Report from Bro. Loughborough by John Norton Loughborough

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 12, 1867

Report from Bro. Loughborough.

By John Norton Loughborough

DECEMBER 20. I again left Battle Creek for Lapeer, where I arrived the day following. Began meetings with the church in Lapeer at the commencement of the Sabbath, and continued there till the evening of the 26th. During this time I preached five times in Lapeer, held one business meeting, and preached on first-day, a funeral discourse in Hadley, twelve miles from Lapeer, for our aged Bro. Mills, a member of the Lapeer church, who died near Hadley, his place of residence, some three weeks previous to that time.

I found that the effort made during the two weeks of my previous visit in Lapeer, had not been altogether in vain; still all the difficulties were not remedied. There was more work to be done. I tried to preach to them those truths which would be calculated to present their true condition before them; and, in our business meeting, to attend to those things which were ready to be done. Perhaps it is due to say here that on account of trials growing out of an unwise course with some, and hard feelings on the part of others, in their meeting-house enterprise, a sad state of affairs existed in Lapeer, and the cause, spiritually and financially, was very low. Systematic Benevolence, which was organized four years ago, when I was last there, to the amount of some $200 or $250, had run down to almost nothing.

In our business meeting there was a rally on the subject of S. B. The figures were given in to the amount of nearly $300, and some steps were taken to relieve the meeting-house question of the perplexing aspect it presented when the meetings began. We did what we could then in the way of righting wrongs, but left with some reluctance, feeling that there was yet a work to be done there when matters were ripe for it, and not seeing how the cause could really prosper until this work was done. I have learned since leaving the place that the Lord has given some testimony concerning the state of things there, and, as I have had an opportunity to read it, I will say, I think it delineates the true state of things, and the cause of the difficulties. If all will come up with true humility of heart and life to do their duty as there pointed out, there will be better days for Lapeer church, a better influence without, and again the light of truth will draw souls into the fold of Christ.

Dec. 27, Bro. Jonathan Hoffman kindly carried me nineteen miles toward Memphis to the house of Bro. James Dixon, in Dryden, and the next day his son, Bro. Norman Dixon, carried me nineteen miles further, to Memphis. It was excessively cold, but as we were quite well bundled up and the wind was on our backs, we went on our way with but little suffering, and with thankfulness in our hearts that it was no worse, as it might have been had we had a head wind to face. On this trip I was led to reflect, and of late, still more, why is it that so many are so unhappy in this world? It is because, instead of considering how much worse their condition and surroundings might be than they are, and being as Paul admonished us, content in our condition, they are ever magnifying their ills and misfortunes, brooding them over in their minds, murmuring against those who have really, or in their imagination wronged them; and this of course will have the same effect upon that, which otherwise would be but a slight speck upon their peace, that constant

picking will upon a pimple, namely, it will cause an angry, and grievous sore.

I arrived in Memphis a few minutes before the commencement of the Sabbath, Dec. 28. Found Bro. Cornell in Memphis, where he had been holding meetings and laboring under unfavorable circumstances for some two weeks.

First, the weather was such that it hindered the church from coming together, especially that portion scattered through the country round about. At first it was rainy with deep mud; then it turned suddenly very cold. As there were no sheds connected with the place of worship, it was very bad for teams when rainy or extremely cold.

Second, the sects of the place had combined together to stay away from the meeting, which they did for the most part.

Shortly after I joined Bro. Cornell in Memphis the weather became more favorable, the brethren and sisters more generally turned out, and the interest in the meetings arose. There was sickness however in some of the families of the Sabbath-keepers, which kept them from sharing the benefits of the meetings.

Here I would say, I regret to see, in any place, a lack of zeal in getting out to meeting. Many times trifling excuses keep people away from meeting. The apostle's admonition is, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhort one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.” Do we see the day approaching? I know not where a person can be looking who cannot see the tokens of the day of the Lord near. Pride, formality, love of the world, love of pleasure, and all the eighteen sins spoken of by Paul in 2 Tim. iii, are among the nominal professors of this time. Shall we allow selfishness, self-interest, love of ease, or any slight cause, to take away our interest in the cause of God? This very lack of zeal in the church is a token that the end is near. Christ said, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares, for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” Thus, when we see the church of Christ, who are looking for his coming, settling into a lack of zeal, it is itself a token that we are on enchanted ground, and that Satan is trying to blind our minds and dampen our zeal, that we may be overtaken by the day of God unawares. Rouse! brother, sister, to the conflict; the end surely approacheth.

How is the heart of the servant of God pained, after toiling through mud or cold to get to the place where he is to speak the word of life, desirous that all may be there, that all the church may be mutually benefited by those truths he has tried to select from the great store-house of truth, those truths pointing out to them their condition, their dangers, to find, alas! one and another are absent. Where are they? Oh! they have so zealously followed their labor through the week that they cannot muster energy enough to get to the place of meeting. Business meeting is called; all are requested to be there without fail, as matters of importance pertaining to the cause are to be considered. You get there and find two-thirds of the members, perhaps, present, the rest cannot spend time, or else think they have nothing to do but to feast on the truth; no burdens to bear; dodge every place where they think there is a burden. Will Christ say to such, “Well done?” Never. What have they done? Nothing. Are you dreaming of getting to Heaven “at this poor dying rate?” If so you may as well rouse from your slumber now, and cease your dreaming, or your slumber will be at last broken by that voice which will say, “Depart, I never knew you.”

A brother said to me not long since, “I have seen the time that I worked all day and then went three miles at night, to hear the truth preached, every night for a week; and I could do it again; and so could others find a way to get to meeting if they had that same interest they had then.” This is true, and may the Lord help us all to make the truth, and the things of the kingdom of God of the highest importance, so may we gain, not only eternal life, but that promise, “and all things else shall be added unto you.”

I tarried in Memphis over two Sabbaths, till Jan. 7, and held in all eleven meetings, besides attending several in which Bro. Cornell preached. One of these meetings was a business meeting, in which Systematic Benevolence was arranged for 1867. When it was first organized in Memphis, it was not exactly on the plan carried out by our churches in other places, and so it has been a tug to bring all of them up to the work. I suppose as they were involved in meeting-house matters, it was thought by those organizing, that the Conference would not expect much of Memphis, and so there was not that thoroughness on S. B. that should have been.

It is of the greatest importance that matters are started right, in organizing a church; then there is no falling back upon lame work, when an effort is made to bring the church up on higher ground. As I said to the Memphis brethren, “If you had been organized on S. B. upon the plan carried out by our other churches, you would have been raising means by system.” The Conference, in your condition, would have let you off measurably for a time on paying much to its funds, and your house would have been out of debt long ago, and you now would have been all in harmony with the body on these points.” The blame was not on the church at the time the S. B. was first organized; for, as they say, they were then willing to do anything that was shown to be duty. To my ministering brethren I would say, Let us not, out of false delicacy, fail to present the right principles before the church, and urge them to come up. Of course there is no compulsion in this matter, but all are left to develop character. But put the true principles fully before them to develop character by. Bro. Gurney had succeeded in raising the figures considerably before our visit; but at the above business meeting, another raise of some $80.00 was made.

The meetings in M. seemed to give a new impetus to the cause there. Some who were on the back ground were aroused to start anew, and some new ones made a start for the kingdom. The interest was such that it was deemed advisable for Bro. Cornell to remain and labor on, following up the interest with prayer-meetings, visiting from house to house, and lectures, which I have since learned were having a good effect. I left the place Monday, Jan. 7th, in good health and cheer, and came with Bro. Randall to Oakland.

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

Grand Rapids, Jan. 31, 1867.