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Sabbath Agitation

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 30, 1866

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 28, No. 22.

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Sabbath Agitation.

Our brethren of the Seventh-day Baptist denomination, are making zealous and commendable efforts to spread abroad the light on the Sabbath question. Our readers will be interested in the following report made to the Executive Board of the American Sabbath Tract Society, which we find in the Sabbath Recorder, of Oct. 18, 1866. While we think it is more difficult to reach the subjects they have chosen to work upon, that is, ministers and theological students, than other classes of people, yet we rejoice in the fact that the light is being set before them, and would that it might be abundantly successful in turning them to an observance of the fourth commandment.
“TO THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE AMERICAN SABBATH TRACT SOCIETY:
“Brethren,—Your Committee to circulate tracts through the medium of the mails, beg leave to present the following report:
“Carrying out your instructions, your Committee obtained the names of those Baptist clergymen in New England, to whom the work of James Gilfillan on the Sabbath had been sent by the New York Sabbath Committee. In doing this, the names of the clerks and deacons in many of the churches were obtained, and to these, in the larger churches, packages were also sent. In this way, about eight hundred and fifty packages, of one hundred and thirty pages each, were sent to Baptists within the bounds of New England, making an aggregate of one hundred and ten thousand, five hundred pages.
“Your Committee next procured a revised list for 1866 of the Congregational ministers in the United States, and proceeded to send to the more prominent ones in New England, packages, each containing one hundred and seventy-four pages. Knowing that the question of Sunday cars and Sunday papers had been considerably discussed in the cities of Chicago, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and New York, during the past winter, packages were sent to the Congregational ministers in each of those cities, and also to the Methodists of Philadelphia.
“Believing the minds of young men designing to enter the ministry to be soil favorable to the growth of truth, packages were also sent to the theological students in the different Colleges and Theological Seminaries in the East and in the city of New York. Thus at least six hundred and fifty packages were sent, to Pedo-baptists mainly, making an aggregate of one hundred and thirteen thousand one hundred pages, which, together with those sent to Baptists, make a total of two hundred and twenty-three thousand and six hundred pages. In addition to this, not a few have been distributed in and about Westerly, R. I., under the oversight of your Committee, making not less than two hundred and twenty-five thousand pages, which have been put in circulation by your Committee since their appointment in January last. Thus we have done our work as seemed most wise, and willingly leave the result with Him who has declared that his word shall not return unto him void.
“Your Committee have made no charges for time or stationery, reserving all of your appropriation to be applied to the necessary expense of postage, (each package was sent for two cents,) wrapping, and mailing. A few dollars remain on hand at this date, which will be expended as soon as the packages can be wrapped.
“In the opinion of your Committee, the work is a good one, and well calculated to aid in the cause of truth.”
Another writer in the same paper, under the heading of “The Sabbath Cause,” says:
“The Spirit of God is stirring the hearts of our people for a great coming agitation. The signs are already beginning to appear. Are they not seen in the increasing interest and new exertions? Does it not seem that God is raising a barrier against the rising tide of error—valiant defenders of his holy law, against those who make it void, when such are most needed? The leaders in the Sunday cause, by redoubled efforts, are seeking public attention, and agitating the public mind, ploughing the soil, as they have never done before; and now is seed-time, and we must sow bountifully. While they sow error, we must sow truth or we shall be false to our mission, and shall become an abomination in the sight of the God of Truth. If we do our duty, we shall add much to the agitating forces, and truth will take root, and bear fruit abundantly. Let us renew the contest, without wavering. Let us have courage invincible, to “fight it out on the line” which the great Lawgiver “made for man.”