San Francisco by John Norton Loughborough

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jan 27, 1876

San Francisco.

By John Norton Loughborough

SABBATH, Jan. 22, was a good day in San Francisco. A good representation from the Oakland church crossed the bay, and notwithstanding it was a rainy day, we had an audience of nearly one hundred Sabbath-keepers.

Bro. White had great liberty in speaking from the words in Deut. 8:2: “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no.”

After speaking of the way the Lord had led Israel from the sale of Joseph to the Egyptians, he spoke in general terms of the benefits to be derived by our remembering the past, even in keeping our failures and mistakes before us; not to mourn over forgiven sins, but as a warning and admonition for the future.

He then spoke of the way the Lord had led us as a people in this cause. How it started in poverty; how men were moved out to sacrifice then; how God had blessed, so that those who gave three-fourths and even four-fifths of all they had on earth to this cause in its infancy, had never been left to suffer, but unto some of them God had restored four-fold. The mention of cases and circumstances was very interesting to all, especially to those who have newly come to the faith. God is good, and this cause has evident tokens of the hand of God in it, causing it to rise.

After a brief intermission, and a few remarks by the writer, a social meeting was held, in which heart-felt gratitude was expressed for the way the Lord has led and preserved the vine in that city, and especially guided in the meeting-house enterprise.

The dedication service was appointed for the evening of the 23d. But on that evening we had the most violent rain-storm we have experienced this season. But few could get together of the many who desired to be present at the dedication, so the service was postponed until more settled weather.

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.