I WISH to make a suggestion for the consideration of my brethren and sisters in present truth, which I know from experience is very good. It is that all carry with them constantly a pocket Bible. It matters not what our occupation may be, all have more or less time each day that can be most profitably devoted to the study of the Bible. As I finish reading in “Spirit of Prophecy,” Vol. IV., of the terrible things soon to come upon the earth through the agency of evil spirits, and that the word of God will be the only safeguard against those fearful deceptions, I feel moved to urge all to improve every moment possible in the study of God’s truth.
In the summer, when the farmer is resting his team for a few moments, or the tradesman rests his weary arm, he can open his Bible and read some precious promise, some reproof, exhortation, or command, that will serve as a shield in the hour of temptation, or a means of encouragement in the time of trial. The time used in this way will not be lost. Thus all may store the mind with heavenly wisdom. We shall not long be permitted to enjoy the privileges we now have. The time is coming when the word of the Lord will be precious. Amos 8:11, 12.
Another result accomplished by this practice is that we shall have Scripture testimony to present in support of our faith. It is our duty to speak of these things whenever we have opportunity. Nay, we should seek opportunity to do so. And if we have the Bible at hand to confirm our statements, they will have much more force than they otherwise would. We know this from observation and experience. The devotees of rum and tobacco think it no burden to carry the bottle, the pipe, or the box. The card player loves his “dec.” Why, then, should the Christian feel it a burden to carry a copy of the word of God.
A word of counsel may not be out of place. We would recommend a small, reference, flexible covered, tuck Bible. I think such Bibles are to be obtained at our tract depositories. Good ones are the cheapest in the end. Provide a case of suitable size, and so arranged as to securely cover the book and exclude all dampness and dust. The most convenient place for gentlemen to carry this while at work is in a pocket made for the purpose in some undergarment, and situated on the left side, or under the left arm just above the waist-band of the pants. There it will be quite out of the way, and yet easy of access. Be sure to get a Bible instead of the New Testament only; present truth is to be found all the way from Gen. 1 to Rev. 22. Try it for one year, and you will find it a source of blessing to yourself, and probably, if you are faithful, a benefit to your friends and neighbors. God has said, “Them that honor me I will honor.”
J. M. HOPKINS.
THE JUDGMENT OF THE GREAT DAY.
(Continued.)
The sublime scene revealed to Daniel when the Judgment was set and the books of destiny laid in solemn pomp before the heavenly tribunal, did not open unheralded to the world. It was meet that the period of the investigative Judgment, when the cases of all who have ever turned to God were to be examined, their destiny be decided, their sins or names be blotted from the books, the atonement be made, the sanctuary be cleansed, and the probation of all mankind forever closed—it was meet that such a period should be ushered in by a solemn proclamation to the inhabitants of the world.
The work in the most holy of the heavenly sanctuary, the investigative Judgment, began, as we have seen, at the end of the 2300 days in 1844; and right there the voice of a divine message was echoing around the world. The prophecy of this solemn warning is found in Rev. 14:6, 7: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his Judgment is come; and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
This angel preaches the gospel and yet announces the coming of the hour of God’s Judgment. The Judgment here mentioned is therefore some portion of the gospel, and must take place while probation continues. Paul says that the gospel of Christ is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Rom. 1:16. And he declared that no other gospel could lawfully be preached even by an angel from heaven. Gal. 1:8. It is therefore an inevitable conclusion that the message of the angel brought to view in Rev. 14:6, 7, represents some part of the great gospel proclamation. It certainly belongs to that preaching which is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;” and this fact alone is conclusive proof that this proclamation concerning the hour of God’s Judgment must be made while human probation lasts. Two other solemn messages follow the one recorded in verses 6 and 7; and it is evident that the human family are still on probation as late as the last of these messages, which declares that, “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” These messages of Rev. 14 are consecutive, as the prophecy plainly shows; but it is not till after all these proclamations are finished that the Son of man is seen coming upon the white cloud to reap the harvest of the earth.
