California Camp-Meeting.
By James White
The California Camp-meeting and State Conference were held near Yountville, Sept. 17–23. We have received accounts of this wonderful meeting by letters from several persons, and all agree that the expectations of the people were greatly exceeded. Having had great interest in the California Mission from the first, and having spent five months in the State, embracing parts of 1872–3, under most discouraging circumstances, the news of this good camp-meeting is most cheering. And as we are invited to do so by Bro. Loughborough, we are very happy to quote largely from these private letters for the REVIEW. They are addressed to us in an easy, familiar style, and are a brief daily report, written under the inspiration of the meeting. Many of our readers will doubtless catch the inspiration, and, as they read, really enjoy the California Camp-meeting by their own firesides. Bro. Loughborough writes on the camp-ground, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 1873— “Here we are on the camp-ground, fifty-nine tents erected, and at least four hundred people on the ground. Many were disappointed that there is no help present from the East, yet they all seem to say that they will take hold to seek God for themselves. “First service at 2 P. M. to-day. I spoke from these words: ‘Will He not come to the feast?’ The power of God came upon me to that extent that I could hardly speak when I first arose to my feet. After speaking forty-five minutes, I had to sit down, weeping aloud. There was hardly a dry eye in the house. “We have a lovely spot, well prepared, with abundance of water, shade, straw, &c. All seem to be well satisfied. God will help us.” Bro. Cornell writes, Thursday, the 18th— “Bro. L. is free and of good courage, and I feel some degree of freedom. “Our ground is laid out in city style. We have Santa Rosa street, Petaluma avenue, &c. Woodland occupies one entire street, one side, and San Francisco opposite side of Present Truth street. Then comes Healdsburg, ten tents in a row, and Napa, sixteen tents. Opposite is Law and Order street, then comes St. Helena, Green Valley and Bloomfield streets, and Miscellaneous—Mendocino Co., Tehama Co., Sacramento Co., &c. “There is perfect union and order and a will to do. “Bro. Stickney and his partner, Cooms, and two other families are here. They brought their preacher with them to be converted. He is interested, and appears to be of good spirit, and says he wants to know the truth. “Thursday, 11 A. M. We are having a glorious beginning. I wish you could have heard the seventy-five persons speak at the 9 o’clock social meeting. Many of them were our new converts. Many are getting the burden. The throne is besieged, and help has come. The Lord has come to the feast! I believe this will be our Jerusalem, nay, it is already. “Dear Bro. and sister White, from this on, I trust I shall be ever ready to help and cheer you on whenever it is my privilege to meet you. I trust I shall stand forth victorious, after so many stumblings. Bro. L. is now speaking with freedom on ‘murmuring,’ and some feel the rod. God is blessing.” Bro. Cornell writes, Friday, the 19th— “Yesterday was a good day with us. Everybody satisfied, and more. Bro. L. is burdened with Conference business and general oversight, and I have the principal charge of the meetings. And so far God has given me unusual freedom. “Outsiders come on to the ground and gaze in astonishment. It is wonderful what scores of willing hands have done toward transforming this wilderness into a city of tents. I never saw more willing hands. They do everything in their power to help.” Bro. Loughborough writes, Sabbath morning, the 20th— “‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ This seems to be the sentiment of every heart on this solemn camp-ground this morning. How dreadfully solemn is this place, for ‘God is here.’ No mirth nor trifling is upon the ground, but all a holy calm, solemn cheerfulness. Oh! what a meeting we are having! “Perfect freedom has been in every meeting, whether social or preaching, since the powerful season we experienced upon the first day of our assembling, of which mention has been made in a former letter. Sometimes, already, as many as six or seven have been upon their feet at once, waiting an opportunity to speak. I do not think five minutes, all told, have been wasted in waiting for testimonies. Most meetings have closed with from two to five getting up to speak. “The preaching is close, searching, practical, as well as instructive. The brethren love plain talk, and wish to be set right where they are wrong. The brethren have nobly taken hold to help. They are willing to do, and I let them do. I am only superintending the ground. But there is much care in relation to many matters. “The brethren are awake to take hold, and second your suggestions relative to a Health Institute and branch Publishing Office upon this coast. We have a printing press and Office, already converted, with its editor, foreman, and hands, all ready to commence operations, when, in the judgment of the General Conference, we should move.” Bro. Cornell writes, Monday, the 22d— “God is with us. This meeting is a decided success. Yesterday, we had great liberty, both of us, though all weary and worn and hoarse. There were between 1500 and 2000 on the ground. The order was perfect. At 5 P. M., we have meetings in eight different places. In several of them, there have been from one to five