Earlier text: THE SANCTUARYGOD TAKES POSSESSION OF THE SANCTUARY.
'And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.—Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.' 1 Kings viii, 10–12. The Shekinah, or visible glory of God, which had dwelt in the tabernacle, has now passed into the temple, and that temple is thenceforward the sanctuary of the Lord God. THE TEMPLE WAS A PATTERN OF THE TRUE SANCTUARY.
'Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlors thereof, and of the place of the mercy-seat, and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord, and all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things; also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the Lord.' 'All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.' 1 Chron. xxviii, 11–13, 19. 'Thou hast commanded me [Solomon] to build a temple upon thy holy mount, and an altar in the city wherein thou dwellest, a resemblance of the holy tabernacle, which thou hast prepared from the beginning.' Wisdom of Solomon ix, 8. 'The pattern of things in the heavens;' 'the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true.' Heb. ix, 23, 24. THE SABBATH.
By Obadiah Davis
Thoughts suggested by the consideration of Ex. xvi, 5, and bearing upon the position of the Church as restorer of paths to dwell in. "And it shall come to pass that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily." How should the Israelites know what day was the sixth day, if they were not accustomed to reckon time by weeks? Was not that the name of the day; and designated its numerical position in a week, and not a month or a year. And from what circumstance or custom did it apply to a particular day? Can we find anything in nature that marks a division of time into weeks? Anything that points to such an arrangement? I know of nothing. The division of time into months might be suggested by the phases of the moon. The division of time into years by the returning seasons. But in vain do we look to the material world for something to which we can refer the origin of the custom of reckoning time by weeks. To what, then, shall we trace it? Or, from what did it derive its origin? Shall we say that it was a mere matter of chance that a week consisted of seven, and that there was nothing to mark even that division? Are we not driven by necessity to the example of God in the work of creation, and to the order established by himself there, for a solution of the difficulty. How does that agree with the words of our text? And what light does it throw upon what was meant by the sixth day? As there was a sixth day, there must of necessity have been a first, second, third, fourth and fifth, preceding it. And how many were there to follow it, to make the order complete? It appears that on that day, the sixth, the people were to gather twice as much bread as they were to gather other days, plainly indicating that one day completed the order, and that that was a day of rest. For further evidence on the same point, see verse 26. "Six days shall ye gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none." Now let us compare the order here brought to view, with the order established at creation, recollecting that the works were finished from the foundation of the world. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And said, let there be light, and there was light. And divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Then continuing his work another day, he says, and the evening and the morning were the second day. And of the next he says, recording his work, it was the third day. Of the next the same, calling it the fourth day. The next, the fifth day.—And the next, he finished his work, and it was the sixth day. And God saw that it was very good.—And God rested from all the work that he had made, on the seventh day, and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested.—How clearly this example and arrangement of God, explains the meaning of the text, and shows that in requiring the Israelites to gather twice as much bread on the sixth day as they gathered on the other days, was to enable them to observe that order which he had himself instituted, or in the words of verse 4, to prove them, and see whether they would walk in his law or no. What is a law? It is a rule dependent on a cause. For instance, we throw a stone into the air, we find it falls to the ground. God has given to matter the power of attraction, which is the cause of the stone's falling. The law or rule of attraction is the name of the effect of the attraction. The arrangement of time into weeks was by God given, six days for labor, and blessing and sanctifying (or setting apart) one for rest. Here, then, is the cause out of which grows the obligation, rule, or law, of the Sabbath. Now take away the written law, which is the knowledge of the sin of trespassing an established order, and we see that the obligation still remains, for the reason that the cause is still untouched; the works being finished from the foundation of the world. The giving of the manne being the special act of God, it must be in keeping with his own order, to make him consistent with himself; and we find that it is so. Hear him. "Six days shall ye gather it; [the food I give you,] but the seventh day which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none." Will any one doubt that it was the same God who gave them the manne, that made the world? The harmony is too complete to admit