The message of verses 6 and 7, beginning to go in great power as early as 1840, in the advent movement of that time, reached an immense extent and unparalleled power as the world approached the great epoch of the ending of the days in the autumn of 1844. As the expectation of the people had been directed to an event which was not then to take place, believers were thrown into great confusion when the time passed and the Lord did not appear. Many entirely lost their bearings, but some held to their anchorage that God had been in the movement, and it must therefore have been essentially correct. Increasing light soon dispelled the shadows, and solved the mystery of the non-appearance of the Saviour. It was seen that the time had not yet come for the Lord to appear, but the days only marked the time for the cleansing of the sanctuary to begin, and for the hour of God’s Judgment to open—the very time and work which the message brings to view. The links of the prophecy were again picked up with a firmer grasp; and the message, proclaimed at first prophetically, was then uttered as an accomplished fact—the hour of his Judgment has come. Additional links were developed, the two messages to follow the first were seen in their true light, and the great truth flashed upon the mind that while the hour of God’s Judgment is passing—during this solemn time—the third message (Rev. 14:9–12) was to be proclaimed to the world.
The dawning light of the sanctuary question revealed the true meaning of many scriptures not apparently connected with that subject. One of these is found in Rev. 11:19: “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.” The scene here depicted occurs under the sounding of the last, or seventh, of the series of seven trumpets, which span the Christian dispensation from the first great calamities that burst upon the old Roman world, till human history ends amid “lightnings, voices, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.” This opening of the temple taking place under the sounding of this seventh trumpet (verse 15), it occurs near the close of this dispensation. But could this opening of the temple be understood till it was seen that there is a tabernacle on high where Christ our high priest ministers,—a building which has two apartments, a first and second, a holy and most holy, into the latter of which Christ must go to finish his priesthood in the work of the atonement? That the opening of the second apartment of the sanctuary is what is here brought to view is evident from what was revealed therein. “There was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.” But the ark never had any other location than the most holy place. It was fixed by divine appointment to that position. Consider further that the most holy was opened only for the purpose of making the atonement and cleansing the sanctuary. The scene described in the first part of Rev. 11:19, therefore took place at the end of the 2300 days in 1844, and was the opening of the investigative Judgment.
A matter of wonderful significance is brought out by what John there beheld. It is nothing less than the fact that the great standard by which all cases shall be tested in that investigative Judgment, now going forward, is the law of God as written upon the tables contained in the ark. “There was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.” In the type the priest, in the most holy place, sprinkled the blood upon the mercy-seat, which was the cover of the ark, beneath which blood-stained cover reposed the law which the people had broken, and thus made it necessary that blood should be shed for them. So in the temple above, our High Priest ministers his blood upon the mercy-seat, the cover of that ark John saw in heaven, beneath which reposes God’s holy and immutable law, the standard of Judgment for all mankind.
That the ark as John beheld it contains the law is evident from the name he gives it. The ark was called “the ark of the testament,” because it contained the tables of the testimony or the law which God wrote on the tables of stone. It was made for this very purpose, and without the law never would or could have borne that name. But John, beholding the ark in heaven, under the sounding of the seventh trumpet, at the opening of the investigative Judgment, still applies the same name, “the ark of His testament.” It therefore contains the same law, jot for jot, tittle for tittle, which He wrote with his own hand on Sinai.
Another conclusive evidence that the law for the investigative Judgment is the same as written on the tables of stone lies in the fact. Christ’s work is the antitype of the work of priests under the Mosaic dispensation, who atoned for sins in figure; Christ atones for sins in fact. But sin is the same, and the standard of right and wrong which reveals sin is the same. But the standard then was the law on the tables of stone. With reference to that, the typical atonement was made; with reference to the same, therefore, the real atonement must be made. Christ’s work is not the antitype of the former. But Christ’s work is the antitype; and the ten commandments, just as written on the tables of stone, unrepealed, unaltered in a jot or tittle, constitute the law by which all cases will be tested in Judgment work.
