Dear brethren and sisters:
Being, graciously preserved by our Father in heaven and blessed with another interview, it becomes our duty to address you, according to our custom, in a Circular
4
Letter. We have had many Circulars, written on subjects of great interest, to the Christian, and there yet remains a multitude of subjects which might lie of interest to the meek and lowly follower of the Lamb. On the present occasion we would direct your thoughts to the words of our Savior, "Say not ye, there are yet four months and then comelh the harvest, behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to the harvest." These words were addressed to the disciples by our Savior, and are as fully addressed to us as to them, though not orally, yet in his Word, which he has given us to be a light to our feet and a guide to our path. That word is able to make us wise unto salvation. Shall we continue to say, if not in word, yet in deed, there are yet four months and then cometh the harvest, when we are commanded to lift up our eyes and behold the fields already white? Why shall we longer sleep, whilst thousands in our midst are dying without the bread of life? Shall we stand longer with our hands folded, saying, a little more sleep - a little more slumber, whilst the cry is coming up from various serctions of the country, Come over and help us? We should no longcr say there are yet four months, for the harvest is now ready to be gathered into the garner. But where are the laborers? The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. The command therefore is that we should pray the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers into his harvest. Believing that all true Christians feel the force of this command and are truly anxious to see the harvest safely gathered into our heavenly Father's garner, and knowing that we, as a body, have a number of faithful laborers, who are zealously engaged in the work, who are willing to spend and be spent in this good cause, why are there so many destitute fields? We much fear that the answer is, They are not sustained - their hands are not buoyed up by the lay members as they ought to be. Others stand ready to preach the Word in
5
destitute places, if the brethren would second their efforts by administering to their necessities in carnal things, while they are engaged in ministering to the spiritual wants of the destitute. Awake, O Zion, to your duly and put on your strength. Now, brethren, cannot the wisdom of the Campbell Co. Association devise some plan to supply the desiitute places within our own bounds, so that the gospel shall be preached and the laborers pecuniarily sustained? Brethren let us with a prayfuul mind think of these things and ask God to enable us to perform our whole duty, both to God and man. - Amen.============ [From Campbell County (KY) Baptist Association Minutes, 1854, pp. 3-5. From a photocopy at the Campbell County Historical Society Library, Alexandria, KY. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
More Kentucky Circular Letters
Baptist History Homepage