converted. There is deep feeling here. We never saw such order anywhere. Everybody is pleased. “Men of means are converted, soul and body. God is working for the Stickney Company. The Baptist preacher they brought with them is about converted. “I go there as soon as I can finish the work at St. Helena. Leading men of the county come on the ground, and are delighted. “Reporters were here yesterday, and will give facts favorable to our cause. “We cannot now give you particulars, but we believe that there never has been a more telling meeting among our people, here, or anywhere.” Bro. Cornell writes, Tuesday, the 23d— “In one hour we have our parting meeting. Oh! I wish I could give you an idea of the victory here. We both agree that we never saw such a meeting. It exceeded all in our experience. “1. There was PERFECT ORDER in and around the camp. “2. There was perfect UNITY. “3. The power of God rested down mightily from the first. “Yesterday, Bro. L. and I stood in our Jordan and baptized twenty-nine. There are more to go forward this week. “In one meeting, there were 117 testimonies in 55 minutes. And it seemed that all were right to the point. But last evening, we could not stop the meeting to preach, and we had to let it run. They would not give it up. Strong men were in tears. “We have had many conversions, among them five Danes. We had testimonies also in French, German, and Swedish. Bro. Stickney brought three families to the meeting with him, and they are all pleased, and most of them converted. The Baptist preacher and his wife among them, are about decided. He gave excellent testimony, appears humble and clear-headed. “There are now important openings for us. A merchant and his wife in Oakland have come out. We expect to double our number of campers before next fall. “We had a vote of the Conference, then of the audience, on the following resolutions: (1.) Resolved, That we hereby express our fullest sympathy with the General Conference in its endeavors to extend the cause of truth. (2.) Resolved, That this Conference request anew that Bro. and sister White come to this coast and spend the coming winter, and as long as it may be their duty to remain with us; and we hereby instruct and empower our Conference Committee to confer with them, and make such arrangements in this matter as shall be most congenial for their health, comfort, and duties.” “These were adopted by unanimous rising votes, many outsiders entering into the spirit of it, and voting with us. “Well, the angels of God have been here, and though we are so exhausted that we can scarcely hold up our heads, yet we were never more encouraged than now. We shall take a little rest, and then go at it again. Bro. Loughborough will continue here on this ground for a week, and I will go to St. Helena, then to Mendocino County. Bro. L. will follow up here, and start the meeting-house at Napa City. “There are very important openings now all around, which we propose to enter as fast as possible. But Bro. L. will have all he can do to follow up and set in order. We have a mind to work, WORK, WORK. There’s resting by-and-by.” Bro. Loughborough writes, Wednesday night, the 24th— “Our camp-meeting is over, and most of the people are gone. I remain on the ground to get a period of rest after the excessive labor, and I enjoy it finely. Our big tent is left up, with seats in it. I preach in it next Sabbath and Sunday. The Napa church expect to come on, and several more desire to be baptized on Sabbath.” Bro. Loughborough writes the 29th— “Here I am still in my cloth tent, with my family, on the camp-ground. I have been resting and recruiting. Not in entire inactivity, however, but taking matters a little more leisurely than in former years after our Conference sessions. Our tent was taken down to-day and shipped to Woodland to be put up for the winter. Bro. Cornell is following up the work in St. Helena, in the Presbyterian church. I had meetings here on the camp-ground Sabbath and first-day; baptized two more yesterday. A Baptist deacon living at Yountville, the third and last deacon of the Baptist church at Napa, has taken his stand with us since the camp-meeting.” Bro. John Judson, one of the California Conference Committee, writes from his home at Bloomfield, Sept. 27— “My apology for writing is to tell you what a good camp-meeting we have just had. Bro. L. and C. have written you all the news I suppose, but I want to bear my testimony with the rest. “During the first service, the Spirit of God came down with great power, and from first to last of the meetings I never saw or heard of such a manifestation of God’s Spirit as was there, except on the day of Pentecost. I sincerely thank God that I was there and that so many were on the ground. I feel that I have, by God’s goodness, received a blessing that I will not forget while God spares my life. “There was a solemn awe that struck all who remained on the ground. Many who came from curiosity, and intended to leave the next day, were constrained to remain until the last moment; and during our social meetings would get up and ask with astonishment what it all meant? and what was the secret of our meetings? Bro. L. told them that God and holy angels were there, and they were constrained to confess it before they left the camp-ground. “I think if God is with the tent next season in connection with the influence of the present camp-meeting, that there will be one of the greatest gatherings at our next camp-meeting that has ever been in the