of it. But, says the objector, could not God have instituted the order of weeks after the Israelites came out of Egypt, and they therefore would know what was meant by the sixth day? He could. But what knowledge of the fact that he did so, has he given us? There is none. Then it is merely inference. And if there is no ground from which to infer such instruction, and there is the strongest ground to believe that the custom was coeval with creation itself, and that from positive testimony, the objection must yield to the obvious truth. We will first consider chapter xii, 2. "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months, it shall be the first month of the year to you." What do we learn from this? Answer: That God being their Sovereign Ruler, did institute the reckoning of the months and years from such a date as would glorify himself and commemorate his acts of goodness to them. Now would the change of the time for the commencement of the year or month affect their organization? Not at all. They would still depend upon the returning seasons, and the phases of the moon, for their existence, and be the exponents of their times.—Would such have been the cause with the weekly division of time? [To be continued.] The importance of this subject can be understood by those only who thoroughly investigate it. It is the foundation of present truth, and without a knowledge of it, our present position cannot be explained. We desire to spread the entire subject before the readers of the REVIEW as soon as consistent, therefore much space is given to it. Those who neglect to study it faithfully, will lose much. Bro. B. B. Brown, of Beloit, Wis
By Editor
BRO. B. B. BROWN, OF BELOIT, WIS.—The readers of the REVIEW will remember the excellent communication from the pen of this dear brother, published last May. For him, we have felt a deep interest. Many of the friends in Vermont, and in this State, have inquired for Bro. Brown. That the brethren may know his position, we take the liberty to publish a portion of a letter recently received from him. Ed. “I have had it in my mind for several days past, to write you a few lines, but having nothing of special interest to communicate, I have thought I might as well keep silent. I am aware however, that you, and others also, who have been kind enough to visit us in months gone by, feel a degree of solicitude regarding our spiritual welfare, and a desire to know how we are prospering,—whether we are standing by faith, or are among the fallen ones, who oppose themselves against the truth. I cannot give as good an account of myself, nor of the spiritual condition of things here, as I could wish. And yet there is nothing of a flagrant nature among us. We are at peace among ourselves, and striving to keep all the ‘commandments of God, and the testimony of Jesus,’ so far as we understand it. We hold meetings on the Sabbath, alternately, at my house, and the house of Bro. Thayer. It gives me pleasure to hear from the despised remnant in different sections of the country, and of the sacrifices that are made for the spread of light and truth. I should rejoice greatly, could I have my mind as well established on all points, said to be a part of the ‘third angel’s message,’ as our brethren in different parts of the country seem to have theirs. But it is not so. We are established and settled, in relation to the Sabbath; and also in relation to the cleansing of the sanctuary—that it is the heavenly place, and is now being purified by Christ, with his own blood.—That the prophecy contained in the parable of the Ten Virgins, is now a matter of history, is also clear, and without doubt. But farther than this, some of us have either not got the light, or else it has not been so presented that we have been able to comprehend it. We see a kind of plausibility in many things, and yet many difficulties. I believe we all desire to know, and embrace the truth, that we may be sanctified by it. In regard to our dear brethren who have visited us with this message, I have no fault to find; ‘but contrariwise,’ I am truly grateful for their visits. Nor have I any grounds for complaint that they did not make a longer stay; for they felt impelled onward, as if crowded by an Omnipotent hand, to give the message to others. And yet it is much to be regretted, that their flight through this country was so rapid; unless others, equally able, could follow in their track, ‘confirming the churches’ in the truth. It seems to me quite certain, that in some places, there would now be a church of much worth, could they have enjoyed the faithful labors of some able, and pious brother, until they were confirmed, and ‘able to give to every man a reason, for their hope.’ Some people embrace the truth suddenly, without much examination; and if then left to find the evidence themselves, especially if it is unpopular, and conflicts with self-interest, they are most sure to make shipwreck of their faith. Hence the importance of ‘line upon line,’ and precept upon precept, until they are rooted and grounded, and sealed. I have always been slow to believe new things. Perhaps too slow. It may be my ruin at last. Yet I cannot embrace any thing as truth, until I have faithfully tried it by all the objections that can be brought to bear against it. Whatever I find, however, to be truth to-day, I do not find to be error to-morrow. Should be glad to see you here, or any other of the faithful brethren.” Extract From Dr. Payson.
