimate with some 
wild young men, and began to attend dancing 
parties and neglect my work : my mother 
remonstrated with me most earnestly, but in 
vain. By the time I was twenty-one I was 
somewhat intemperate, and spent both time 
and money wickedly and foohshly ; indeed, I 
had become the ringleader in every kind of 
sin and folly. My mother often pleaded, with 
tears in her ejes, for me to stop. She prayed 
for me whole nights ; and at last the time came 
for her prayers to be answered. But I look 
back at that night with horror. I had en- 
gaged to attend a large dancing party, and 
be the head man ; my mother had determined 



62 GOSPEL WOKKEES. 

to do all in her power to prevent my going. 
I saddled my liorse,^ and came in to dress my- 
self ; and when ready, I found my mother at 
the door to prevent my going out. I told her 
I was my own man, and I cared not what she 
said ; I would go ; and with that thrust her 
out of my way. The tears rushed to her eyes, 
and she said, *Well, James, I will pray for 
you all night.' I started, full of anticipated 
pleasure. I had five miles to ride ; and by 
the time I got there a strange, gloomy feehng 
had come over me. The frolic soon began, 
and I had to lead off ; but my mother's voice 
and tears were louder than the violin. All 
the company began to feel depression of spir- 
its, and to complain that they did not enjoy 
the fuQ. My distress increased until it was 
intolerable ; I told them the cause was my 
mother praying at home, and I must go to her. 
Some laughed at me, but all in vain ; I felt im- 
pelled to leave. I got my horse and started, 
with feelings I could not describe. When I got 
to the house, I went to the window of my moth- 
er's room ; she was on her knees. I listened 
to her agonizing prayer until I felt as if my 



DUTIES OF MOTHERS. 63 

heart would break. Her cry was, *0 God, 
have mercy on my son James.' I opened the 
door, and fell at her side : ^ O mother, forgive 
me. God have mercy on me, a miserable sin- 
ner !' In a few moments my soul was filled 
with joy and peace, and she embraced me as 
one come fi'om the dead to life again. Her 
prayer was answered — her faith reahzed." 
She was still hving, thankful to God for such 
a son, and he thankful for such a mother. 

Here are striking cases of God's faithfulness 
to a mother's fidehty. The world is full of such 
cases. I beseech mothers, as you value the 
well-being of your children for time and eter- 
nity, impress on the mind of your infant off- 
spring the great things of eternity. How much 
of your comfort and happiness depends on it in 
this world no tongue can tell, and how awful 
the results of neglecting it in the world to come 
the judgment-day can alone reveal. Do God's 
work well in the nursery, and God will reward 
you both in this life and that which is to come. 
Neglect it, and you may have to lay your 
dying head on a thorny pillow, and meet at 
the judgment a child lost by your neglect. 



64 GOSPEL WORKERS 



XI 



DUTIES OF FATHERS. 

In our last chapter we tried to enforce the 
duties of mothers as aU-important ; but it is 
not to be inferred from this that fathers have 
no responsibility resting on them to be gos- 
pel workers at home. Many a father by his 
life and conduct undoes much that the mother 
does. Every father is the high-priest of his 
household, according to God's established 
law ; and if he neglects the morning and even- 
ing sacrifice, he has no right to expect God's 
blessing on his household. God has said that 
he will pour out his fury on the famihes that 
caU not on his name. You may prosper, so 
far as this world is concerned, for a time, but 
as sure, as God is true, your infidehty to him 
and your family wiU meet its reward. The 
example and influence of that class of fathers 
who profess religion and neglect its duties in 
their famihes, is hkely rather to retard God's 



DUTIES OF FATHERS. 65 

work in the churcli and the world than to 
advance it. We give the following fact as 
one of thousands that might be given : 
" Father, I am lost, and tou are to blame 

FOR it." Tims spoke B. W , a youth of 

twenty years, a few hours before his death. 
When he was ten years old, he was a boy of 
more than ordinary promise. His father was 
then one of the leading professors of rehgion, 
and the best-informed man in the church to 
which he belonged, prayed in his family and 
led the social meeting in the church, and was 
looked upon as a model Christian and his 
family as a model family. But he loved a 
dram, and soon became a drunkard. The 
last time that he partook of the Lord's sup- 
per he was intoxicated ; soon after he was 
expelled from the church, and all his preten- 
sions to religion were abandoned. He started 
a distillery, and encouraged his four sons to 
drink ; next he became sceptical, or pretended 
to be ; became an open Universalist, and per- 
suaded his sons to beUeve a lie. His wife 
was a pious woman, and by a blessing on her 
influence saved her daughters, who all be- 

HoBP. Workei-s. 5 



66 GOSPEL WOEKEES. 

came members of tlie chnrch. The three liv- 
ing sons are now old men, all drunkards, in 
poverty and wretchedness. The father took 
cold from lying out drunk all night in a storm, 
and died from its effects soon after, in utter 
despair. 

