Meetings in Wisconsin by I. Sanborn

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 19, 1872

Meetings in Wisconsin.

By I. Sanborn

FEBRUARY 3 and 4, I preached three times at Monroe. The meetings were solemn and interesting. The church at Monroe have never been so united, and in the enjoyment of the good work of the Lord since the message was first preached there, as at the present time; and while the influence of the mistakes made by some in the past, are dying away, the influence and power of the truth of the third angel's message is continually gaining influence upon the minds of the candid.

On the evening of the 5th of February I commenced a series of meetings six miles north of Monroe, in an entirely new field. The interest increased from the beginning. The professing portion of the community became so stirred up by the Lord's word that they became anxious to have some one come and settle the question; and after I had preached a little more than a week, I gave notice that on the next Sunday, at 10 A. M., we would have a Bible-class, in which I wanted every one to take a part. When the hour arrived, we were happily disappointed to find a full house with George Ely and Dr. Monroe, both strong leading Disciple men; the former one quite a preacher.

We first spent one hour in examining all of the texts ever offered in favor of Sunday-keeping, and, finding nothing in its favor, we then spent one hour more investigating evidences in favor of the seventh day. By this time, it was becoming quite evident that the faith of many in Sunday-keeping was getting quite sickly, and in some it was actually dying; but Eld. Ely, seeing the dilemma that the congregation was in, proposed to read an article from the standard Disciple paper which he wrote some time last summer, to settle the minds of some of his brethren in Missouri, in which he tried to show that the Sabbath was Jewish, and that the law was done away, comparing Seventh-day Adventists to Mahometans and Mormons, representing them as dupes following mother White, etc. In the evening, I spoke on the sealing of the law among the disciples. Eld. E. acknowledged that the arguments were too deep for him, but promised to look into them.

On Friday evening following, Eld. Sherwood preached a sermon against the law and the Sabbath, which I reviewed with good effect. On Monday evening following, the Methodist people brought Eld. Bushbee (Methodist) from Monroe, considered a champion, and, as a boaster, I question if his match can be found in his denomination of people. I met him in my work at Waterloo, Grant Co., four years ago; he made an effort against the truth there, and utterly failed, the people being judges. So in this case, I could not get him to affirm his faith on the Sunday Sabbath; and, as he

would stay but one evening, I would not affirm on the Sabbath question; but finally he agreed to speak twenty minutes about with me, without any stated proposition.

He led out, dealing largely in sarcasm and misapplications of Scripture, denying that God made the heavens, and earth, and sea, and all that in them is, in six days of twenty-four hour periods; and that the fourth commandment was as faithfully obeyed by keeping Sunday or Monday as in keeping Saturday, the seventh day.

I answered, by calling the attention of the candid assembly to Ex. 16, showing that God interpreted to the people the obligations of the fourth commandment by giving the manna on the six laboring days, and withholding it on the seventh day which he declared was the Sabbath day; I also showed the people that the holy women kept the Sabbath according to the commandment, the day before the resurrection of Christ, Luke 23:50; and that God said that the resurrection day, was the first day of the week, and that the day before was the seventh day of the week according to the commandment. I also showed that the day before Pentecost God positively declared to be the Sabbath.

These facts took the wind out of his sails; so he began to make assertions about Sunday being the Sabbath, the Lord's day, etc., but failed to give us one text to prove it. We were satisfied, when the investigation closed, that the Sunday Sabbath had lost much of its power and influence over the people, and that the Sabbath of the Lord had gained much respect in the minds of many.

Before the Elder left, I offered to discuss the following propositions with him in the Methodist meeting-house in Monroe:

1. Resolved, That the Bible teaches that the seventh-day Sabbath, commonly called Saturday, was made at creation, and is binding upon all men.

2. Resolved, That the Bible teaches that the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, is the Lord's day, and that the Lord's people should keep it according to the commandment.

I also offered to discuss the same propositions with Eld. Allen (Methodist). Elds. Bushbee and Allen both refused to discuss the second proposition, but would accept the first. I declined to discuss the first, unless they would the second.

It remains to be seen whether they have confidence enough in the Sunday Sabbath to undertake to defend it by the word of God, as their faith and teaching on the Sunday Sabbath is clearly set forth in the second proposition which I have offered to discuss with them.

The result of my labor for four weeks in the Parr district, is that from ten to fifteen have commenced to keep the Sabbath. Many others are almost persuaded to keep it, but are hoping that their ministers will yet accept and discuss the Sunday question, and show that Sunday is the Sabbath after all. But after they learn that their ministers have not confidence enough in their Sunday Sabbath to undertake to defend it by the word of God in an honorable Christian discussion, the probability is that many more will embrace the Sabbath of the Lord according to the commandment. See Luke 23:50.

I. SANBORN.

Monroe, Wis., March 4, 1872.