Untitled article by H. F. Phelps

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, July 16, 1867

A HOLIDAY, A FAST-DAY.

By H. F. Phelps

The turning a holiday into a fast, is no doubt a strange idea to the world, and we might add with truth, full as much, if not more so, to professors of religion generally; for indeed they are becoming more and more, pleasure seekers in every sense of the word. All holidays are held in high esteem by them. They join hand and hand with the world. Look, and tell me; can you at any of these public assemblies discern any difference between a professor of the religion, of Jesus, and a man of the world, who is a moral man? If there be any difference, it would, I fear, be in favor of the latter. This would be the rule. There are exceptions. They have become “lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God.” Whither are they drifting? Going to convert the world? The world has converted them, so that they need to learn again the first principles of religion, and again do their first works. They are fast drifting down to the awful gulf of everlasting destruction.

Reader, where are you? Are you in this company? If so I beseech you to pause for one moment. The final leap will soon come. Stop before you reach that point. A little company are to be gathered together before the decree bring forth, who will be found keeping all the commandments of God.

Even now, in the midst of darkness and superstition upon all sides, we can see a little company coming out, heeding the call, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” They are a little company; they are despised; they are the poor in relation to this world; but they want to be rich in faith. They esteem the pleasures of the world of no worth. They seek the society of the good; they long for more consecration to the work of God. And in view of their unworthiness, and lack of spirituality, they change a feast-day into a fast, leave the busy world, and meet together to worship God. The good Spirit of God is present with them. It works in the hearts of those present. They confess their faults one to another. They cry to God for help. God hears, owns and blesses them. All receive new strength as they covenant anew to serve the Lord better than they have in the past, and they feel indeed, “that it is better to be a door keeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness for a season.”

Thus the little company felt who gathered at Oronoco, Minn., July 4, and we doubt not that it was thus with all who earnestly sought the Lord on that day, not only in this state, but in other fields, where our brethren, feeling that when one member suffers, all suffer with it, met to worship God. We believe that none felt that it was a sacrifice made in vain.

H. F. PHELPS.

Pine Island, Minn.