The Indiana Camp-meeting.
By George I. Butler
THIS was the closing camp-meeting of the season, and we trust it has been an important meeting for the interests of the cause in the State. We were very sorry that we could not commence the meeting with the appointment, Wednesday, but waited till Thursday afternoon and then commenced with a very small audience. The friends of the cause suffered a loss from this which we were sorry for on their account. Finally, however, there was quite a general attendance, and the meeting was said to be the largest assemblage of S. D. Adventists ever held in Indiana. The larger portion of those present have not held their present views very long, but seem zealous and firmly established in their faith. Most of our meetings were held under the large sixty-foot tent recently purchased for the State. The destruction of the old one last summer will, in this way, really prove a blessing, as they now have as fine a tent as any we have seen. The brethren took into consideration the matter of forming a State Conference, as suggested by the General Conference at its last session. And as Michigan, with which they have been connected formerly in one Conference, was willing they should separate if they thought the common cause could be better advanced by so doing, it was decided to organize the Indiana Conference of S. D. Adventists. This was accordingly done, while an appropriate resolution of thanks was passed, expressing gratitude to the brethren of Michigan for their past watchcare and interest in behalf of Indiana. The proceedings of the meeting and the names of the officers selected will be published in REVIEW. We think the move was a good one, and hope it will result in greater energy and increased interest in behalf of the cause we all love. A resolution, requesting the Brn. Lane to labor in the State, in the future, was unanimously passed. The brethren have accepted the plan of Systematic Benevolence, and we see no reason why we may not now look for a strong forward movement of the work in that State. Indiana seems to be a good field for labor, and the brethren seem to be zealously affected toward the cause, and determined to do something in the work. Our devotional meetings were not all I could have wished, yet we trust were profitable. The preaching was mostly of a practical character, designed to show that theory would never save us alone. A character conformed to the principles of the divine law, and the pattern set for us by the Lord Jesus Christ, must be ours if we dwell in the presence of a holy God. Not merely the intellect, but the heart, also, must be converted. We trust our brethren there will act upon these suggestions. They manifested an interest to do so. On Sabbath day there was a movement among the people in response to the call for those who desired prayers; and some good confessions were made. On Sunday we had quite a crowd, who gave good attention to the word spoken. On Monday we closed our meeting with a baptism, in which four were buried with their Lord. And thus our camp-meeting season closed up. No one can go over the field for the first time, and meet with the friends of the cause in the different States, as I have done this season, without being deeply impressed that this is a great work. And yet our people are a unit. They are one on all the great principles of truth. They are laboring for a common purpose. And I trust they realize more and more the importance of maintaining a high and exalted standard of morality and religion. Without this, we shall inevitably fail of accomplishing our work. With it we must succeed, for we have the truth for this time, and God works with his truth when its defenders live in him, and walk with him. Battle Creek, Mich., Sept. 29, 1872.