p. 172 | THE CAUSE IN ENGLAND by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · March 11, 1880

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 11

THE CAUSE IN ENGLAND.

By John Norton Loughborough

The cause of truth here in England is still progressing, and at Southampton in particular. I hope none will think that because we have made our home at this place, our work has altogether been confined to this locality. We are circulating tracts and papers, and holding correspondence with numerous individuals, thus seeking to awaken an interest all over the kingdom. Nearly every day we get encouraging responses, and evidence that the truth is working its way to hearts. The past season has been so unfavorable, on account of stormy weather, that it has been a slow process to get the interest here matured.

As before reported, our T. and M. society is organized. Since our last report we have had three occasions of baptizing. Thirteen have been baptized already, and several others have applied for immersion. The subject of baptism has given us no little perplexity. Where should the baptism be attended? was the difficult question. The few Baptists here have fonts in their chapels for this purpose. But we could not get even the loan of their robes, and it was evidently useless to ask the privilege of using a font. An attempt was made by others, not long since, to baptize in a stream a few miles from Ravenswood. A vast mob assembled, and threw brick-bats, stones, and dirt to break up the baptism. It did not seem proper, just at this time, for us to try a similar experiment. At last we decided to prepare a font in one of the lower rooms of Ravenswood. We did so, and our baptisms here have been quiet, blessed occasions.

The first baptism by Seventh-day Adventists in England was on first-day morning, Feb. 8. On that occasion six were baptized. At the close of our Wednesday evening service, Feb. 11, two more went forward in this ordinance. One of these was the steward of a vessel mentioned in a former report. Sabbath, the 14th, five more were baptized, and we are to have another baptism next Sabbath.

Next week I go to the place of Bro. Veysey's residence, to commence a series of public lectures there. To-day we have brought home from the printing office of “Foster and Bond” an edition of 2,000 each of seven tracts, 14,000 in all. This is our first effort here in printing. As we gather around this pile of printed sheets, we unite our prayers to God that his signal blessing may rest upon and follow these tracts, and that the time may soon come when thousands may be reading “present truth,” printed in England for English readers.

As the result of inserting, for a few times, a notice of this Ravenswood depository in the Signs, we have already had several applications for papers and tracts. Of these applicants, one at least is now keeping the Sabbath. This morning we received a letter containing the following:— “Dear Sir: I have met with a torn sheet of the Signs of the Times, printed in California. I see it mentions your name, as having some of the tracts issued by the same persons. Will you kindly send me a list of what you have, and the price. If you will send me 1 s. worth of back numbers of the Signs of the Times, you will oblige.” His letter contained 24 cts. in stamps. We sent him nine numbers of the Signs, and one copy of the tract, “Is the End Near?” with catalogue of English prices on the back. This man has the first copy printed in Great Britain.

It seems to me that if we could have a standing notice of our depository in the Signs, if it was only two lines of very fine type, it would be an excellent thing, as so many hundreds of copies are being distributed by our friends in America, and by us here. A prominent temperance man said to us the other day, “Your papers are getting scattered all around. I meet them in many places where I go, and they are read with increasing interest.” May the Lord give us wisdom in all branches of our labor here, and may there be a rich harvest of souls from Great Britain.

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

Feb. 18.