By Dr. Payson
“PAUSE, then, for a moment, and contemplate with the eye of faith, or if you have no faith, with the eye of imagination, this tremendous scene:— Look at that point, far away in the ethereal regions, where the gradually lessening form of our Saviour disappeared from the gaze of his disciples, when he ascended to heaven. In that point, see an uncommon, but faint and undefined brightness just beginning to appear. It has caught the roving eye of yon careless gazer, and excited his curiosity. He points it out to a second, and a third. A little circle soon collects, and various are the conjectures which they form respecting it; similar circles are formed, and similar conjectures made in a thousand different parts of the world. But conjecture is soon to give place to certainty—awful, appalling, overwhelming certainty.—While they gaze, the appearance which has excited their curiosity, rapidly approaches, and still more rapidly brightens. Some begin to suspect what it may prove, but no one dares to give utterance to his suspicions. Meanwhile, the light of the sun begins to fade before a brightness superior to its own. Thou135sands see their shadows cast in a new direction, and thousands of hitherto careless eyes look up at once to discover the cause. Full clearly they see it; and now new hopes and fears begin to agitate their breasts.—The afflicted and persecuted servants of Christ begin to hope that the predicted, long-expected day of deliverance is arrived. The wicked, the careless, the unbelieving begin to fear that the Bible is about to prove no idle tale. And now fiery shapes moving like streams of lightning, begin to appear indistinctly amidst the bright dazzling cloud, which comes rushing down as on the wings of a whirlwind. At length it reaches its destined place. Meanwhile, legions of angels are seen, darting from pole to pole, gathering together the faithful servants of Christ from the four winds of heaven, and bearing them aloft to meet the Lord in the air, where he causes them to be placed at his own right hand, preparatory to the sentence which is to award to them everlasting life. Christian, if you would gain more and greater victories over the world than you ever have done, bring this scene often before the eye of your mind and gaze upon it, till you become blind to all earthly glory. He who gazes long at the sun, becomes unsusceptible of impressions from inferior luminaries; and he who looks much at the Sun of Righteousness, will be little affected by any alluring object which the world can exhibit.” THE SABBATH.
By A. H. Hutchins
THE following solemn promise is made by God.—“My covenant will I not break, nor altar the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Ps. lxxxix, 34. The term “covenant” usually signifies, a mutual agreement, or obligation entered into, on the part of two or more individuals. But in the above quotation, as in several other places when used in the scriptures, it signifies God’s solemn promise or engagement to his children. See Gen. ix, 12—15; xvii, 11; Isa. lix, 21. God said to Noah, “I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.” Gen. ix, 13. Here the rainbow is made use of as a “token,” sign, or memorial of God’s covenant with Noah respecting a second deluge. Circumcision was also made use of as a token, sign or seal of the covenant made with Abraham. Gen. xvii, 9—11; Rom. iv, 11. The covenant spoken of in Ps. lxxxix, 34, it is evident from a few preceeding verses, is the covenant of the ten commandments. From the above we see that the covenant made with Noah, and with Abraham, are not without their token or memorial. So also the Sabbath is a “sign :” or in other words; it is the seal of the covenant of the ten commandments. “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath. * It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever.” Ex. xxxi, 16, 17. “Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctifies them.” “And hallow my Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Eze. xx, 12, 20. These quotations with others that might be given, show conclusively that the Sabbath, which has been changed and so long trampled down by the Papal power, is by God called a “sign” between himself and his children forever. In remembering the Sabbath day to keep it holy, we show our belief in God who “made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day.” While resting on this day from our labors, as did the great Creator from his, we should remember his works of creation, and his works of love and mercy in giving us the Sabbath that we might know that he is the Lord that doth sanctify us; and his promised protection in the time of trouble, if we keep the word of his patience, with a final victory over the “beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name;” together with the blessed promise of “entering in through the gates into the City,” if we keep his commandments. The following lines on this subject, are replete with truth. The Sabbath is a sign,
A mark which all may see,
And sure will draw a line
When servants all are sealed;
And while destruction’s in the land,
This mark will guard the waiting band.
