Earlier text: Constantine’s Sunday LawSABBATH DISCUSSION.
By Editor
HAVING learned that the Discussion on the Sabbath question between Bro. Waggoner and Eld. Stephenson at Crane's Grove, Ills., in Aug., 1858, was being published, we sent for a copy which after some delay has at length arrived. It is not our province to make remarks concerning it which would anticipate or interfere with what will want to be said by those more immediately concerned in this matter; but we trust we can without doing this give utterance to our first impressions on receiving it. Considering the advertisement we had seen of the book, and the price at which it was set, thirty-five cents, we were astonished at its size and appearance. Containing 124 pages, though somewhat larger in length and breadth than our common book page, it has neither the amount of reading matter, nor the weight, of Sabbath Tracts Nos. 1-4, or the Atonement, books which this Office sells for 15 cents. Thirty-five cents! Stephenson and Collings, publishers! Surely, we can but exclaim, are these the men who have cried "Speculation" against this Office on account of the prices put upon its publications? But to come to the discussion itself. We find Bro. Waggoner's opening speech of one hour, occupying about a page and a quarter. This the reporter excuses from his not being on the ground at the commencement. The remaining speeches occupy on an average about 3 2/3 pages each. One remarkable feature of these is that Eld. S.'s remarks occupy from one half to a whole page more in each instance than Bro. W.'s. It may be said that this is because Eld. S. was the most rapid speaker. Those who attempt to get over the difficulty in this way, will have to explain another anomaly; thus, we always supposed that the more rapid the speech, the more imperfect the report, especially by an inexperienced reporter. On this ground Eld. S.'s reported remarks should be the most imperfect of the two, contain the most breakages, long dashes and omissions. Is this the case? So far from it, all these imperfections seem to have accumulated on Bro. W.'s side. We merely state these facts, and leave the reader to draw his own inferences as to their cause. We can also judge something of the fullness of the report. The reporter states that in one instance Eld. S. reached the rate of 200 words per minute. At this rate, the most that is reported of any one speech could not have occupied in utterance over eight minutes. But we will allow the speakers a rate of only 150 words per minute, at which rate what is reported of each speech would have been spoken in about ten minutes. It can be read in that time, and was probably spoken as fast, if not faster, than one would naturally peruse it. We may therefore safely conclude, the speeches being each one-half hour in length, that we have about one third of what was uttered on the occasion. A report so meager can of course furnish no adequate idea of the arguments used. Finally, we set out to read it. By dint of patience and perseverance we succeeded in reaching the 57th page, when we found our stock of interest so completely exhausted that we had to abandon all further attempts to finish it; and there it hangs by the gills. The reader has our experience in reference to the Crane's Grove Discussion. A CONTRAST.
By John Nevins Andrews
The Psalmist said that the dead praise not the Lord; [Ps. cxv, 17;] and Peter and Paul both teach that the saints are crowned at the appearing of Jesus. 1 Pet. v, 4; 2 Tim. iv, 8. Mark the contrast between this inspired testimony and the following extract from a sermon of Rev. Mr. Cowan, a Presbyterian minister at the funeral of Mr. Benton, at St. Louis. "Dear friends, your loss is his infinite gain. He is now perfectly and for ever free from sorrow, toil and pain. His sun has risen to set no more. His day has dawned never to be succeeded by another night. The last storm has spent its fury upon him. The sea of life he has crossed, and is now safely moored in the haven of eternal rest. His bliss is complete. His coronation day is passed. A crown of glory is his. "He has been attired from heaven's wardrobe. He is clothed in peerless, spotless white. He has joined the choir of the redeemed. He has attuned his voice to the sweet music of the skies.
'Hark! the thrilling symphonies
Seem, methinks, to sieze us.'" See Christian Watchman and Reflector, May 6, 1858.
