EXTRACTS OF LETTERS FROM THE MISSIONARY WORKER.
A LETTER from the secretary of the V. M. Society of Washington, N. H., reads as follows:— “I have never had the privilege of hearing one of your papers read, therefore do not know upon what subjects you write; but I judge from the name that you write of something pertaining to the missionary work. I thought I would let you know what we are trying to do, and perhaps say an encouraging word to missionary workers. “A little company of us was organized last winter into a Vigilant Missionary Society. We had never tried it before, because we felt we were weak and few, and we did not know how to commence; but Bro. Haskell came and soon told us. Since that time we have been trying, by the help of the Lord, to do what we could. There are now about six or seven who meet together, and we send off about thirty copies of the SIGNS weekly. We have received some very encouraging letters; perhaps some extracts from them would be interesting to those who are engaged in the same work. “A lady in Minnesota writes that she would like some tracts on the seventh-day question, says she feels no prejudice, but wants to know the truth as contained in God’s word. She sends the name of one of her neighbors who would like Sabbath tracts. We have sent quite a number among the poor people in the Southern States, and have found several who liked the paper very much, and who are willing to read, and distribute, but are too poor to subscribe for it. “One man from North Carolina writes, ‘You don’t know how much good you are doing by sending papers and tracts here. They are flying from house to house, and people are beginning to study their Bibles as never before.’ Another writes that he cannot keep the papers and tracts we send them, the people are so anxious to get them. “A lady in Westfield, Mass., writes a very good letter. She is a first-day Adventist, one who has recently embraced the doctrine, but says she sometimes gets disgusted with the church to which she belongs, there is so much confusion. We have sent her tracts and papers. She says she is becoming convinced that the command for the observance of the seventh day has never been changed. She likes the SIGNS and would take it, but she is out of health, and poor. Being a widow, she is dependent upon her own efforts. “A minister in New Hampshire writes that he is thankful for the reading matter sent him and is willing to read more. He said he thought it the height of presumption to try to prove from the Bible that the command for the Sabbath had been abolished, but it had certainly been changed to Sunday, and whether by divine or human command he was unable to tell. If by human, he could not see how the churches could be so prospered unless God had accepted the change; he did not understand it, and would like more light. We then sent him Ten Sermons on the Sabbath, by J. N. Andrews, and have since received another letter from him saying he had been studying them carefully, and should not be honest did he not say he considered them able and argumentative. He said he was surprised, upon examining the subject, at the lack of Bible proof for the change. He would like to study a little more, said he felt no prejudice, but wanted the truth no matter how unpopular it might be. If the whole world was against it, and he became convinced that the seventh day was the Sabbath, he could not rest day nor night till he proclaimed it from the housetops. Said he thought the coming of the Lord was near, and closed by thanking us for our efforts to convert him to what we believe to be truth, and if it was the will of God he hoped we should succeed. “Since commencing this we have received a letter from a lady in Pennsylvania. We learned of her as one who had been healed in answer to prayer. We sent her reading matter, and then wrote her. She replied that she liked the paper much, but could not think the seventh day was the Sabbath; for the old law had been done away, and we were not under the law but under grace, &c. She mentioned several texts, each referring to the ceremonial law, and wished us to tell her what we thought of them. We did so, and sent the tract entitled, Two Laws. In the letter just received she says, ‘I am glad you wrote so plainly on the Sabbath question.’ ‘I believe the light has now been given me as it looks to you. And those good papers, THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES, I see a great deal of light in, and think the Lord put it into your heart to send them to me.’ “I might tell of others received, but will only say, ‘We do not feel discouraged.’ If sometimes we do not see the result we would like to, we know the work is in the Lord’s hands, and we feel, too, that it is a help to us; for we cannot work for others without drawing near to God ourselves. If at last we are so happy as to have a seat in the kingdom, and see even one there as the result of our labors, it will repay us.