Another portion of Scripture made very clear by this Judgment work of the sanctuary is found in the tenth chapter of the Revelation: “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. And he had in his hand a little book open; and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Verses 1, 2, 5, 6, 7.”
This prophecy is simply another representation of that movement brought to view by the message of Rev. 14. The angel in this chapter, as in that, solemnly appeals to the Maker of the heavens and the earth. The message in each relates to time. The angel of chapter 10 has one foot upon the land and the other upon the sea, showing that his message is world-wide, just as in chapter 14, the proclamation goes to every nation. The angel of chapter 10 has in his hand a little book open from which he proclaims his message concerning time. He declares that “time shall be no longer”—not literal time; for days are mentioned afterward (verse 7); and not probationary time; for a further proclamation of the gospel is brought to view in verse 11—but prophetic time. But the fact that the longest and latest prophetic periods are found in the prophecy of Daniel. From what other book could he utter such a proclamation concerning the close of prophetic time? But the book was closed up and sealed to the time of the end. Dan. 12:4. The fact that it was here “open,” locates this message in the “time of the end,” or in the last days. The angel of chapter 14 proclaims the “hour of God’s Judgment” come, and here again we are thrown back upon the prophecy of Daniel; for his is the only prophecy which gives a prophetic period marking the beginning of this hour of Judgment. This is given in the great prophetic period of the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14: “Unto two thousand and three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed;” and this cleansing of the sanctuary is, as we have seen, a work of Judgment; hence the period of the 2300 days must be the very one the angel of Rev. 10 refers to when he says that time shall be no longer.
The identity between the message of Rev. 14:7, and that of chapter 10 being thus shown, we now come to the point of chief interest in the matter, which is found in verse 7: “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” In connection with the previous verse, we121have the assertion that when prophetic time is “no longer,” or when the prophetic periods come to an end, then the seventh angel begins to sound, and in the early days of that sounding the mystery of God is to be finished. But in Rev. 11:15, 18 we have these wonderful announcements: “And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged.” The sounding of the seventh trumpet, therefore, marks a momentous epoch for the world. For then the everlasting reign of Christ is at hand; but that reign cannot commence till the investigative Judgment is passed to determine who are to have part with Christ therein. The first part of the sounding of the seventh trumpet therefore covers the period of the investigative Judgment. But as already quoted from chapter 10, during the initial days of that angel’s voice the mystery of God is to be finished.
It is now in order to inquire, What is the mystery of God? and what is its finishing? The Scriptures tell us very plainly what they mean by the “mystery of God,” in the following passages: Eph. 3:3–6: “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words; whereby when ye read ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.” In this passage the apostle refers doubtless to Gal. 1:11, 12, written six years before, where we find him saying: “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Again in Col. 1:26–28, we read further: “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you the hope of glory.” The “mystery of God” is thus clearly shown to be the work of salvation for fallen man through the gospel of Christ. It is that which unites Jews and Gentiles in one body as fellow heirs, having Christ in them the hope of glory. The finishing of the mystery of God must therefore be the accomplishment or finishing of the work of the gospel among men. And when this is finished, mercy is no longer offered, probation no longer continues.
The finishing of the mystery therefore signifies the concluding of two important branches of work pertaining to this dispensation; first the priesthood of Christ, which closes with the last offer of mercy, and the end of probation; secondly, the preaching of the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, which ceases with the final messages of warning. Rev. 14:6–12.
This work of finishing the mystery of God is not accomplished instantaneously; for “days” (years) are allotted to it; but the time is brief; for the “days” only constitute the “beginning” of his sounding: “In the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished.” A period of time is therefore set apart to the finishing of the work of mercy both in heaven and on earth. But this period coincides exactly with the cleansing of the sanctuary, the investigative Judgment, during which the Ancient of days sits as Judge, and Christ accomplishes before him the grand conclusion of his mediatorial work. The 2300 days, as we have seen, ended in 1844. Then the temple was opened in heaven (Rev. 11:19); the majestic scene of Dan. 7:9, 10 was set in array, the investigative Judgment commenced, the seventh angel began his sounding, and the heavenly world entered upon the solemn work of finishing the mystery of God, or bringing to a conclusion the work of salvation for lost men. The wrath of God which follows this period of Judgment is at hand (Rev. 11:18); and angel voices wait to herald in tones of joy, loud as the sound of many waters, the transfer of earthly kingdoms to the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord. Then shall the heathen (the nations) be given him for an inheritance (Ps. 2:8), and all Judgment be committed unto the Son. John 5:22.
