Men and Things by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 28, 1871

Men and Things.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

METHODIST UNITY.

Paul exhorted his brethren to be of one mind, to have the same judgment, to speak the same thing—in short, to be all united. How far our Methodist friends do this, is well shown by the following from one of their leading men, Rev. T. M. Eddy. He says:—

“In this beautiful city, where the memory of Methodism is most fragrant, the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, the Methodist Protestant Church, the Independent Methodist churches, the United Brethren, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the African Zion Methodist Episcopal Church, confront each other.”

Seven sects of Methodists in one city! This hardly looks like the church Paul describes in Eph. 4, “One Lord, one faith, one hope,” etc. This does not appear much like the near approach of the millennium!

MODERN REVIVALS.

We are in the midst of the annual revival season, and the papers, both religious and secular, are full of glowing reports of wonderful conversions, revivals, additions to the churches, &c. One would almost think the whole country was turning to the Lord. Forty in one school-house, one hundred in a village, and three to five hundred in another. Surely God must be in such a work! And then such mighty manifestations of the Spirit and power of God in conversion! Who can doubt? But was not this same thing repeated last winter, and the winter before, and for years in the past? Certainly. What has been the result? Very generally, a few weeks or months is the longest that the most of them hold out. Few of them survive the August drought. They wither away like the grain in the parable. Matt. 13. The next winter finds them fit subjects for another revival. They come back and are converted and counted over again.

What could more completely fulfill the prophecy of Hosea, 5: 6, 7, “Now shall a month devour them with their portions.” A striking illustration of this lately came directly under my observation. I was holding meetings in a certain place. The plain truth without any excitement, and against much opposition, brought out some thirty-five souls to obey the Lord in the present truth. Immediately after this, one of these revivals was started in the same house. Several ministers officiated. By animated singing, &c., the necessary excitement was raised. Mourners came forward. The Spirit of God, as was claimed, came down, there was a shout in the camp, and powerful conversions and bright experiences were reported.

I was in one evening, and noticed what occurred. Continual singing for hours was the most powerful means that was brought to bear upon the congregation to move them. Several young persons came forward, and were powerfully exercised. The ministers said it was the blessing and power of God that caused it. But I lost some confidence in this when I learned that this was the sixth winter that some of these had gone through the same process, having back-slidden every summer.

However, shortly afterward I saw a note in the county paper stating what a fine work had been done at this place, the large number that had been converted, &c. As this is copied from paper to paper, it will sound very well indeed. But the poor Adventists were not noticed at all, though many more had come out under their efforts than under all the others’!

Five weeks passed, and I returned to the same place. Not one, not a soul, of those who had embraced present truth, had given up. All were firm. I inquired after the fruits of the revival; and so far as I could learn, there was very little or none remaining. One evening we were somewhat disturbed in our meetings by some thoughtless and fun-loving young people. Among them I noticed three of those who came out in the revival only five weeks before! Some of these were the most noisy and marked of those conversions. On inquiry, I found that they did not profess any religion now. Surely, thought I, “a month shall devour them.”

These are sad facts, but they are very common ones, and are becoming more numerous. What is the trouble? They need the truth, God’s present truth, with which to reach and effectually convert souls. D. M. CANRIGHT.