ANOTHER PRECIOUS SABBATH by Uriah Smith

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

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

ANOTHER PRECIOUS SABBATH.

By Uriah Smith

The good work in the church at Battle Creek, noticed in previous numbers of the REVIEW, still continues. Sabbath, March 6, was perhaps as triumphant a day as ever occurred in their experience. A meeting was held at the commencement of the Sabbath, so largely attended that the auditorium of the Tabernacle was well filled. After a powerful exhortation from Bro. White, and testimonies from many others, a call was made for sinners and backsliders to turn to the Lord. About as many responded as on the Sabbath before, between seventy-five and a hundred pressing forward to the front seats. A disposition to seek the Lord earnestly was manifested by many of these. One, a prominent student at the College, by hearty confession of past backsliding, and by asking forgiveness of teachers and students of the College, pastor and members of the church, and finally of the Lord, for past errors and wrong influence exerted, put himself on the side of the right in a manner to greatly affect and rejoice all hearts.

Sabbath forenoon, after a full Sabbath-school of usual interest, Bro. White spoke on the subject of conversion, describing, first, the “faith of credence” which the sinner must possess to lead him to believe that there is a God who will reward virtue and punish vice, and that he has given a law of ten commandments as our rule of life; secondly, the office which this law performs in the work of conversion by slaying the sinner, as in Rom. 7:7-12; thirdly, faith in Christ as the Saviour; and fourthly, the work of the Holy Spirit in changing the heart, or producing within us the right disposition and spiritual mind of the Christian. The subject was presented with great clearness and freedom. Besides the usual congregation, there was a large attendance from without. Immediately following this meeting nine were buried in baptism in the waters of the Kalamazoo, Elds. White and Colcord acting as administrators.

The meeting in the afternoon was a repetition of the one the evening before. About twenty-five more came forward for prayers. Among these were two other students who had long been upon the background, and had wandered so far into the dark that their feet had well-nigh slipped, and for whom great anxiety and solicitude had been felt. They now, with emotions almost too strong for utterance, and with hearty confessions, turned their feet once more toward their Father’s house, testifying that they had long enough tried the barren wastes of backsliding from God, and found nothing to satisfy. The stand they now take so intelligently and sincerely, we have confidence to believe they will maintain. The influence for good which they can now exert in the College will be very great. One of the Office hands, and others, also witnessed a good confession in regard to their determinations for the future. May they have strength to carry out their resolutions. At this meeting eight united with the church, six by letter and two on a former confession of faith and baptism. These with the nine baptized at the conclusion of the forenoon service, made a total of seventeen who united with the church.

We ask the readers of the REVIEW to pray that God may still bless the labors of Bro. White in our midst, and that the good work may continue.

U. S.