THE CAUSE IN MASSACHUSETTS by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 19, 1878

THE CAUSE IN MASSACHUSETTS.

By John Norton Loughborough

TWENTY years ago, in the month of November, in company with Bro. and Sr. White, I first visited Massachusetts. We held a meeting at Clinton, two miles from South Lancaster, where I first saw Bro. S. N. Haskell. At that time there were but few Sabbath-keepers in New England, yet a goodly company met in this two-days’ meeting which was held in a private house. Sectarian bands were strong, and prejudice ran high against present truth; few would listen, and New England was considered a “hard field.”

My second visit to the State was in the spring of 1863, when, by the General Conference of S. D. Adventists, I was sent to New England to take charge of a mission in the five New England States, excepting Vermont, as that had a State Conference already organized. For two years these five States were my field of labor. My work was organizing churches and s. b. among those already in the faith and getting our views before those not in the faith.

A part of the time Eld. Stephen Pierce of Vermont was with me, and assisted much in the work among the churches. For eighteen months Eld. M. E. Cornell and myself labored to raise up a number of new churches. During the winter of 1863-4, a church was organized at South Lancaster consisting of eight members. Two others who were then keeping the Sabbath joined soon after, making the original Lancaster church of ten members.

After an absence of thirteen years I am again permitted to hold a few meetings in Massachusetts. Nov. 22-24, I was with the church in Danvers. Thirteen years ago, and even two years ago, there were none in this place keeping the Lord’s Sabbath; now there is a large company, who have a neat and commodious house of worship. It was stormy most of the time of this meeting, so that few came in from Haverhill, Ipswich, and Newburyport. I was informed that had it been fair weather we would have had a full house of Sabbath-keepers. I spoke seven times with freedom, although suffering from the effects of a severe cold contracted at the close of the Rome, N. Y., meeting. Sunday afternoon and evening the citizens came in so that all seats were filled, and they gave the best of attention to the word spoken. If the church in Danvers are faithful to duty, their light will lead others to the truth. This seems to me to be an important point, being a central place for the churches above mentioned. With their house to accommodate general meetings, the church at Danvers is destined to become a nucleus to our cause in that part of the State. May the Lord bless his people in Danvers, and may they ever be a burden-bearing and sacrificing church; then they will maintain their life and strength.

Nov. 25, I came to South Lancaster, where we have spent the time to this date (Dec. 10), attending the New England Conference, yearly tract and missionary meeting, and for the last week the first T. and M. Institute ever held among Seventh-day Adventists.

South Lancaster sustains about the same relation to the cause in New England that Oakland does to the cause on the Pacific coast, or Battle Creek to the cause all over the world,—it is the center. Of the original church of ten members none ever apostatized. Three are dead, seven are still living here firm in the truth, and the South Lancaster church now numbers nearly one hundred members.

This church commenced to hold meetings in a private house. One chapel has been outgrown, and they have erected a much larger building, which is a credit to the architect and the mechanics who constructed it. The old chapel is to be used as a book depository for the six New England States.

Here the tract and missionary society among S. D. Adventists first originated. Here the Lord has led out the mind of Bro. Haskell, step by step, in the T. and M. work, and here eleven years ago, the first vigilant missionary society was formed. The T. M. society had its origin in a weekly prayer-meeting of the sisters, in which they especially sought God for his blessing upon his ministers.

The quarterly meeting, reported in another column, was an interesting occasion. Here I had the privilege of meeting many old friends of the cause from different parts of New England, who were in the truth fourteen years ago, and it was also cheering to see so many who have more recently embraced the truth. Eld. Hutchins, president of the Vermont Conference, and Eld. Isaac Sanborn, with whom I spent one season in tent labor in Illinois and Wisconsin, were present. Bro. Sanborn expects soon to go to Virginia to labor there.

One interesting feature of the quarterly meeting was the consideration of life memberships to the General T. and M. Society. It was indeed cheering to see the eagerness with which these friends, though not rich, pledged their ten dollars each to this society. Up to this date, fifty have pledged to become life members, and a goodly number of these have already paid. In looking over the list of names of members, I find it embraces the name of every one of the seven living members of the original South Lancaster church.

Sabbath, Nov. 30, was a good day in Lancaster. After the second discourse, a call was made for the unconverted, the backslidden, and those who wished a greater consecration to God, to come forward. Seat after seat was vacated to make room for those who came forward, weeping, until all the body slips were thus filled. The move took in nearly all who were in the house, and among them were several who were seeking God for the first time. The Lord blessed as prayer was offered, and we all entered into a covenant to serve him with all our mind, might, and strength.

The Missionary Institute, reported in this paper, was successful beyond our most sanguine expectations, both as to the numbers present and the unflagging interest, from first to last, of the students who attended it. Bro. Haskell labored night and day in the interest of the Institute, both in giving instructions, and in preparing lessons that should, as far as possible, illustrate the principles involved in properly transacting the business of the tract societies. We saw, in this Institute, as never before, the importance of having our people properly instructed in “how to do the T. and M. business.”

My companion and myself are very grateful for the privilege we have had of attending this T. and M. Institute before embarking for our foreign mission. As these institutes may be held from State to State, I hope our people will make it a point to attend them. A curse is pronounced upon those who do the work of the Lord “negligently.” We are also commanded to “let all things be done decently and in order.” We shall be without excuse if we do not learn to do this part of the work properly, when such opportunities are given for improvement and information. J. N. Loughborough.