United States. I look (with God’s blessing) for at least one hundred tents next year. We had sixty-three tents beside the large one this year. Many who came to see and hear, went away saying that they would be on hand next year with tent and family. The way seems to be opening up for a mighty work to be done on this coast. We want your help and advice. “Hoping to see you soon, I remain yours in hope of the soon coming of Christ.” The Yolo [county, Cal.] Democrat, for Sept. 26, 1873, says of this meeting— “This great gathering took place in a beautiful grove upon the bank of Napa Creek, near Yountville, from the 17th to the 23d of September, inclusive, and was very largely attended. There were upward of sixty tents on the ground. Through the week, there were somewhere about five hundred persons in attendance, and on Saturday and Sunday, about fifteen hundred, who listened to eloquent and forcible preaching by Elders Loughborough and Cornell, both of whom are well known to most of our readers. The most perfect order and harmony prevailed throughout, and we are compelled to say that we never saw so large a crowd of such happy and devoted people before. There was no excitement, but a great degree of earnest zeal was manifested throughout the meetings. On Sunday, twenty-nine persons were baptized. “The cause is continually gaining strength and prosperity. A resolution passed the Conference unanimously favoring the establishment of a Health Institute and a branch printing Office on this coast in the near future. And here is something for the people of Woodland to consider. Let us make an effort to secure the location of this Health Institute in Woodland. In point of health and accessibility, this place will compare favorably with any town in the State, and that such an institution would be of vast benefit to the town, no one can doubt. Think of it, friends. Let us secure it if we can. We have now no doubt that such an institution will be established in this State before very long.” The brethren of all our State Conferences, who have enjoyed good camp-meetings the past season, will joyfully congratulate happy sister California on hearing of her blessed annual meeting in camp. A great change has taken place in the condition of the cause in that State during the past year. Then, a bad state of things existed, and a general gloom pervaded the minds of the brethren. We were then in a poor condition to help things, in consequence of suffering from feebleness and discouragements. But God greatly blessed the labors of Mrs. W. And most of the brethren have religion and good sense enough to bear with us, and not misjudge our motives, in our efforts to relieve the cause from difficulties. Our dear brethren, Loughborough and Cornell, and many others, appreciated our efforts, and made our visit and labors among them a great blessing to themselves and to the cause. The invitation to visit them again, and their warm words of sympathy and care for Bro. and sister White, touch our feelings, and wonderfully strengthen the ties of Christian affection we have ever felt for our brethren and sisters in California. There is, however, one thing that casts a shade of doubt relative to our duty to visit California in the present prosperous, happy state of things. It is this: In the providence of God, Mrs. W. has labored by our side from State to State, and from church to church, for more than twenty years, correcting errors, and removing difficulties that might arise among our people. A Mr. Ford, of New Bedford, Mass., at whose house the brethren held their meetings, agreeably to the feelings of his believing wife, once said that he always knew when to look for Bro. and sister White. It was when the church got into some difficulty. But, after laboring in this way for a quarter of a century, it may please our gracious God that we visit California to enjoy some of the blessings of union and prosperity with them. But we here express the strong wish, and may we not say earnest entreaty? that all the brethren and sisters who attended the late Yountville Camp-meeting seek to make it a lasting benefit to them. God greatly blessed his people at that meeting for wise purposes, which all may not now fully understand. If any of the brethren suppose that his gracious blessing came upon them because they are better than others, and that God designs to exalt them above others, they make a sad mistake, and turn God’s blessing into a bitter curse. From numerous letters received from Bro. Loughborough and Cornell, we understood that these servants of God had been humbly seeking the Lord, and praying for help, especially at the coming camp-meeting. From the tenor of their letters, we see that they were casting themselves upon the Lord for help, and we felt assured that help would come. Instead of this good meeting, then, having a tendency to lift any one up above the simplicity of the work, all who shared it should learn a new lesson of humility, and ever seek to walk in the meek, solemn, heavenly spirit manifested on the Yountville Camp-ground. Brethren in California, rejoice with humility. May be that one reason why God has sent his great blessing upon you is to prepare you for great trials. Of this, all may be assured that he designs by his great blessing to encourage you to labor on in hope, still sacrifice to his cause cheerfully, and if you humbly and faithfully do the duties of this urgent time, he will be with you, and let you see his cause triumph in your hands. J. W.