California by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 13, 1872

California.

By John Norton Loughborough

In my last I made some reference to the Jenks’ tract which has lately appeared from Petaluma, in which an effort is made to establish Sunday keeping on the authority of the fathers. I gave also a couple of extracts, showing how the tract was spoken of in the prints here. The Pacific Churchman is the organ of the Episcopalian denomination on this coast, and is the paper through whose columns Mr. Jenks’ articles first appeared. It comes out against the article of the Pacific with the following in its Number of Dec. 7, 1871:—

“Mr. Jenks’ tract upon the ‘Lord’s Day in the Early Church’ is meeting with favorable reception almost everywhere, as it deserves. The Pacific has a long and on the whole favorable notice of it, but the following extract is somewhat peculiar:

“‘We are glad that Mr. Jenks has met the Sabbatarians on their own ground, and yet we cannot avoid expressing the opinion that the root of the matter lies deeper, and that what is wanted is an entire abandonment of the Old Testament standpoint, and a firm adherence to the evangelical platform, from which all ‘dead’ works and ‘rudiments of the flesh’ are swept away, and where faith and love take the place of all ceremonies, observances, and prohibitions, whatever. ‘He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.’ Romanism is a return to the Jewish standpoint so complete and extensive that it makes the attempts of the Protestant sects to do the same look very small indeed.’

“‘Surely the Pacific does not mean that the moral law as given in the decalogue is to be ‘abandoned.’ We know that the ‘Plymouth Brethren’ advocate some such notion, but did not quite look for it from a Congregationalist. It is true that ‘Romanism is a return to the Jewish standpoint,’ but it is not so much a return as the Puritans undertook to make;—these last, in fact, are the most inveterate Judaizers of the latter days. The word ‘Sabbath,’ which is constantly upon their tongues is a standing witness of this, and the whole terminology and temper of Congregationalism are essentially that of the Old Testament rather than of the New. This is what puzzles us in the above criticism. The fact evidently is that the Pacific does not like the mode of the argument. It is a two-edged sword, and one Congregationalists do not like. Mutatis mutandis, let Mr. Jenks or any one apply it to the Episcopacy and there will be a flutter in the Congregationalist camp. There is not one argument, we believe, for the ‘first day,’ but is equally good for the three-fold ministry. It should seem scarcely necessary to add, that St. Paul, in the above text, alludes to the Jewish and not to the Christian ‘Sabbath.’”

The force of this expression concerning the three-fold ministry will be apparent, when it is remembered that the strong fort of Episcopalians in their ideas of the Episcopacy, is the testimony of the fathers.

I am glad to learn that Bro. Andrews will give this tract some attention ere long. It is strange how people are willing to leave the plain word of God for human traditions, but we must patiently and earnestly strive to show them the difference between the Lord’s word and that of men.

When I was writing my last report we were having the first heavy rain of the season, but it has continued to rain more or less for the last twenty-six days, and the fall of rain up to this writing is about thirty inches. It has been quite difficult getting about, and is getting to be more muddy every day. With all this I have had some very interesting and encouraging meetings.

Dec. 22, I was at Bloomfield. Had a good meeting in the evening. We parted, expecting to meet the next day (Sabbath); but at 5 A. M., Sabbath morning, I was awakened by Bro. Palmer, in whose house I was stopping, by the words: “Bro. Loughborough, will you let me take your gum coat, to go out and see to the cow and horses? We are all afloat. The town is the worst flooded I ever saw it.” Sure enough; I found on looking out of the window that Bloomfield looked more like a vast lake with houses anchored in it than anything else. The poor cow stood frightened, the water nearly up to her back. No meeting that day. Sunday, at 11 o’clock, the water had so subsided that we got together and had a meeting over three hours long. In this meeting we commenced the organization of a church with eleven members. Others will unite who were not able to get there at that time. We also organized a missionary society on the plan proposed in the REVIEW, Vol. xxxviii, No. 18. Our meeting was encouraging to those who could attend. I succeeded in reaching Santa Rosa, a distance of fifteen miles, by Tuesday noon.

The week following, at Green Valley, I lost three appointments out of four by violent rain.

I had opportunity for one meeting, which was solemn and interesting, and I trust may be of lasting benefit to those who were permitted to assemble. I had opportunity to converse with some on first-day; but the rain was so violent as to prevent meeting.

On my return from Green Valley, I went to San Francisco, where I held four meetings, besides some extra business sessions. I found the company there of good courage, united, and though subjected to some business perplexities, some of them, in consequence of keeping the Sabbath, their faith and trust is in God; and he smiles upon them in their effort to make “a covenant with him by sacrifice.”

I found Bro. Cornell with improving health, in good spirits, and trying to do his part in the work there. Our first meeting, on the evening of Jan. 4, was a business meeting, and our first business was to hear the report of a committee who were previously appointed to receive and dispose of jewelry that members had on hand, so as to use the means in advancing the cause of truth. The committee made a substantial report. Some nineteen dollars in coin were laid on the stand, and a bar of bullion composed of the balance of the jewelry, which had been melted, and assayed by a Christian assayer gratis. The bar bore his stamp as worth over fifty-two dollars in coin. So the proceeds of their jewelry fund was over seventy dollars.

According to previous arrangements some twelve dollars of this was appropriated to purchasing articles necessary for the ordinances, and the balance reserved to be attached to the funds of the missionary society when it should be organized.

We then proceeded to organize a missionary society, adopting the constitution recommended in Review, Vol. xxxviii, No. 18, fixing upon $1.00 as the price for memberships. Over thirty have already given in their names as members of this missionary society.

I had also three solemn and interesting meetings for preaching and religious worship. At the close of the discourse on the Sabbath we had our first communion season. The season was solemn and impressive. While Bro. Cornell was gone to Healdsburg on Sunday to attend the funeral of sister Annie Poole, the married daughter of the wife of Bro. Kellogg, I gave two more discourses to interested and attentive audiences. Four more members were united with the church while I was in San Francisco, and two others request baptism and admission into the church. Next week, the meetings are to be moved back to the Harrison Street Church, as we now have the privilege of occupying it part of the time on Sunday, which we could not do when we had it before. It is a much more comfortable and convenient place than the hall we have been occupying.

Systematic Benevolence pledges for the church in San Francisco, already amount to over $1100.00 per year in coin. We expect more will be added to this by others who contemplate uniting with the church. Bro. Cornell is writing some important and interesting articles during this rainy time, and speaking twice a week in the city. Union and harmony prevail in the meetings of the church. May God keep, bless, and add to their graces, and add to their numbers such as shall be saved.

Since returning to Santa Rosa I have received a letter from Bro. Otis, of Gilroy, who, with his wife, are non-resident members of the San Francisco church. Without knowing what we were doing in San Francisco, he and his companion were moved upon to dispose of their gold jewels, and have done so. They report eighteen dollars in coin as the proceeds of their sale, to be used as tract fund.

There seems, on the whole, to be a desire in the hearts of the Lord’s people on this coast to get nearer and still nearer to the Lord. For the fostering and encouragement of such desires, and for the further spread of the truth, I will patiently and earnestly strive to labor, the Lord being my helper. Without him, our efforts are vain.

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

Santa Rosa, Jan. 12, 1872.