(To be Continued.)
THE BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT WHICH FOLLOWED THE PASSING OF THE TIME
By G. I. B.
ADVENT EXPERIENCE.—NO. 3.
THE BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT WHICH FOLLOWED THE PASSING OF THE TIME.
THE transition from the glorious and stirring experiences of the few months previous to the passing of the time to the bitter realities of the disappointment, was very great. None can realize it but those who passed through it. Before the passing of the time the Adventists commanded attention everywhere they went. Great congregations attended their preaching. The press was full of news about their work, and they were the observed of all observers. People were convicted more or less that there was truth in their preaching, and many felt a degree of anxiety lest it might be wholly true. The latter class thought they would watch the matter closely.
But when the time passed, everything was changed. Those who had no faith in the movement were of course very triumphant. “I told you so!” “You were a set of fools and fanatics!” and kindred expressions, were common. Those who had feared that the doctrine might be true were now, of course, very far from believing there was anything to it; and they showed extra zeal in denouncing it, now that the time was passed. A large number who had professed to believe it turned away as soon as possible, and cast their influence with the enemies of the faithful ones. The most ridiculous and foolish stories about the Adventists were set afloat, and told so confidently that many believed them true. Here was where the “ascension robe” story originated, soon after the time passed, when almost anything would be believed of this poor, despised class if it were only mean enough. Never was there a more ridiculous, shameful lie. Any one who was really acquainted with the belief of that people knows that nothing could have been more contrary to their real views of Christ’s coming than to suppose that putting on any kind of outward clothing would have any bearing upon their salvation. They expected to be changed in a moment from mortality to immortality. What could the form of their dress have to do with that?
For weeks after in some places it was very unpleasant to go in public. The boys on the streets would shout, “When are you going up?” “You haven’t gone up yet!” and similar exclamations. The poor believers were indeed despised and looked down upon, and thought to be the most foolish of men.
But that which was hardest for them to bear was the fact that they themselves could not understand the reason of the disappointment. Instead of being taken up to the mansions above, they were left to the tender mercies of wicked enemies and formal professors, who looked upon them as most foolish fanatics. But what could they say? How could they meet the tide of censure from every direction? They could not explain the matter. It seemed to them perfectly dark. There were the same glorious arguments which their souls had feasted upon. They could not see a single flaw in them; yet the Lord had not come. They felt that the time could not be long; yet they had no evidence upon which their souls could anchor. They were in doubt. Many of their brethren faltered, and some went back to the churches which they had left when the cry of Babylon’s fall rang out a few months before. But there were many who could never do this. They felt that God had led them, and to give up their Advent experience was to them like giving up everything in their Christian experience. Had they not closely followed the word of God to the very best of their ability? Had they not seen the promised fruits of the Spirit in connection with the work? Did not the same evidence still seem clear as ever? What had they to go back to? A wicked world? a formal, cold, opposing church, which hated the doctrine that seemed most glorious to them? No! they122could not do this. They must hold on where they were till God gave them light to go farther. There were some texts of Scripture which were very precious to them at this point. “Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified; but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.” Isa. 66:5. “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Heb. 10:36–38; and corresponding texts, which seemed to have been left on purpose for the weary, waiting ones who were passing through this bitter experience, foretold by the Revelator, when the church ate the “little book” which was sweet in its first experience, but very bitter afterward. Rev. 10:9, 10.
