REPORT FROM BRO. BYINGTON.
By John Byington
AFTER leaving our Monthly Meeting at Tompkins, the 2d inst., which was a heart-searching time, I came home with Bro. Bramhall and staid over night. First-day morning I rode to Albion, and heard Elder Robinson, a Methodist minister, preach a part of the day, and spent a few hours in conversation with him and his wife, who, in York State, was as one of our family. Elder R. said he agreed with us in two points that others did not: the gifts of the Spirit to be retained in the church, and the pre-millennial advent of our Saviour, or soon-coming of Christ. He has been reading of late some of our publications. While at Elder R.'s, a Methodist brother by the name of Snyder came in. He had led the class at meeting. We were talking on Spiritualism. He said he had thought that Advent people did the most harm of any people, but now thought that Spiritualists exceeded them in wrong. He said that the Adventists had lately had a tent-meeting at Owosso, and at the eclipse very much alarmed the people by saying that it was a token of the Lord's soon coming; and they were now so alarmed that they were selling their farms and houses at Owosso. I told him I had just been to Owosso, and had visited every family of Seventh-day Adventists, and I knew there was not a word of truth in the statement. He said he had it from a young brother, a member of the M. E. church in Owosso, and thought it must be true. I then appealed to Sister R. for the veracity of my word. She said he might depend on what I said. This Bro. Snyder said if he should keep the Seventh-day he then must keep two days, as the Bible taught that we must keep the first-day to commemorate the resurrection. I asked him to find one verse where the first-day was called the Sabbath, and then I would give up the seventh-day. He thought there were three, but did not know for certainty that the word Sabbath was in them. Elder R. listened to our remarks. Here our conversation closed, as they had to go to their afternoon meeting.