The North England Conference
By E. E. Andross
I AM sure that our brethren and sisters in America will be glad to know that the Lord is blessing his work in England. For some time I have been wholly engaged in general work among the churches and companies, and in attending general meetings. I will not attempt to give a report of each visit, but will simply mention one case, that you may know how the Lord is working here. Several weeks ago I spent Sabbath and Sunday with one of our churches. Friday evening I spoke, and at the close of the service two young men remained to speak with me. Learning that we were to have baptismal service the following Sunday evening, they asked to be baptized. We accordingly arranged for a Bible study Sunday morning at half past ten o'clock. They were both present, and we took up a study on the law of God and the necessity of perfect obedience to all its precepts. They assented to this, but knowing that they were not keeping the Sabbath, I asked them if they observed the fourth commandment. They said they did. I asked again, “But do you keep the seventh day as the Sabbath?” They quickly responded, “We do.” “But,” I said again, “do you keep the Sabbath on Saturday?” They said, “No. Saturday is the sixth day.” They seemed perfectly honest in the thought that Saturday was the sixth day and Sunday the seventh. I was soon able to convince them that they were mistaken in this; and as they left, I placed some tracts in their hands for them to read, asking them to return to me at 2:30 P. M., when we would continue the study. They returned promptly, and one of them said that he was thoroughly convinced that Saturday is the Sabbath, and that he had decided to keep it. He was expecting to be confirmed in the church of England that same evening, and the clergyman called upon him to see about the matter just before he returned to me in the afternoon. I asked him if he did not think it would be well to wait a few weeks before being baptized, and in the meantime study the truth more thoroughly, then if he still wished baptism, I would gladly return and baptize him. He said, “But suppose I should die before you could return, what then? No; I do not wish to wait. Tell me all the truth now, and I will obey it at once.” I asked him if he was aware that to keep the Sabbath would probably mean the loss of his position. He said, “I have been a soldier for many years, and have faced death for my country and king, and now I stand ready to die for my Saviour; I will be obedient.” I could no longer refuse him baptism, but presented the different points of the faith to him, and he gladly accepted all, and that evening I led him down into the watery grave. As he came out, his face was lighted with holy joy. The next morning he went to his master and told him his decision, but instead of being dismissed, he was continued in his position as before. He has since been faithful in his obedience to the truth. The other young man drew back when it came to obedience to the Sabbath, and did not wish baptism under such conditions. Many similar cases have recently come to my notice, and it is with great joy that we carry the truth to these hungry souls. The only difficulty that we have to meet is the scarcity of laborers and means to answer the many urgent calls for some one to come and teach the people the way of life. By this I do not mean that the evil one is not at work here as in other parts of the world; for he is exceedingly active. Mormon teachers are pressing into almost every city and village, and are urging their deceptive doctrines upon the people. Many other false teachings are spreading with marvelous rapidity. Seeing the great readiness of thousands of people to receive the truth, and the intense activity of the enemy in his efforts to turn the hearts of the people away from the truth, we are driven to the Lord with the earnest prayer that he will quickly send forth more laborers into his vineyard, and that the people of God may just now place all—their means as well as themselves—upon the altar of consecration, that it may be used to save the many who are ready to perish. We are very thankful for the liberal contribution of two new tents to this conference—one forty-foot tent, by a friend in California, and one forty-by-sixty-foot tent by the Northern California Conference. If the Lord wills, in a few days tent meetings will begin in Manchester, Hull, and Leicester. Strong tent companies have been organized for each of these cities, and we ask the prayers of God's people that success may attend all these efforts.