OHIO by Joseph Harvey Waggoner

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 29, 1878

OHIO

By Joseph Harvey Waggoner

Springfield, Aug. 19.

THE tent-meeting closed in Springfield, Aug. 18. I intended to continue two or three days longer; but was feeble and much worn when Bro. Stone left, and, failing to get help, Bro. St. John advised me to close, and take a little rest before camp-meeting.

The work in Springfield very much resembles that in Newark last year. The interest is deeper and wider than the numbers attending would indicate. There is an entire absence of any excitement, but the real interest is better now than at any previous time.

We cannot yet tell just how many are decided on the Sabbath. Probably about twenty to twenty-five are firm at present, with many others convicted. Although the city was canvassed two years ago, and many of our publications scattered here, we sold over thirty dollars' worth of books during the meeting. Money is scarce, and we find it a hard time to get subscribers for our periodicals.

Bro. Cottrell will spend a full week here before camp-meeting. If the work is followed up, as it needs to be, we have no doubt a good, strong church may be established in Springfield.

The daily paper shut down on our reports when it came too warm on the Sunday question. The ministers also took great pains to keep the people away. The eyes of the candid are being opened by the course some of them pursue. One who is not now a pastor, but is styled “Rev.” by the papers, has the “cheek” to assert that there is no definite article in the Hebrew! a seventh day (any one) is the Sabbath; and when conversing on baptism, he affirmed that the Scriptures do not say that we are to take Christ as our example! And yet some think that such men are worthy teachers of Christianity, and blame us for saying that “Babylon is fallen.”

We tried to give a plain testimony on the condition of the church and the world, and the trouble impending, and it is doing its work. May the Lord still direct all to his own glory.

J. H. WAGGONER.