MEETINGS IN RICHMOND, MAINE.
By J. H. Waggoner
For the information of friends I will write a few words about our meetings in this town. The “Reed Meeting House” being under an opposing influence was refused to me from the first; so I commenced meetings in the Reed School House, about one and a half miles further north of West, and four miles from Richmond village. The Adventists in this town have been much divided in feeling for a number of years past; so much so that they would not fraternize together at all, nor even meet in the same house. On this account the attendance has not been so large as it otherwise would have been, but most of the time have had a fair congregation for the house; part of the time it has been filled. Those who have attended have been deeply interested, and generally convinced that we have the truth; indeed, I think I never spoke at any length to any people who so unanimously assented to the truth of the word spoken. Yet they do not appear to be very forward to move out on what they confess to be truth. This may be attributed in part to the difficulties that have existed among them, and in part to the fact that almost everything wild and fanciful has been preached here in the name of Adventism. On the 15th inst., Eld. Walker, of Richmond village, preached an opposition sermon on the two covenants, in the Reed Meeting House. His text was Gal. v, 1. On this he affirmed that the bondage from which Christ freed us was the law, and that law was the ten commandments, not one of which is binding on us! From this starting point he quoted largely in reference to the passing away of the first covenant made with Israel, applying it all to the ten commandments. I will further refer to this at another time. Bro. Canright came on the 17th. Up to this time there have been twenty-eight discourses given; equal to nearly forty in those places where we have to argue the question of immortality. Almost everybody here believes in the Bible view on that subject; in fact that is about the sum of Adventism here, as it has been the special theme of the preaching here for many years. The people of this section were early and thoroughly aroused on the subject of the advent, by Bro. White, in 1843, and the doctrine took strong hold. Since that time there has been a great deal of preaching here; perhaps no place in Maine, or even in New England, has had more. And the lack of spirit and power with those who deny the Third Angel’s Message, is well demonstrated. With all the preaching and effort that has been made I never saw a place where Adventism was lower; where there was less devotion with so much profession; so much division, jealousy, and strife, with so great boasting of Christian love and gospel liberty! Never before did I so fully appreciate the force of the phrase, “Nominal Adventists.” It is no pleasure to find such a state of things among those who profess to be looking for the return of the Lord; and we are glad to record that some begin to realize how far they have strayed from “the old paths.” May the Lord help to carry on the work begun to their salvation and to his own glory. Richmond, Me., Dec. 29, 1868.