John informs us that he saw “an angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God.”—“And I heard the number of them which were sealed; and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand.” Rev. vii, 2, 4. Again, he saw this company standing with the Lamb upon mount Zion, having their Father’s name written in their foreheads; and harping with their harps. Rev. xiv, 1, 2. Here is brought to view the final victory of those who venture out on the word of God and keep his commandments. O, blessed consolation! O, cheering reflection! My heart longs to be there, far, far from all conflicting cares of this life, where none of the poison mildew of sin will gather to affect our happiness, and where eternity will be only long enough to unfold the beauties, and reveal the realities of that world of glory. In the Review and Herald of Sept. 16, the subject of the Sabbath as a seal was clearly presented to the understanding of every candid reader, therefore my design in writing this was not to dwell on this point. We were there also favored with an extract from the “General Catechism” of the Roman Catholics, showing the “holy covenant of Jehovah as changed, revised and altered by the ‘Man of Sin.’” Also an acknowledgment from this same power of an attempt to break the seal of this covenant, by substituting for the seventh day, the first, in the fourth commandment of the Decalogue. To this acknowledgment of guilt, I may perhaps be allowed to add the following testimony taken from their own writings, as I do not recollect of having seen it in the Review and Herald. “The sure way to find the true religion,” a Papal work, says: “Lastly, the keeping holy the Sunday is a thing absolutely necessary to salvation; and yet this is nowhere put down in the Bible. On the contrary, the Bible says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” which is Saturday and not Sunday. Again, “The Catholic Christian Instructor,” asks, Does the scripture any where command the Sunday to be kept for the Sabbath? Ans. The scripture commands us to hear the church, but the scripture does not in particular mention this change of the Sabbath; so that truly the best authority we have for this is the testimony and ordinance of the church. And therefore, those who pretend to be so religious observers of the Sunday, while they take no notice of other festivals ordained by the same authority, show that they set by humor, and not by reason and religion; since Sundays and holydays all stand on the same foundation, viz.: “the ordinance of the Church.” What can be more clearly expressed? Mark: “And therefore those who pretend to be so religious observers of the Sundays, &c.” Plainly affirming that Sundays and holydays all stand on the same foundation, viz: “the ordinance of the Church,” i. e. the Romish Church. Yet men who run as teachers, men who set themselves up as expounders of the word of God, notwithstanding such stubborn facts, and the entire absence of scriptural proof in support of a first day sabbath, are found spending their time and ability, and even robbing themselves of heaven, and what is still more painful, leading thousands of poor souls down to the vortex of ruin, in “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” I am often astonished that such objections should be presented against the holy Sabbath, as are urged by those who consider the commandments of God “grievous.” I will here notice a few of these objections, urged by this class. 1. Say they, “It is only a seventh part of time that the Bible requires to be observed as the Sabbath.”—True it is a seventh part of time, and that with reference to the seventh day. If without mangling the sense of the Sabbath commandment, one can substitute the indefinite article for the definite article, causing it to read “a seventh day is the Sabbath,” instead of “the seventh day is the Sabbath,” then with equal propriety might Nathan [2 Sam. xiii, 7,] have said to David, Thou art a man, instead of saying “Thou art the man.” 2. “The true seventh day from creation has been lost, and what is called the first day is as likely to be the true seventh day as any other.” If this be true, then we are left to speculation and conjecture on this point, and God is charged with inconsistency, and even severity, in commanding us to do that which we cannot perform. The expression, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God,” referring to the present time, also, “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. xii, 17, show that it is not only possible, but even that some will keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ in the last days. 3. “As there is no commandment in the New Testament to keep the seventh day, therefore we are left to keep the day that may best suit our convenience.” A few days since while conversing with a minister on this point, who advocated the first day theory, He said he “knew of no place in the Bible where he could determine whether he should build his house one or two stories high, in case he was about to build one; or, whether he should wear a white coat or a black one. Neither could he nor any other man, determine from the Bible whether he should