They lived near me, and I was a daily 

attendant at the dying bed of B. "W- . 

Although thii"ty years have passed away, the 
scenes of the night he died are as fresh as 
they were the day after. I went there to help 
take care of him that night. It took four men 
to hold him ; for some time his gi'oans and 
blasphemies were horrible beyond descrip- 
tion. He begged us to drive away the fiends 
that were torturing him. So awful was the 
sight, for the last half hour of his life, that 
every soul fled from the room except his 
mother. He was some time dead before any 
one would enter the room. I trembled from 
head to foot, and so did all present. It seem- 
ed as if hell was all around us. On my way 
home, the moving of a leaf would startle every 
nerve in my body. 

BackshdiDg parent, this is no tale of fie- 



DUTIES OF FATHERS. 61 

tion, but it is sober reality. This man was 
once the wealthiest and most esteemed man 
in the community where he lived, and his 
children the most promising. Bnt he broke 
his covenant with God, neglected his duty to 
his family, set them a godless example, and 
taught them damnable heresy. He became a 
drunken sot, and died without hope at three- 
score and ten years old; he had to hsten to 
one son who, in his dying hours, charged his 
damnation on him; and left three drunken, 
blaspheming sons behind him. If this meets 
the eye of any one who has made the first step 
towards apostasy or open sin, we pray you 
stop. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall 
he also reap. Young man, beware. At ten 
years old, B. W was a model boy; at fif- 
teen, a profane swearer ; at eighteen, a drunk- 
ard; at twenty on his d^^ing bed, gnashing 
his teeth and cursing his Maker, and declar- 
ing he was in hell. Beware of following a 
bcid example. Evil communications corrupt 
good manners. Make Christ your friend. 

Not long since, a father took his httle son 
to church with him on a communion Sabbath. 



68 GOSPEL WOPiKEES. 

As soon as they came out of the church, the 
little boy said, "Why, father, when did you 
become a Christian ?" " Oh," said the father, 
"I have been a member of the church for 
seven years." The boy replied, " Why, father, 
I never knew that before." It was a barbed 
arrow, and the famity altar was soon erected. 
How many children might say the same thing : 
" Why, father, I never knew you were a Chris- 
tian." Do such men work for God? What 
will their reward be when they meet their 
children before the throne of God on the day 
of judgment ? The ■s\Titer can look back nearly 
half a century, and call up before him the fa- 
thers that lived around him in his boyhood, 
and can trace their children down to the pres- 
ent time, and he has no knowledge of one case 
in which children were trained up in the fear 
of God, and in the end did not come out well. 
The children of pious parents are now inhab- 
iting the land ; while the children of the wicked 
are in most cases in their graves, or become 
hewers of wood and drawers of water. And 
in proportion as the parents were godless, 
have thek children become worthless and de- 



DUTIES or FATHERS. 69 

graded. Owing to outside influences, there 
may be a few exceptions. 

If you as a father sincerely desire the well- 
being of your children for time and eternity, 
I beseech you set before them an example of 
holy living. The best legacy you can give 
your son is that of a Christian exam;ple. You 
can lay up for him in this way a fund that 
will outlive and outride all the financial storms 
of earth ; you may lead him to the Life-boat 
that will land him safe on the shores of im- 
mortahty. Example lives in memory, and 
warns the soul when those who gave it are 
dead and gone. And then your own happi- 
ness depends on your fidelity to duty. I do n't 
believe it possible for any man who has taken 
the vows of God upon him, to live in the neg- 
lect of duty and be happy. I heard the cel- 
ebrated Judge B once say, in the time of 

a great revival of rehgion, " This is the first 
time I ever had religion to make me happy. 
I have been a church-member twenty years, 
and have only had religion enough to make 
me miserable, because I did not know whether 
I was dead or alive." Oh how many might 



70 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

say the same thing. How can any man be 
happy while a daily covenanfc-breaker with 
God, on whose soul rests the solemn obliga- 
tion to set a godly example before his family? 
Do n't charge the irrehgion of your children 
on your pastor, if you neglect your duty ; his 
work will be prosperous in proportion to the 
manner in which you do your part. Why is 
it that a large portion of those that embrace 
religion in early life are the children of emi- 
nently pious parents ? Because God is hon- 
ored in the family with daily adoration. They 
eat and sleep in a rehgious atmosphere. The 
pow^' of habit and all their surroundings lead 
them heavenward ; while all the surroundings 
of children raised where God is not wor- 
shipped, lead them hellward. If this little 
book falls into the hands of any prayerless 
father, I pray you, as you value your own 
happiness in time and eternity, and the eter- 
nal well-being of your children, erect the fam- 
ily altar without another day's delay. 



