House beautiful : $b or, The Bible museumA. L. O. E.
Religion
House beautiful : $b or, The Bible museum
A. L. O. E.
Bible -- Miscellanea; Bible stories, English; Christian life; Christian literature
There is something delightful and exhilarating in the feeling of
working together, combining in efforts for God. The labourers are
indeed engaged on different parts of the wall, they may be "one far
from another," yet is there a union of purpose between them, and the
trumpet at any moment may call them to union in action. Not all are fit
for the same kind of work; some are employed but to clear away rubbish,
others are laying the strong, deep foundations, those prepare mortar,
these hew stones, the work of many shows no visible result, whilst
beneath the busy hands of their brethren the wall rises with marvellous
rapidity. But all are helping in the building for God, and when the
bulwark is completed, the glorious task done, how joyfully may the
weakest of the workers exclaim: "I, even I, was a labourer too!"
Yes—on this building there is room for the efforts, not of the pastor
alone, but of the "people;" not of the men alone, but the women; nay,
even of the feeble little child. Something will be found for each
to do, if all combine together. And how inspiriting is the feeling
of brotherhood and sisterhood between those engaged in working for
God! We may regard the great and successful efforts of some highly
distinguished Christian, as a Jewish child, bringing but a few pebbles
to add to the wall, may have regarded the giant strength of some
Samson, heaving up to its place a huge mass, which the boy's feeble
arms could not have stirred. The child would admire and rejoice in
the strength of the man; and, if humbled, yet not discouraged, by its
contrast with his own weakness, would do the little which he could do
with the cheering thought, "I, even I, am a labourer too!"
Oh, how far preferable the humblest kind of spiritual work, to the
shame of standing all the day idle, while God's people are anxiously
toiling around us for Him!
There are very many ways in which we may help to raise the wall of our
Zion. Missionary labour amongst heathen abroad and heathen at home
is the most lofty kind of building work. The earnest clergyman, the
ragged-school teacher, the Bible-woman, the Christian visitor to the
haunts of poverty and the dens of sin, are those "directly" engaged in
raising stone upon stone. Such need refreshment, encouragement, help;
and to give it to them for the sake of the cause is "indirectly" to
forward the building.
There is one way in which we can, as it were, bring our little
contribution of mortar to fix the stones, which, though a way neglected
by many, is beyond the strength of but few—by "the circulation of
religious literature." There is, indeed, judgment required in the
choice of religious works for such distribution. The mortar should in
itself be good, and be "laid" on, not carelessly "thrown" on; but no
great courage is usually required, except by novices in the work. In
nineteen cases out of twenty, the book or tract which is courteously
offered is civilly received, and sometimes thankfully and eagerly
accepted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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