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Report from Illinois Tent

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 6, 1870

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 36, No. 12.

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Report from Illinois Tent.

By T. M. STEWARD; R. F. ANDREWS

OUR meetings are still progressing in interest. We are encouraged to think that some honest souls will receive the truth. Sabbath, the 20th, we held our first Sabbath meeting. There were some fifteen present who were keeping their first Sabbath. Some expressed with tears their gratitude to God for sending them the light of his precious truth.
The Lord has been with us to aid in the presentation of his truth, and has attended it by the influence of his Holy Spirit, and it has made, and is making, deep impressions on many hearts; and we feel that all the honor is due to his blessed name. Our prayer is that God may enable us by his grace to get so low before him, that he can use us as instruments to build up his cause.
The dragon is growling some. The Catholics have threatened to cut down our tent, and some of the ministers of the place are doing what they can by using the keep-away argument among the people. One minister, however, thinks he can straighten out this matter, and demonstrate to the people that we are heretical. So he came into our tent and challenged us to debate the Sabbath question with him. We feared that he was not the man to undertake this matter, as he was decidedly nervous, and excited; but as he urged the case, and the people were anxious to have the subject discussed, we consented, provided the question for debate would cover the ground of dispute between us, and that we could have rules passed that would insure good order during the discussion. He agreed to this, so we expect a discussion next week.
We would say to our brethren that have written us about labor in their different localities, and wonder why we came here where there were no brethren,that the Lord by his providence clearly pointed out this place, and we felt satisfied that it was his will we should pitch our tent here; and from the present indications it may be duty to stay here as long as it will answer to hold meetings in the tent. Brethren, pray for us, and for the success of the truth.
T. M. STEWARD. R. F. ANDREWS.