Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-02-04
8eligiolps department.
'sAY NOT YB, THERE ARE
YET FOUR MONTHS"

YET FOUR MONTHS"
There are never wanting those
Christians among us who are con-
stantly looking back to ''precious
seasons in times gone by, when the
Lord poured out his Spirit in foods. .
From these we hear of the wonderful
times in the days of Finney, Kirk,
Nettleton, Knapp and others. Our
prayer meetings abound in reminis-
cences of the past. Now, without
doubt, it is edifying to hear from the
elders among us of how God was
wont to bless Zion with seasons of
refreshings from on high; nor would
we stay this testimony; only we do
not think it is always the most inspir-
ing to have our eyes directed to
blessings that have come and gone,
especially when they are related with
an implied conclusion that we, in our
day, will never see the like again.
This generation cannot live on the
abundant harvests which our fathers
reaped from the virgin soil of a gen
Grafton ago.
On the other hand, we have some
prophets who, interpreting the Scrip
lures, tell us that there is good time
coming when the Lord will again
pour out his Spirit upon his people,
and Zion will again lift up her head
and rejoice in new displays of Gods
power among men. That millennium
time when the wilderness shall bloc-
som as the rose is pleasant to look
forward to, but it does not quite meet
the present necessities of Zion. 1t is
not difficult to recount blessings which
have been, nor does it require q very
practical faith to talk glowingly of
things which shall be hereafter. We
would not discredit the great things
of the past; and God forbid that we
should discredit the promises for the
time to come. But the burden of our
heart is for q blessing now. The
practical question for us to consider
toSlay is not past blessing nor future
expectations, but what does the
promise of God contain for us now.
We cannot 90 back to the past, and
the future is not ours. The present
is. ''Who will show us any good"
for to-day?
Against looking into the future for
blessing, to the neglect of the pres
ent, the Saviour uttered these words:
"Say not We, there are yet four
| months, and then cOmeth the har-
vest? Behold l say unto you, Lift
up your eyes and look on the fields;
for they are white already to harvest"
But is this true now, to-day, and in
our church and community? Doubt
less they will say yes among whom
there are not only signs of ripening
harvest, but actual ingathering. But
is it true of those communities where
there are no signs? If we read the
Scriptures Alright, this declaration of
our Lord is especially pertinent to
those disciples and those churches
who see no signs, and to those fields
where there is no appearance of a
ripening harvest.
Let us see if there are not some
things upon which our faith can fast
en- for present appropriation of
these words.
First, our Lord bids us look on the
fields, and tells us that they are white
to harvest. 1t does not matter that
we do not see with the eye of sense
signs of a ripening harvest. 1t does
not matter that our meetings are not
crowded with inquirers. 1t is enough
that he has and does say (for all his
sayings are living and contemporaries
ous), "They are already white. -
Would it not have been sinful folly
for the disciples to have cast their
nets on the fright side of the ship
at his word, because they had toiled
all night and had caught nothing
Surely, yes! But see what faith
wrought for them. In the one case
they cast their nets on the right side
t according to his word, and in another
they launched out into the deep; bat
in both cases they inclosed a great
: multitude of fishes. To their sight
the fishing was poor and without
promise; to his sight the sea was full
of fish and only needed to be fshed
"according to his word" Fishing
and harvesting for souls, we see
therefore, to be work done by faitI
and not by sight. The people O.
c Samaria on an occasion were besiege(
f and on the eve of starvation but The
prophet came and said: ''To-morron
about this time measure of fine fou
shall be sold for a shekel" To thi.
e the unbelieving lord, on whose hand:
the king leaned, said: "Behold, i
, the Lord should make windows il
heaven, might this thing be-" 1t die
h not seem possible TO sight, and Their,