shave once a week or oftener.” Therefore the conclusion was that as he was left to set his own choice in regard to these things, so also in like manner, he might act in regard to keeping the Sabbath. The shame and ignorance manifest in thus attempting to support an institution of the “Man of sin,” and hedge up the way of truth, is too apparent to need comment. Said Christ, “The Sabbath was made for man.” Mark ii, 27. Therefore, whoever bears the name of man is in duty bound to keep the Sabbath. And the very fact that there is no other day spoken of as the weekly Sabbath, but the seventh, neither in the Old nor the New Testament, it should for ever settle the question that the first-day sabbath cannot be of divine origin, also that the only Sabbath recognized by the Bible is the seventh day Sabbath. 4. “We cannot keep the same specific time that the Jews kept.” To this we answer, the Jews kept the seventh day, and so may we. But says one, “a difficulty arises in circumnavigating the globe, time is lost or gained.” Well, admit for a moment this loss or gain of time, while we use the following supposition. A and B twin brothers, left Boston Jan. 1st, 1820, aged twenty years, to circumnavigate the globe. A goes East, B goes West. Jan. 1st, 1821, they meet again at Boston. Then according to the above calculation, A’s age would be twenty-one years and one day, while B’s would fall one day short of twenty-one years. But to discover more fully the sophistry of such reasoning, suppose these same brothers had continued to travel as above stated, until they had sailed around the world a sufficient number of times to have been thrown two years apart in their reckoning, instead of two days, then Jan. 1, 1840, A would have been forty-one years of age and B would have been thirty-nine years of age. Now no one is guilty of the folly of supposing that the age of an individual would be at all changed in the above supposition. Therefore there is no real loss of time, neither gained, in circumnavigating the globe, but only apparent. And do any fail to see that if the above were an argument against the seventh day, it would be also against the first day, and indeed, an argument against the commandment for keeping any day as the Sabbath? The true seventh day from creation, is the day which we are commanded to observe as the Sabbath, and this it is as easy to have at any part of the world, as it is to have day or night. May the Lord help us, dear brethren, to remember that “the law of the Lord is perfect,” and that “the doers of the law shall be justified.”
Sutton Vt., Dec. 20th, 1852. WHAT does the BIBLE teach? Eph. iv, 4. "There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling." What are we to understand by the term "one body?" Let Paul explain his own terms. Eph. i, 22, 23—"the head over all things to the church, which is his body." ii, 16—22; iii, 6, 10, 21; iv, 12, 16; v, 30; 1 Cor. xii, 27, 28.—"Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular; and God hath set some in the church," &c. Col. i, 18. And he is the head of the body, the church. The conclusion, then, is, that there is but one church; and that it is as truly one as the "hope of our calling." But here the thorough bred sectarian will exclaim, that's true, but our church is the one. Our line is direct from the apostles, or perhaps, from the patriarchs. What does the Bible teach? Eph. v, 22, 23. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and he is the Saviour of the body." Verse 24: "Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be unto their own husbands in every thing;" [a weak argument, if any existing, popular sectarian organization is meant;] 29—32. They two shall be one flesh; this is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church. We see from the 23d verse, that all the members of "the church" or "body of Christ" are saved; [from their sins;] and from the 24th verse, that they are subject to Christ; or that they are not those who "obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." The 29th verse teaches us that Christ regards every member of his church as a man regards the flesh of his own body. In the 30th verse, the same union is brought to view as Christ sets forth in John xv, 1—8, where we are taught that none are united to Christ except those who have their fruit unto holiness. The conclusion then, is, that all who "with the heart believe unto righteousness," and confess Christ before men, are members of that 'body' or 'church' of which Christ is the 'head' and 'Saviour.' See also 2 Cor. xii, especially the 18, 24—26 verses. Go, reader, into the 'church meetings' and "ecclesiastical councils" of those bodies called "churches of Christ," and judge whether "God has set the members every one in those bodies as it hath pleased him," or whether he has "tempered the body together" so that they have the same care one for another, that "whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it," or "one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it." And here let all Advent professors take heed that they are what God says the members of the body of Christ are. If you do not bring forth fruit, [unto holiness,] God will "take