history. I was impressed with the thought
that if it was God's will that I should remain in my present work, it must
be for a special purpose. Things could not be in the future as they had
been in the past. It would be criminal to turn down a larger work for one
that was small unless there were good and sufficient reasons for doing
so. If it was the Lord's will that I should remain in that country parish,
there must be some work there that it was worth while for me to do, some
work that in a proper degree, at least, would approach in importance the
large proposition made by the city and the state. What was the work? Was
there anything to be done among those hills and in those rapidly
disappearing forests that could fire a man's ambitions and satisfy his
high aspirations?

Just here the vision came. At first a whole township was revealed as a
possible parish, with every family tributary to the church, and the church
performing a valuable ministry for them all. The vision expanded until it
took in another township, and parts of three or four more. It became plain
that almost half a county was tributary to the church, that five hundred
families and twenty-five hundred people were waiting for its ministry. It
dawned upon my mental vision that I was called upon to be the pastor of
all these people, for five or six miles in every direction, that the
Benzonia church was responsible for them all, that they had a right to
look to us for service and help, and that if we failed to give it we
should be unfaithful to our Master and recreant to our trust. Then I said:
"Here is something worth doing. Here may be wrought out an experiment in
country evangelization and rural betterment that may help to arrest the
downward trend that has become so alarming in these latter days. It was
for this that God has kept me here. If I can make this vision a reality, I
need not pine for a larger field. If I can help others to see the vision,
and inspire them with enthusiasm to make it real in larger fields than
mine, and in many parts of our country, I shall never regret that I stayed
by the stuff." The vision came as a compensation. It was the reward that
God gave for following his leading along those ways where natural
inclinations would not have disposed me to go. God wants us to do our best
and largest work. He never calls us to a smaller work. If he bids us walk
along a humble path and go in an obscure way, we shall find our true
life-work the