Report of Meetings by James White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 6, 1877

Report of Meetings.

By James White

Sabbath and first-day, Nov. 17 and 18, Mrs. W. and self held meetings at San Francisco and Oakland. We spoke to the people in the morning three-fourths of an hour from Heb. 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” We took the position that no one was now in the hands of the living God except those who had committed the unpardonable sin; that those who were not within the reach of mercy had sinned against the Holy Ghost. In the days of Christ this sin consisted in attributing to the devil the works of the Holy Spirit. The Jews saw the miracles of Jesus, and rather than to acknowledge the work of God in them, they uttered the blasphemous charge that he cast out demons through the power of the prince of devils.

This called out the reply from Christ: “All manner of sins hath been forgiven except the sin against the Holy Ghost.” A sin against the Father can be forgiven. Sin against the Son may be forgiven. But the sin against the Holy Ghost hath no forgiveness. We cited cases of those who had apostatized from the present truth who had attributed the power of the Spirit of God, manifested in the spirit of prophecy, to the power of Satan. And where are they to-day? They are beyond the reach of evidence from the word of God, and the influence of the Holy Spirit. Some marked cases have come back with confessions and tears; but they could not stand. They had sold their birth-right to Heaven and could not find it, though they sought it with tears.

We have not space here to give the discourse entire; but simply state that from the preceding verses we showed that the subject is especially applicable to our time. The brethren seemed to feel its force, as it applied to San Francisco as fully as to any church within our knowledge.

Mrs. W. followed with timely remarks for about forty minutes, and there followed an excellent social meeting for about the same length of time. It was a blessed Sabbath for that church. Mrs. W. spoke in a Tract and Missionary meeting the following evening, and also on first-day evening, and returns this second-day morning buoyant in hope. She is closing her third volume of the Spirit of Prophecy.

On account of mistakes, the meeting at Oakland first-day evening was nearly a failure. The appointment was out in both places for Mrs. W. to speak. We spoke to the few one hour. We are greatly encouraged with the thought that the time is not far distant when we can go out everywhere preaching the word, with Mrs. W. by our side, as in former days.

JAMES WHITE.