SPECIAL EFFORT REQUIRED. tl 



XII. 

THE CONDITION OF THE CHURCH 
CALLS FOR SPECIAL EFFORT. 

There are times in the history of God's 
church and people that devolve on them es- 
pecial responsibihties. When an army is en- 
gaged in deadly conflict with a powerful foe, 
and a bayonet charge is made, every nerve and 
muscle must be strung to the highest pitch. In 
time of war, the agitation of the public mind 
is so great and the excitement so intense that 
those who have but Kttle rehgious experience 
are led away. The human mind will not bear 
to.be intensely excited on two difterent sub- 
jects at the same time ; the one or the other 
will predominate. The spirit of war is not 
the spirit of Christ, but the very reverse ; the 
experience of all ages and countries proves 
this. We speak what we know when we say 
that many in our country who were consid- 
ered as Christians on entering the army, be- 
came intemperate and profane ; and our half- 



12 GOSPEL WOEKEES. 

deserted churches and thinly attended prayer- 
meetings give sad testimony, to say nothing 
of the lack of conversions. These sad tokens 
should arouse every true child of God to the 
most earnest effort to save the church. I do 
not mean to convey the idea that there is any 
danger of the church being destroyed, as no 
one believes more firmly than I do that the 
gates of hell can never overcome it. And 
I am far from believing what I have heard 
some men say, that God cannot do without 
the church in this country. I suppose the 
Jews once thought so, but he scattered them 
to the ends of the earth, and his church still 
lives. Perhaps the seven churches of Asia 
thought the same thing, but they are gone, 
and the church still lives. I hope the church 
is still to live in this land, and that our afflic- 
tions, will work out for us as a nation a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 
but that has to be done through the exertions 
of God's peox)le. Certain I am that if we 
sit still and do nothing, God will show to all 
his intelligent universe that he can do with- 
out us. God's sovereignty is manifested in 



SPECIAL EFFORT REQUIRED. 73 

his church through human instrumentahty, 
without doing violence to the human will or 
understanding. 

We are not to conclude that because God 
has promised security to his church, the 
church may neglect her duty. No national 
emergency, however momentous it may be, 
can justify neglect of duty to God. We read 
of a man whom Christ commanded to follow 
him, whose father was lying dead and must 
be buried ; but he said to him, " Let the dead 
bury their dead ; but go thou and preach the 
gospel." So the Christian must let nothing 
come in the way of his duty to God. I have 
no doubt but the best way to get out of our 
troubles is to turn to God ^^n.th. our whole 
hearts ; and until this is done what hope have 
we of seeing their end ? 

There is another class, and at this day a 
very important one, to whom we must address 
a few words. They are soldiers, who have 
left their homes and all the hallowed influ- 
ences which were thrown around them by do- 
mestic ties and the house of God. Many 
who while at home were constant in their 



H GOSPEL WOBKEBS. 

attendance at the place of prayer, and gave 
some evidence of piety, have made shipwreck 
of their rehgious character as soon as they 
were exposed to temptation and ridicule by 
wicked companions. This is the place, above 
aU others, where stern, unyielding integrity to 
Christ is required. The moment you begin 
to yield to your godless associates, you drive 
the Spirit of God from your heart, and be- 
come an easy prey to your adversary. While 
those who rule over you as officers have a 
right to implicit obedience from you, remem- 
ber Christ has higher claims on your fidelity. 
Guard against the first disloyal word or act 
to Him who has bought you with his blood. 
As the power of a consistent Christian life is 
of greater importance in the army than in 
almost any other place on earth, so is the dan- 
ger of backsHding greater. The only hope 
for the soldier is a stern, steadfast adherence 
to Christian principle and duty. As a field 
of labor for Christ and souls, none is more 
needy. Dying souls are with you in the tent 
and barracks, as you walk or loiter by the 
way. You are really like the prisoner inclosed 



SPECIAL EFFORT REQUIRED. T5 

in tlie water-cask as a punisliment for crime ; 
he must pump or drown. So you must work, 
or your piety will die. In self-defence, I pray 
you, be earnest in gospel work. Eemember 
Hedley Vicars. 

If I could see aU God's professed people 
earnestly at work in the gospel vineyard, I 
should feel confident that all our national 
troubles were near their end. 

How shaU this be accomplished? Who 
will begin? Why, my friend, do you begin 
now. Go to that Christian brother or sister 
just now, and teU them you have resolved, 
with God's help, to live no longer at this poor 
dying rate. Ask them to go with you to Mr. 

