Let every Methodist who reads this ask--What am I doing? Am I sleeping
or harvesting? What am I doing to gather in the ripe corn? If I am
indolent I shall cause shame to the people who count me one of
themselves. If we sleep now that we should work, at the March Quarterly
Meeting our place will be down in numbers, and as there are others of the
same indolent sort, our circuit will be down at the District Meeting, and
perhaps the District be down, and there will be the shame among the
churches if Methodism is down.
Other churches are used to look to us to shew them how to do the reaping.
O, let us be up and doing! How shall we dare to meet our Lord if we
sleep when we should sweat? How shall we bear it, if the members of
other religious societies tell us that our bad example corrupted them?
What will be our shame, if we find that those who expected us to gather
them in accuse us of slothfulness, and destroying their souls by our
neglect?
CAN WE EXPECT TO KEEP OUR CHILDREN, IF THEY SEE
OUR FARM POINTED OUT AS THE FIELD OF
THE SLUGGARD?
Will not very shame drive them from their own home to find one among
those whom we once taught the way to reap?
We wish that we could do with all drowsy Methodists what Jonah's captain
did with him. We should dearly like to give them a good shake and say,
"Awake, O sleeper!" We think of towns and villages, where, not very long
ago, there was the song of the reaper, but now, alas! he has gone fast
asleep. Shame will be the inheritance of those who are drowsy when they
ought to be at work. Why have contempt poured on thee, when glory is to
be won by work? Grasp the sickle and go out among the standing corn, or
the rust on thy reaping hook shall eat into thy soul for ever!