Another cause of sorrow to them was the fact that soon after the time passed disintegrating influences came into the body of believers themselves. These began to manifest here and there a class of fanatical spirits, who brought in a distracting influence. These claimed to have great light from the Lord. They prayed loud and long, read the Bible much, wore very long faces, and in many ways acted very extravagantly. They claimed superior light and sanctity; but they did not have much disposition to work with their hands, though they were very willing others should work for them.
On the other hand before many months had gone by after the time passed, large numbers of the Adventists began to lose faith in the positions which had been held in the past. Some began to set new times for the Lord to come; others tried to unsettle the dates which had been generally accepted in the past. Tendencies toward popularity and the world began to be manifest in many of the believers, especially among those who tried to unsettle the old landmarks of faith.
All these things were a source of great trial and perplexity among the faithful and earnest believers in the substantial truthfulness of the great advent movement. They were brought into a most distressing state of anxiety, and hardly knew which way to turn. On the one hand, it seemed that their brethren and many of their leading ministers in whom they trusted were drawing back toward the world and losing faith in the great truths of the message, and that they had but little of the Spirit of God with them. On the other hand, these fanatical spirits seemed so extravagant in their methods and ideas that they hardly knew what to think of them. Many even welcomed them to their houses, fearing to reject them, yet hardly knowing whether they were the children of God or not. But they watched them closely, and let them develop till they could be more certain. There seemed as yet to be no trumpet which had a “certain sound.” So they listened to various tones to see if they could ascertain their whereabouts. They studied their Bibles very much, and cried to God most earnestly. They could not give up the past, yet they were uncertain of the present, and anxious for the future. Their position was in many respects the most trying that God’s people had passed through since the resurrection of our Lord. It resembled in many respects that experience which the disciples passed through after the Lord was crucified. But those who had looked for the Lord’s second coming had a longer time to wait before the true light began to shine. Many of the old Adventists were hardly seen to smile for months together. Their perplexity was very great. But God had blessings in store for them when the half-hearted should be sifted out. Light would then spring up. G. I. B.
Stand Still Versus Go Forward
—It is only when we have done all that we are simply to stand. Moses at the shore of the Red Sea, gave a command for which God rebuked him right speedily; and the “stand still” of the great but sometimes mistaken leader, was almost immediately superseded by God’s “Go forward.”
TOO PLAIN TO BE DENIED.
Our Saviour very distinctly described certain features which should characterize the last days. Corruption, depravity, and every species of crime new and old, were to reach an alarming degree of development, strange phenomena would appear in the physical world, and all the signs would give to the future so ominous an outlook that the hearts of men would sink within them through fear of what might at any moment come upon them.
These features are all brought out in bold and startling relief at the present time; so much so that multitudes who do not believe at all that we have reached the last days, cannot shut their eyes to these facts, and are compelled to acknowledge that they correspond exactly to what the Saviour declared would occur in the last days. The following from the Christian Statesman, of Feb. 5, 1885, is a case in point:—
“The situation of the civilized world corresponds closely to one feature in our Saviour’s prophetic description of the last times: ‘Men’s hearts failing them for fear of the things that are coming on the earth.’ The serious damage done ten days ago by an explosion of dynamite in the Parliament Houses in London, has alarmed the whole nation. All public buildings are being vigilantly guarded; railroad and other public corporations are redoubling their precautions for safety; the police force is being multiplied, and men go to sleep each night as on the crater of a volcano.
“The nervous tension of the public mind in London was illustrated last Sabbath by a startling natural phenomenon. A storm of wind and rain had raged all day, and at 7:30 P. M., it culminated in a terrific peal of thunder. The report startled the whole metropolis, and it was rumored that the General Post-office had been blown up. For a long time there was great excitement, and a great crowd collected about the office.
“Early in the morning of the same day, a dry goods store in Grand Street, New York, was badly shattered by a dynamite explosion. The crime is charged upon some clerks who, had been dismissed, and whom the proprietors had repeatedly refused to reinstate, although various labor unions had interested themselves in their behalf.