A 's, and tell him the same; and by this 

time your soul will be on fire, like the disci 
pies' on the way to Emmaus ; each visit wiL 
increase the fire in your own soul, and all you 
enhst with you will be aroused. I have no 
doubt that if we could arouse but two in each 
church to go fi-om house to house in this spirit, 
a few days would produce results that would 
fill heaven with joy. This is no new experi- 
ment; it has been done again and again; and 



76 GOSPEL WORKERS. 

I never knew it to fail. Oil, Christian brother 
and sister, is it not worth a trial at such a 
time as the present, when the ark of God is 
standing still ? No doubt it would be well if 
many now in the church were out of it ; like 
Gideon's army, it is too large ; but many fee- 
ble ones can be saved, and there are many 
out who are to be brought into the fold of 
Christ. Arise then, gird on the armor, and 
go forth to conquest and to victory ; be faith- 
ful unto death, and you will obtain a crown 
of life. None but victors are crowned, and 
none but faithful soldiers are victors. God 
grant to all my readers the rewards of gospel 
workers. 



CLOSING APPEAL. tt 

XIII. 

CLOSING APPEAL. 

The writer is about to close tliis series, in 
which he has tried briefly to point a way for 
every one to work for Christ ; and if he knows 
his own heart, it is with the desire to add his 
earnest testimony, with that of many others, 
to the importance of all God's professed peo- 
ple being gospel workers. 

After nearly forty years' experience in the 
church, he is confident that nothing else so 
much retards the progress of the gospel in the 
world as the indifference of those who are 
God's professed people. Is it not emphat- 
ically true, that " the children of this world 
are wiser in their generation than the chil- 
dren of Hght ?" How can the apathy on this 
subject be reconciled with Bible Christianity ? 
The tree is known by its fruit, not by either 
the leaves or the flowers. The characteristics 
of a Christi5-n as laid down by Christ are now 
but too dimly shadowed forth by his professed 



18 GOSPEL WORKEIiS. 

people. Is not the light of many hid under 
a bushel ? What proportion of them are now 
living epistles, read and known of all men ? 
When and where do you hear the men and 
women o:^ the world say, See how these Chris- 
tians love one another? Where is the con- 
gregation in which it might not be said of 
some. See how they hate each other? Do 
not the rich shght the poor, and pass them 
by without notice ? Do not the poor envy and 
despise the rich ? Some sit in adjoining pews 
in church for years that scarcely know each 
other; and a stranger may attend worship 
with them for months or years without notice, 
unless he have large wealth or high-sounding 
titles. 

Is it possible for any church to be gospel 
workers where such a state of things exists ? 
Christian influence, when concentrated and 
united, is an irresistible power of itself ; but 
when that united influence is accompanied 
with united effort, the powers of darkness must 
flee before it. It is then that one will chase a 
thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight. 
It is then, and not until then, that God's 



CLOSING APPEAL. 79 

people become terrible as an army with ban- 
ners. 

Whoever you are, I ask you to ponder the 
question, What have I done for Jesus ? Min- 
isterial brother, whatever position you occupy 
in the church, have you done all' you can? If 
called to your account to-day, could jou say, 
" Lord, I have done as thou hast commanded?" 
Have you made such an advance in Iroliness 
of life and purity of soul that it gives power 
to your work, and inspires others to seek after 
higher attainments in the divine Hfe? Is 
there not something more still that you can 
do for Christ? Cast around you and see if 
you cannot start another httle wheel in the 
machinery that w^ill do gospel work. 

Officers of the church of Christ, have you 
done all you can? Is there not some place 
in which you can do more yet ? Are you an 
Aaron or a Hur ? Are you standing shoulder 
to shoulder with the pastor in doing God's 
work? or is your office merely an honorary 
title ? I see no promise of pay to such delin- 
quents. 

Professional men and men of business, I 



80 GOSPEL WOKKERS. 

appeal to you. What are you doing for 
Christ? Are you doing nothing more than 
to give the least pittance that shame and con- 
science will admit for Christ's work? Your 
gTudging /nites and frowning gifts will soon 
meet you before a frowning Judge, and the 
hidden talent receive a just reward. I en- 
treat you to begin to-day to work for Christ ; 
both do and give, plough and sow, as you 
have God for paymaster. Speak a word for 
Christ. Give a little tract or book, and have 
something each evening to ask God's bless- 
ing upon. That is gospel work. 

We appeal again to the Marthas and the 
Marys: attend well to that little "church in 
the house;" preach Christ in all you do ; draw 
lessons of instruction for your little ones from 
all your domestic employments ; show them 
God in every thing. Do good to others also ; 
lay your plans without delay ; bring all around 
you, if possible, to join you, and begin the 
work forthwith. And may the God of all 
grace inspire all to become gospel workees. 



