p. 198 | An Item from Adel

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 3, 1872

An Item from Adel.

The following, by H. Hull, which I clip from the Sabbath Recorder, was very interesting to me, and no doubt will be to those who labored with me in raising up that church. As will be seen, seeds were sown by our Seventh-day Baptist brethren. God gave us to reap the fruits.

TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION.

“Thy ways are past finding out. Thy truth shall continue unto all generations.”

Many years ago, there went a lone Sabbath-keeping family from Illinois to Central Iowa, and settled down to make a home. Years passed on, and in the providence of God, the family was broken up; the wife, still surviving the wreck, went East among her friends; but somehow, was not contented to stay, but returned, and settled again in the same town. Some four or five years since, Eld. O. P. Hull came to this beautiful land, to visit and lecture upon the Sabbath question. He soon obtained the ears of the people, and many turned out to hear the stranger. Infidel and Christian could but acknowledge the strength of the Scripture arguments then

presented. Time wore away, and the stranger went to his reward. Then came other strangers, and strangers they were. They put up their cloth meeting-house, and commenced their work, among other things teaching the people that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, and in due time, a Sabbath-keeping church was established to the glory of God, even in Adel.

How gloriously pleasant it was to meet this band—to behold the falling tear (not of sorrow, but of joy), to hear them testify of the satisfaction they feel in the present truth, embraced and practiced, the prospect of one day meeting and spending an eternal Sabbath, the antitype of the long-lost and neglected truth, and to hear them sing,

“Thine earthly Sabbath, Lord, we love, But there’s a nobler rest above;”

and to hear them say how thankful they were for the visit and encouraging words spoken to them by one of the dear Father’s messengers (Eld. N. V. Hull), two weeks since.

This church, though small, is strong. Their motto is, “In union there is strength.” I find they are earnestly pressing their views. Each one seems to be a missionary to spread the truth. I really thought, as a people, we might profit by their faithful and earnest work. Sabbath-keepers are invited to call and spend such time with them as they can spare, and they would be grateful to see Sabbath-keeping families settle in their midst.