you away" and cast you forth as a branch to wither. Beloved, do not regard these as hard sayings; I fear that some of you are in great danger of getting your hearts overcharged with the cares of this life. Again, some man will say, in regard to the general subject, we must have organizations of some sort. But what does the Bible teach? Jude 3d verse:—"earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints." Were not the Holy Scriptures delivered to the saints as their only rule of faith and practice without any uninspired comments? Titus i, 7. A bishop must be blameless, [9th,] holding fast the faithful word [of God] as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine, both, to exhort and convince the gainsayers. ii, 1; But speak thou the words which become sound doctrine, that the aged man be sound in faith. Then, to be sound in faith is to believe every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And to preserve that soundness is to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The cement of these sectarian walls [confessions of faith] is, a covenant solemnly made before God, angels, and men, to support a chosen party in religion; some for Paul—Apollos—Cephas or Christ. All such are carnal, and are condemned by the inspired apostle. 1 Cor. iii, 3. Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why as though living in the world are ye subject to ordinances after the commandments and doctrines of men? Col. ii, 20, 22. The commandments of men are that we shall support a party in religion: and that we shall not company and co-operate with all christians in getting and doing good. How quickly is a man suspected and tried if he mingles freely his prayers and alms with those of another creed and covenant. This "envy and strife" produces "confusion and every evil work" [or Babel—i. e. Babylon.] The commandment of God is, to keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace. In the light of these plain Bible teachings, is not every christian's duty plain? If you are unequally yoked together with unbelievers [not showing their faith by their works—James.] Come out from among them and be ye separate, and you shall be a son or a daughter of the Lord Almighty.—Voice of Truth, Vol. 1, 1844. II EMILY J. PAINE
By Emily J. Paine
DEAR BRO. WHITE:—I feel it a privilege and duty to write a few lines to you. I am thankful for the little light I have upon the present truth. It is just what is needed at the present day, when God's professed children are so cold, and backward in religion. There are but three in this place, that are keeping the Sabbath of the Bible. There are no meetings within five miles, of any kind. A few have begun to investigate the subject of the change of the Sabbath. O, may the Lord open their eyes, that they may see and understand the truth. A few weeks ago, Bro. R. F. Cottrell spent the Sabbath with us. We received much light from the truth he presented. May the Lord reward him.—The few that heard him, have talked much upon the subject, and we have good reason to hope, that some will soon decide for the Sabbath of the Lord. It is my earnest prayer, that the Lord may send laborers into his vineyard. We are almost famishing here, for want of the truth. I am very thankful to Bro. Cushman, for causing the Review and Herald to be sent to me. It is a great comfort to me to read the letters, and exhortations of the brethren and sisters. It is136 like food to my soul. O, may the Lord give us grace and patience to endure unto the end. May we keep all his commandments, that we may have right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city. Yours in hope of a glorious redemption, Barre, N. Y., Dec. 12th, 1852. DEAR BRO. WHITE :—My last from Claremont, N. H., Nov. 5th, gave a brief statement of the state of the cause in the Western part of the state of N. H.—Since our meeting closed there, we have been visiting our dear brethren and sisters in the North and Western parts of Vt., and the North Eastern section of N. Y., and holding meetings in the following places: East Bethel, Vt., Nov. 8th, 9th and 10th; Wolcott and Hardwick, 13th and 14th; Johnson, 15th and 16th; Sterling, 17th; Morristown, 18th; Stowe, 19th, 20th and 21st; Waterbury, 22d; Waitsfield, 23d; Granville and Warren, 24th; Newhaven, 26th, 27th and 28th; Panton, 30th; Weybridge, Dec. 4th and 5th; Champlain, Dec. 7th; Perry's Mills, N. Y., Chateaugay, 8th and 9th; Potsdam, Buck's Bridge, 11th and 12th. It would occupy too much space to state the interesting scenes we have passed through, in meeting and parting with brethren and sisters, beloved of the Lord, whom we had not had the pleasure of seeing for many months, and many others that we had never seen before, who are voluntarily entering under the banner of the third angel's message, keeping the Sabbath of the Lord our God, and all the testimony of the Lord Jesus. My heart has been greatly cheered to see their cheerful countenances, also, their strong desires to hear the present truth, which is to prepare them for the coming of the Saviour. My prayer is, O Lord, hasten on those auspicious moments, when thy peeled, scattered, tried, tempted, but yet beloved children, (for