Eastern Camp-Meetings by James White

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · Jul 1, 1875

Eastern Camp-Meetings.

By James White

THREE of these annual gatherings of our people, one in Iowa, one in Illinois, and one in Southern Wisconsin, are now past. These have been the best meetings of the kind we have ever witnessed. Those who have spoken the word at these meetings have enjoyed great freedom, and the word spoken has taken strong hold of our people, and has commanded the attention and the respect of the crowds who have been attracted to the grounds. We have unmistakable evidence that the gospel of the third angel's message is increasing in force upon the public mind, as well as upon the minds and hearts of our people.

The social meetings have been marked by consistency and real spirituality which have done great credit to both the devotion and the intelligence of our people. It has been gratifying in the extreme to witness in a social exercise of several hundreds, the feelings of sympathy and tenderness run up to a high degree without the manifestation of the least shade of fanaticism on the part of a single person. A congregation of hundreds who may have given their attention wholly to close, practical sermons and exhortations for several successive days, giving expression to their feelings of tenderness and love for Christ, his truth, his cause, and his people, without one coarse or extravagant statement, is a most beautiful sight. It has been our pleasure the past three weeks to enjoy many such meetings with our dear people.

These annual meetings, of our people, in camp, are of great importance to our cause. Their tendency is to increase a stronger bond of union in the brotherhood, inspire vigilance in the cause of God, correct errors in faith or conduct, and remove prejudice from the public mind. As yet we have been able, by careful management and the favor of God to secure favorable reports of our camp-meetings from the secular press.

For want of time we cannot give particulars of our last meeting. Bro. Smith has favored us with a copy, so we here give his report of our excellent

MONROE, WIS., CAMP-MEETING.

There were in all nineteen tents on the ground, two of them forty-feet tents, and one, the large sixty-feet tent. The number of Sabbath-keepers present was between three and four hundred.

As the presence of the French at the Illinois Camp-meeting, and a service conducted in that language by Bro. Bourdeau, was an interesting feature of that occasion, so the presence of the Danes and Norwegians, was an interesting feature of the Wisconsin meeting. Bro. Matteson conducted a service for this people every noon, at the Oakland tent, in the Danish language.

On Friday afternoon Bro. White spoke on the subject of the spread of the truth among other peoples, nations, and tongues, bringing out in strong colors the fact that we are a providential people. Sister White followed in an address more especially to the Norwegian and Danish brethren and sisters, which was interpreted into their language by Bro. Matteson, sentence by sentence as it was spoken. This was a most interesting occasion, and those brethren were greatly encouraged by what they heard.

Sabbath, the 19th, was a day of great religious activity. Nine meetings were held during the day, all good and profitable. At the social meeting at 5 P. M. after a powerful appeal from sister White, over one hundred came forward for prayers, some of them manifesting very deep feeling. At this meeting, we saw something of a fulfillment of Mal. 4:6, "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers."

One case is worthy of mention. The son of one of our brethren, a young lad, came forward: This started the back-slidden father. He testified that when his son came forward he could no longer hold back. He thought that his son, notwithstanding all the hindrance he had been to him, might go through and be accepted in the kingdom, and he be left out. Then he followed with a heart-broken confession to that son for his harsh words, and to his wife for his wrong influence in the family, earnestly seeking the forgiveness of them both. The whole congregation were in tears. May the impressions of that occasion not soon be lost on him or others.

On Sunday forenoon a congregation numbering some two thousand assembled. Bro. White spoke with great clearness and freedom. The closest attention was given by all, to some of the great distinctive truths which characterize S. D. Adventists as a denomination. The crowd increased to twenty-five hundred or three thousand in the afternoon, who listened to sister White as she set clearly before them the great truths that lie at the very foundation of the good of society. She spoke with such strength and clearness of voice, that an enemy of the truth a mile away, who had kept his wife from attending the meeting, heard, and fell into a towering passion against the "Advents."

During the business sessions of the Conference, nineteen churches were represented by twenty-seven delegates, and two churches by letter. Five new churches were admitted into the Conference, making thirty-seven in all, and the membership was increased over one hundred. Their public laborers the coming year will consist of five ordained ministers and eight licentiates. Ten persons were baptized.

The parting meeting, Tuesday morning, was perhaps the most solemn and impressive meeting of all. Bro. H. W. Decker was, at this meeting, set apart to the work of the ministry. The Spirit of God came down in power. During the ordination prayer and charge by Bro. White, many were deeply affected, Bro. D. being so overpowered by his emotions as scarcely to be able to retain his strength.

The remarks of sister White were most appropriate. She exhorted the brethren and sisters to shun the careless spirit, and jovial talk, now that the meeting was closed, and take Jesus with them to their homes. She reminded them that it might be with them as it was with the parents of Jesus of old. Mingling with the company, they lost their divine Son; and while it took them but one day to lose him, it took them three days to find him. So we may by our carelessness lose Jesus in a day, and be obliged to labor days to find him again.

The result of the meeting, we have every reason to believe will be in the highest degree beneficial to the cause in this State. The faithful testimony of Bro. and sister White has been appreciated by the brethren and sisters, so much so that after they had taken a vote to that effect in a business session, the whole congregation signified it by a rising vote at the parting meeting.

Much prejudice has been removed from minds in this community. Quite a number of first-day Adventists were present, who had much of that feeling against sister White, which certain leaders of that class try to excite in the minds of their hearers. But that feeling was entirely dissipated by what they here saw and heard.

One example will serve as an illustration of this matter. A fine appearing and intelligent gentleman came to the tent, as the camp was breaking up, saying that he wished to take the hands of Bro. and sister White before leaving the ground. Then addressing sister W., he said, "I have had great prejudice against you, but you have taken it all away. My feelings have been excited against you by what I have heard in opposition to you and your writings. But having seen and heard you for myself, I see that God is with you. Will you forgive me for having entertained the feelings I have?"

The weather throughout was all that could have been desired. No disturbance was manifested; and the good order was favorably commented upon by many who from their past experience had associated in their minds the idea of disturbance and disorder with all camp-meetings. We leave to-day for the camp-meeting at Eagle Lake, Blue Earth Co., Minn.

We enjoy great freedom in speaking to the people at these general gatherings, though pained to witness the results of bad general management, especially in the unqualified calls for means, and the inducements urged for the poor to give. We now resolve to become thoroughly acquainted with the workings of the Tract and Missionary Society, and all other branches of the great cause, and to let the calls for attendance at large gatherings, and more general labor claim our first attention, and writing for our periodicals second. We shall regard all efforts to hold us at any location, to care for local institutions among us, a snare which we shall carefully avoid. God gives Mrs. White great freedom and power to move the people, and at present our united effort must be in the wide field. J. W. Monroe, Wis., June 23, 1875.