J. N. A. TENT MEETING AT DELTA, OHIO.
By James H. Waggoner
Our meetings commenced here under somewhat unfavorable circumstances, on account of the slanderous reports circulated against us. The youth took advantage of the reports thus raised against us, and made so much noise and disturbance that we could be heard with great difficulty. This, however, was mostly corrected by those who saw the reproach it would bring on the community; and finally, our lectures on Spiritualism completely removed the feeling against us, as it was on this point we had been particularly assailed. Mr. Bowman, the editor of the Truth Seeker, of Angola, Ind., attempted to defend Spiritualism, but an exposure of his perversions of Scripture made the triumph of the truth more complete. From this time on the attendance and interest were good, not only from the village, but from the surrounding country, notwithstanding the extreme heat and hurry of the harvest came on in the midst of our meetings. Some farmers, after the labors of the day, came six miles, and females attended almost regularly, walking four or five miles, and returning in the same manner. Eld. Collier, of the M. E. church, from Toledo, took occasion to express his grief at our course in endeavoring, as he claimed, to destroy the influence of those who are preaching the gospel in its purity, and thus bringing in the millennium! In closing he said if Sunday-keeping was a tradition, it was attended with good results, as might be seen in the harmony and progress of this great people, all in the observance of the first day of the week.77 We briefly replied to his statements, that the millennial theory was a fable, according to the declarations of Christ and his apostles; that by their inconsistencies they were destroying, or had destroyed, their own influence, as they opposed by argument and practice the keeping of the fourth commandment, the perpetuity of which his own church endorsed; and that every argument used to prove that Sunday was the Sabbath, was no better than an announcement to the world that the plainest declarations of the Bible may be evaded. We closed by appealing from the custom of a great people to the law of the great God, and invited all to meet the question on this issue! Others have promised to prove the propriety of Sunday-keeping at some future time, but will not say a word while we are here. But the people's eyes are open to the reason of this course. About twenty-five have firmly decided to keep the Sabbath, and many others are well convinced and deeply convicted of duty. Of some of these we have hope that they will yet obey the truth. The interest is still such that we do not feel warranted in entirely leaving the field, and have therefore concluded to not pitch the tent till next week. By that time the press of labor will be over, and a better attendance may be expected. Seven were baptized yesterday. J. H. W. BRO. HULL'S REPORT.
By Moses Hull
DEAR BRO. SMITH: While awaiting the arrival of the stage I thought I would write a few lines to the brethren. I am fully persuaded that the Lord is willing to work in this State. 1st. From the fact that freedom is given them in speaking. 2d. From the interest manifested to hear, and 3d, from the wrath of the dragon. After the tent was taken down in Richmond, I was, by the solicitation of many citizens, persuaded to stay one more week and preach in the Baptist church. The result was good. The Lord's Spirit was present from first to last, and notwithstanding the weather was very hot the church was crowded every night. Some others decided to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Our Sabbath meetings were well attended, and filled with good testimonies from those who have just started in the good way. To the Lord be all the praise. The behaviour was generally good, with the exception of two or three ministers who were evidently in much trouble on account of their craft. One Methodist minister broke in upon us as many as twenty times in my last discourse. The reason was obvious. He had preached a discourse in the forenoon on the change of the Sabbath which I was reviewing, and of course it made him uneasy. But the very large audience which were in attendance could see where the testimony and Spirit of the Lord was. One man (Campbellite) who has been following us for six months with a challenge to debate the Sabbath question, came with the endorsement of his party, and I consented to spend one day in debating with him. I am certain that the congregation could see, notwithstanding he had the counsel of the leading ministers of three denominations, that he failed to prove the abolition of all, or either one, of the ten commandments. Although the man with whom I debated seemed to be a candid man, his friends manifested their faith in the abolition of God's law by bearing false witness against their neighbors. They put in circulation some of the most barefaced falsehoods they could think of. But even this resulted in good. M. HULL.
Washington, Iowa, July 11th, 1859.