Report from the Wisconsin Tent.
By J. Sanborn; D. Downer
We have now been here at Liberty Pole two weeks, and have preached twenty sermons. We have four sermons in the tent every first-day, three in English and one by Bro. Olson in Norwegian, to quite a number of attentive Norwegians, who are very intelligent, candid people. The regular minister of the Methodist church told his people yesterday, at two o’clock, that he was acquainted with Adventism from the beginning, and he knew it all to be the work of the devil. It was all false from the beginning. He had a Congregationalist minister with him to preach for him. They both boasted of their learning, forgetting, I suppose, that Paul had said that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. 1 Cor. 3: 19. As I was present and heard these brethren’s remarks, I thought I would give them a chance to defend their faith and put down error, or what they called the work of the devil. So I offered them a chance to discuss the following propositions: 1. I affirm that the Bible teaches that the Seventh-day Sabbath was made at creation, and is, by virtue of the fourth commandment, binding on Jew and Gentile. 2. They affirm that the Bible teaches that Sunday is the Lord’s day, and that the Lord’s people should keep it holy. 3. They affirm also that the Bible teaches that man now has an immortal soul that shall never die. They utterly refused to enter into a discussion of these propositions, admitting that I had offered everything that was fair and honorable; for when they refused to discuss, I offered them the privilege of preaching in the tent on alternate evenings till they could show the people the falsehoods they claimed we were teaching. This they also declined to do. This has caused the public here to feel very doubtful in regard to the teachings that they had received from these men. Our congregations are steadily increasing, with a deepening interest. The greatest solemnity attends all our meetings. Last night while I spoke on the operation of the new-covenant work on the heart of God’s people, I think I never before saw a congregation more deeply affected. At the close of the sermon, we gave all in the tent who were willing to let God write his law in their hearts and print it in their thoughts, and thereby they be enabled to keep his Sabbath, to rise up, when quite a number arose. Many more are deeply convicted, and will soon obey. The tent company feel very much encouraged to labor on in humility, so that the Lord can work with us; for he says, Without me ye can do nothing. Brethren and sisters, pray for us, that we may keep ourselves humble and in the love of God; studying to show ourselves workmen approved unto God, that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word, that many sinners may be converted, the cause of God advanced, and his name honored and glorified. Liberty Pole, Vernon Co., Wis., Aug. 22, 1870.