the truth's sake,) shall rise to meet their coming Lord. When the angel, Gabriel, was closing his final instructions from the court of heaven with Daniel the prophet, he said: "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried." Dan. xii, 10. These are in trial on account of the Bible truths which they hold. How evident it is that this is the last great truth, to prepare the "holy people" for their final change, and that it is the third angel's message. The above named meetings have been deeply interesting to me; because of the manifest working of God's Spirit and power with his people. How evident that he is gathering them for the mighty conflict. And that he is doing it speedily. We refer to the year 1849, when all of the seventh-day Sabbath keepers that could be found in the region of country that I have visited within the last nine weeks, could be comfortably seated in a small room of ten by twelve feet, and not half of those in the message. And now within the above named weeks, we have met with our dear brethren in ten Conferences of two and three days continuance, besides two more in the same region to be held within ten days, and still two others that we could not attend, besides meetings of two or three lectures in the intermediate places, in many of which, new cases of enlisting under the banner of the third angel, taking a decided stand for God and his cause. At Stowe, Vt. the inhabitants of the village were stirred up, and our meetings were somewhat crowded. The truth, so far as it was expounded, seemed to arrest the attention of the audience. Many of our dear brethren from other towns were present to participate in the meetings. The expression from warm hearted brethren and sisters was, "How much this seems like 1844." It was truly a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. The subject of the Paper, and the cause generally, was freely canvassed here by the brethren. As Bro. Bingham has reported, the unanimous decision of the meeting for publishing it will speak the feelings of brethren with reference to their duty. At the Newhaven Vt., Conference, the same views were entertained, and directed for the Paper. We trust that all who have enlisted under this last message of mercy will never cease to lend their aid to carry forward the work, in every way that God by his word, and Spirit directs. After the Norfolk, N. Y. Conference, the 17th, 18th and 19th, I design to hold a few meetings in Canada East, on my way to Western Vermont, to hold another meeting of days, and thence, pass to the Southern part of Vt., into York State. Your brother in the patient waiting for Jesus,
JOSEPH BATES.
Buck's Bridge, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., Dec. 16th, 1852. JOHN P. KELLOGG
By John P. Kellogg
DEAR BRO. WHITE:—It is with pleasure, and I trust with profit, that I read the Review. I feel to praise the name of the Lord for what he is doing for the remnant in these last days. It has been but a few months since I heard of the third angel's message. I had honestly supposed for some time that the Sabbath was abolished, until July last, when Bro. Cornell came to see me. He had just returned from attending a Conference at Jackson. He said that he heard Bro. Bates lecture on the Sabbath and other subjects. It was something new to me. I began to examine my Bible with a desire to know the truth. I could find nothing to prove that the Sabbath had been abolished; but saw that I had been breaking it. About four years ago, I left a fallen church with a desire to follow the truth as fast as I should see it; but for some time I had felt a lack. I did not have that enjoyment that I wished to have. When I commenced keeping the Sabbath, I felt that God approbated me in so doing. I went to the Conference at Jackson, in August, and heard Bro. Bates; and there, light burst into my mind. I saw clearly that the first and second angels' messages were in the past, and that the third was now being given. And there my soul was filled with joy and peace in believing. It was painful for me to leave the dear brethren, and return home, where there was only myself and companion, and one brother keeping the Sabbath. We had a prayer meeting the next Sabbath after we returned home, and one brother met with us. The Lord met with us, according to his promise, and blessed us. The next Sabbath, Bro. Case was with us, and spoke from God's word. Some were convicted of the truth. We continued to have prayer meetings on the Sabbath, and soon there was one more keeping the Sabbath. At the Conference here in October, four more commenced keeping the Sabbath, and there has been a number added since. The band here, now numbers twenty, and there is a number more that are interested. We now have three prayer meetings in a week, and there is an increasing interest. But we are weak. We greatly need another Conference here. I hope the way will soon open for one of God's messengers to come here, and labor. We have a Sabbath school here of fifteen scholars. They are much interested in the Youth's Instructor. I think it will be the means of doing much good to our children. Yours in hope of soon seeing our King, Hartland, Mich., Dec. 28th, 1852.