The Trend of the Conference
By George B. Thompson
THE same good spirit which attended the opening of the conference continues to manifest itself daily. The spiritual atmosphere which surrounds the work of the conference is exceedingly encouraging. Thus far the utmost unity has prevailed in all the deliberations. The one all-absorbing theme which seems to rest upon the heart of every delegate is how this great message which has been committed to this people, and for which they have been sacrificing for a half century, can be speedily carried to all the world, and the glorious day of God be ushered in. It is a real missionary conference. There are occasions which indicate from time to time the marked presence of the Lord, and which tend to increase faith in the speedy triumph of the message. One such time was the second day of the conference, when the first meeting of the “surprise party” enterprise was held, and gifts aggregating some six thousand dollars for the work in Washington were laid on the table. Truly,— “They brought their gifts to Jesus,
And laid them at his feet;
And love for this dear Saviour
Made every offering sweet.” The signal blessing of God was present upon this occasion. If any in attendance were disposed to question the wisdom of the steps taken in removing the headquarters of our work to Washington, this meeting was calculated to dispel the doubts. The occasion furnished another of the many infallible proofs which have been given that the plan of locating in the capital of the nation is of heaven, and not of men. The first Sabbath of the conference was a day of marked blessing. The churches of Washington met with the delegates and visitors, and a large number spent the whole day upon the grounds. All were privileged to again listen to words of counsel from Sister White, who spoke with unusual freedom and power. Her admonitions to unity were exceedingly helpful. The call was for affirmative, and not negative work, and a stirring exhortation was given to any who had been working negatively to repent at this meeting, that the blessing of the Lord might flow into the conference. In the afternoon Elder E. W. Farnsworth spoke on our message. The Spirit of God witnessed greatly to the words spoken. With his old-time power this servant of the Lord gave a trumpet call to return to the proclaiming of the message as given in former days. In a forcible way it was pointed out that it was a belief in Rev. 14: 6-12 that had made us a separate and distinct people, and that in order to give this great threefold message to the world with “a loud voice” we must believe it; that no weakling in faith, who is halting and hesitating, and not quite sure as to our position, can in any sense of the word give this message in the way in which it must be given in order that the whole earth may be enlightened with its glory. His earnest words thrilled every heart, and the hearty “amens” heard indicated that the message given found a ready response in the hearts of those present. The testimonies borne in the social meeting which followed were inspiring, and as our aged laborers and others expressed their confidence in the triumph of the message, not in some changed form, but just as God committed it to us in the beginning, the message was kindled anew in our hearts. Power for God’s people in the closing days of the controversy against sin will not be found in some new notions which are calculated to obscure or remove altogether the old landmarks, but will be found in the third angel’s message. The entire time of the conference is not given over to business, as is frequently the case in such large gatherings. The ministerial institute, planned to run through the entire conference, is of great interest. The studies concerning the work of the gospel ministry are very helpful. It is refreshing at this meeting to see and hear the work of the gospel ministry given the place which God has ordained that it should fill. A strong indication of the proportions to which the work of this message has attained is seen in the resolution passed to hold the sessions of the General Conference once in four years. The time is not long past when the work of this message was so small that the delegates could easily come together annually in General Conference. The work continued to grow until it seemed that once in two years was often enough to bring delegates together from the distant fields. Now the work has spread until the earth has been girdled, and in every land the faithful messengers of the Lord are spreading this message, and the work has now become so large that it has become impossible to call the delegates from all over the world, and it was thought advisable to hold our next world’s conference four years hence. For the progress this indicates, we thank the Lord and take courage.