“The ease and cheapness with which this or similar terrible explosives may be manufactured, is a cause of general anxiety. A socialist orator said on a recent Sabbath in Chicago: ‘A little hog’s grease and a little nitric acid make a terrible explosive. Ten cents’ worth is sufficient to wreck a building.’ His words may be an exaggeration, but they refer to what is a striking and unquestionable fact. When taken in connection with the discontent of the working classes, the waste of drink, the pressure of poverty, the demoralization and brutality and readiness for crime which are widely apparent, the prevalence of atheistic sentiments, the contempt into which government has fallen through the corruption and selfishness of politicians and their palpable disregard for the public good, it is evident we have all around us the materials for fearful social developments.”
Recollections of the Past: Tent Meetings in Michigan
By John Norton Loughborough
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE PAST.—NO. 11.
In my last article I spoke of the wreck of the railway train near Jackson, Mich., and of the escape of Bro. and Sr. White. May 24 they spent at the home of Bro. Cyrenius Smith in West Jackson. By the regular train time that evening the track was so far cleared of the wreck that the trains ran as usual. Bro. and Sr. White again entered the cars, and made a safe passage to fill their appointment in Wisconsin.
June 8 Bro. Cornell returned from Rochester, N. Y., to Battle Creek, Mich., with a 60-foot circular tent. It was erected on a point of ground situated on Van Buren Street, just above the railroad, near the planing mill. Here, June 10, the writer opened the tent meetings with a discourse on Dan. 2. This meeting continued only two days, and then we took our tent to Grand Rapids. Bro. and Sr. White, having returned from Wisconsin, joined us in this our second tent meeting, which was held at Grand Rapids, June 16-18. On the evening of June 18, Sr. White had a vision at the house of Bro. Fitch. This vision was full of instruction, reproof, and counsel, for the church present, and also encouragement of success to the tent enterprise.
The use of tents for meetings was a new business to us, and we had some things to learn by experience that may look a little strange to those now engaged in tent labor. First, we did not then so fully realize that when an interest was first awakened in a place it was best to follow up that interest with a thorough effort, or with a full series of discourses, bringing as many as possible of the interested ones to a decision. Secondly, we did not suppose people would be interested to come out evenings through the week, and so the most of our meetings were held only over Sabbath and first day of each week. Thirdly, we looked upon tent meetings as a means for the general arousing of the public mind; and, with this idea, we tried to visit as many different places as possible in one season.
The first summer's tent campaign in Michigan we pitched the tent in eleven different places. In most of these places the tent would be down during the week and erected every Friday. So it was pitched that season fourteen times. In one of the places we kept the tent erected for several days in succession, and in one place we had it up for three consecutive Sabbaths and first-days. At the end of the season we had a good opportunity to compare results of the different meetings. It was not, however, until the Lord gave us instruction through the spirit of prophecy that we fully understood the best mode of prosecuting “the work of the ministry” (Eph. 4: 12) in connection with tent labor.
It may be of interest, especially to our Michigan brethren, to know the times and places where the tent was pitched the first season: Battle Creek, June 10, 11; Grand Rapids, June 16-18; Delhi, Ingham Co., June 24, 25; Tyrone, Livingston Co., July 1, 2; Shelby, Montcalm Co., July 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23. As the result of the Shelby meeting about twenty embraced the truth. Our next meeting was in Jackson, July 29, 30, Aug. 5, 6; the next in Hastings, Barry Co., Aug. 12, 13; and next at Waverly, north of Paw Paw, Aug. 19, 20. Then it was erected again in Battle Creek, Aug. 26, 27, on the same spot as in the June meeting. Then we had the tent in Saline, Washtenaw Co., Sept. 2-10. In this place the meetings continued each evening, as well as in the daytime on the two Sabbaths and first days. A few embraced the truth as the result. Sept. 16, 17, we erected our tent again at Shelby, Montcalm Co., about four miles south of where we held the July meeting. And thus closed our first season's tent labor.
In almost every place where our tent was erected there were some to obey the truth, but we saw the best results where we tarried the longest. In our two day's meetings, however, we gave a condensed view of the prophecies, sanctuary, messages, and Sabbath, earnestly urging the people to obey. This, with the blessing of God, moved some to act, so that our efforts were not all in vain.
