The Camp-Meetings by James White

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Oct 28, 1875

The Camp-Meetings.

By James White

We give this week Elder Canright’s report in the Review and Herald of the excellent camp-meeting in Indiana, the last one of the season. Elder Smith sums up in the same paper the success of the camp-meeting season in the following cheering words:

Fifteen camp-meetings in all have been held, twelve of which we have attended. We have seen much good accomplished; but the full results of the meetings we shall know only when, from the eternal world, we look back upon these scenes of earthly labors. Probably not far from six thousand Sabbath-keepers, in all, have attended these different meetings. And most of these expressed verbally a determination to make a better record in the Christian life for time to come, than in the past. If all these resolutions are carried out, what an army of workers will there be in the field the coming year; and what results may we not expect from their labors.

In nearly every Conference, notwithstanding the scarcity of laborers, there has been an apparent growth. Forty-four new churches have been received into the various Conferences, eleven strong men have been ordained to the work of the ministry, and a good number have for the first time received license to present the truth to the people. Every meeting at which it has been our privilege to be present has closed with a triumphant influence in favor of the truth and the cause. There have been, in some instances, seasons of darkness and periods of labor; as it would be very singular if the enemy did not at such important meetings make his heaviest assaults upon us; but light has broken in, freedom has been gained, and victory has turned on the side of the Lord’s cause. We believe that invariably the meetings have had a reviving influence upon the cause in the various States, and those who attended have gone from them with new hope and courage, to labor with fresh and increasing ardor in the cause we love.

And the effect upon those without, so far as we have been able to learn, has been good. Some, of course, can look upon the work of S. D. Adventists only through the colored and distorting goggles of prejudice and opposition. But the more solid and sensible portion of the people in the vicinity of the various meetings, have been impressed with the good order maintained, the spirit of sobriety manifested, and the earnest presentation of the points of our faith. And their manner has seemed to say, in as plain language as words, Here is something worthy of our attention and investigation. So ears are everywhere open to listen to these things, and calls are everywhere rising on the air for the living preacher to come and tell them what these things mean. The work is growing upon our hands, and the field is spreading out before us into marvelous proportions. The papers have been full and favorable in their notices of the meetings, thus bringing this movement so prominently to the attention of the people, that we cannot, henceforth, do our work in a corner if we would. In all this we acknowledge the hand of the Lord of the harvest, and the leader of all the armies of his truth.

With the most unfeigned and lively pleasure, we think of the many new acquaintances we have formed from Maine to Iowa, during these meetings, and the many words of good cheer, and offices of kindness received from them. They have our thanks. Never before have we been able to appreciate so fully what the truth is doing in rallying so many noble souls around its banner. Not to boast, but to honor the precious truth of God, and to magnify his name, we boldly say that we do not believe any cause having no greater number of adherents, can show such an amount of moral worth as has

been developed by this message. We have been deeply impressed with the fact that we are seeing a fulfillment of the words uttered by the seer of Patmos, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Some thousands of them we already have seen. Others we shall be happy to see, if the providence of God so permit. And soon we hope to meet them all clothed in fadeless robes of light around the great white throne.

We were with Elder Smith in ten of the eastern camp-meetings, which were all seasons of great freedom in preaching the word, and social services. These meetings all closed triumphantly. Not so with the California Camp-meeting. Much good was indeed accomplished at this meeting, but by the hardest effort. We never met a people with so little of the spirit of labor and care for souls on them as at the California Camp-meeting. Men and women were reached, and at the last of the meeting a little army of youth and children were moved. But by the hardest effort these were brought, as it were, right over the heads of their parents, and the church generally. After passing by four large camp-meetings of our earnest eastern people, where there is perfect union and confidence, in order to meet with our brethren in this State, we were poorly prepared to meet the condition of things existing here. A great work is yet to be done for our people in California, which they themselves must be able to see when contrasting their own condition with that of our more devoted and trusting people across the plains. It is the privilege of this people, however, to return to the Lord that he may return to them, so that their next year’s camp-meeting may be the best of the fifteen.

J. W.