At the close of the summer's tent campaign I returned to Rochester, N. Y. I spent the months of October and November holding meetings in Western New York, at Olcott and Wilson, Niagara Co., at Barre and Orangeport, and at Clarkson and Rochester, Monroe Co. Dec. 16 I first met with the friends in Oswego. While holding meetings there, I learned some interesting things concerning the first introduction of the Sabbath doctrine into that place, and also some important facts connected with the first visit of Bro. and Sr. White to that city. As our opponents have tried to make some capital out of a vision given at the time of this visit of Bro. and Sr. White in the winter of 1849-50, I will here take the liberty to relate some facts connected therewith as they were related to me.
Let it be borne in mind that in 1843 there was a great stir in Oswego on the question of the Lord's coming, and that after the time passed, some of those who were in the movement gave up their faith in the doctrine, and joined in a warfare against it. At the time of the above visit of Bro. and Sr. White there was a member of one of the churches who was of the above class, and who was at that time earnestly conducting a revival. He was also acting as the treasurer of the city.
When Bro. and Sr. White opened their meetings in Oswego, there were some young persons, who were not in the '43 movement, who were nearly convinced of the Sabbath truth. These persons were also attending the revival, and were somewhat perplexed by the zeal manifested by the leader thereof. In one of our meetings, at which those young persons were present, Sr. White had a vision, in which she was pointed to Hos. 5: 6, “They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord; for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.” Sr. White said it was shown her that those so active in this revival had rejected the truth, and that this was not a revival from error to truth; but, represented in the above text, they were begetting strange children. She said to those young people, “I was told to tell you to wait a month; for within one month you will know the character of the persons who are so active in this revival.” They concluded to wait before deciding to join the revival company, and see how the case would turn.
Two weeks from that time the man who was conducting the revival, while earnestly praying in one of the meetings, ruptured a blood-vessel, and bled so profusely that he was taken home and put to bed. This left his accounts to pass into the hands of the sheriff and his assistants, who found on counting the money in the safe that it was $1,000 short of the balance demanded by the bank account. They hesitated about charging the shortage to one who had labored so earnestly in a revival. Finally the chief constable went up and hid himself in a rough board shed back of the treasurer's house. The sheriff soon followed, entering the front door of the house. On entering he observed a woman passing swiftly out of the back door. The constable, through a crack of the shed, observed the wife of the treasurer come out at the back door, and go to a snow bank, dig a hole in the bank, and put something in it, which she hastily covered up, and then returned to the house. The constable went to the snow-bank, dug out what she had hidden, which proved to be a bag containing the missing $1,000. As the constable stepped into the house the man and his wife, both with uplifted hands, were protesting before the sheriff, and calling on God to witness that they knew nothing about the lost money. The constable shook the bag of money, and said, “Madam! I saw you come out of the house, and hide this in a snow bank.” The short of the matter was that the revival suddenly came to a close, and the young people above mentioned took their stand with the Seventh-day Adventists.
I fail to see where there was anything in the vision to give rise to the claim made on the Oswego vision, that Sr. White taught that there was “no more mercy for sinners.” She was there laboring for the conversion of sinners; and the very result of the vision and its fulfillment was that at least two were converted, and united with our people.
J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
Full-Time Christian Service Versus Odd-Job Faith
—What can be better put than this, by a Liverpool workman? “I used to be an odd-job Christian, but now, thank God, I'm on full time.” Would it not be well if every Christian were working on full time? What if every Christian were working on full time! What if all the members of your church were on full time, would there not be wonderful change in the prayer-meetings and in all the activities of the church? Are we ourselves “odd-job” Christians? Let us think it over.— Golden Rule.
Sympathy Without Words
By Charles Lamb
—Can there be no sympathy without the gabble of words?—Charles Lamb.
Procrastination and the Neglected New Life
—To be always intending to lead a new life but never to find time to set about it, is as if a man should put off eating and drinking from one day to another until he starved.