Reports from the Field by D. T. Bourdeau

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Apr 11, 1878

Reports from the Field.

By D. T. Bourdeau

(Condensed from Review and Herald.)

Massachusetts.

EAST SALISBURY AND NEWBURYPORT.—Elder C. W. Stone writes that their meetings at E. Salisbury were to close March 24. Four, all heads of families kept their first Sabbath, March 16. The Sabbath question has been receiving considerable attention of late at Newburyport. A Christian Baptist, a minister of considerable ability, preached on two Sundays against the Sabbath. He does away the law, takes a no-sabbath stand, calls all days alike, and then sets up Sunday as the Lord's day. After his second sermon, there appeared in the daily a breviary of nineteen points, said to have been made in his argument, and well sustained by Scripture. Elder Stone wrote a reply to each point, filling a column and a half of the same paper. It is worthy of remark that the secular papers are free to publish our views, and readily open their columns to our strongest arguments.

Missouri.

ROLLA.—Elder G. I. Butler writes: "I found the little company of Sabbath-keepers here still firm in the truth, though they have had but little labor these two years past. It is little less than marvelous, considering the circumstances through which they have passed, and the bitter opposition they have had to meet, how this little company could be able to keep up regular Sabbath meetings and weekly prayer-meetings, isolated as they have been, without any former experience in the message, and with no help from abroad. Surely there is a power in the third angel's message. Their hearts still glow with a love for this truth. The Spirit of God was in our meetings. I found many of my old friends, not our members, anxious to hear, and I think more meetings must be held at this place. Had some very pleasant visits with prominent citizens. Adventism has gained a standing in Rolla, and we rejoice at it. On the whole, I felt much encouraged by my visit here. I obtained eight subscribers for the SIGNS OF THE TIMES." In a later report from Elder Butler he speaks of holding meetings with the churches of Utica, Hamilton, and Half Rock. He says: "The meeting at Half Rock closed my trip of over three months in Missouri. I never saw a worse time to get around and hold meetings than the past winter. Rain and mud have been the order of the day; but I have filled all my appointments, and good has been done. The T. and M. work has been started. Between three and four hundred copies of the SIGNS are now taken for distribution where probably there was not twenty before. Openings for labor in many place promise good results. We are much encouraged for Missouri."

Iowa.

OSCEOLA.—Elder D. M. Canright reports: "Our meeting here, which has just closed, has been a good one. The weather was fine; and we had a very large gathering of our people from adjoining churches. It was a great privilege for me to meet with these old friends, as I had not been here since we built and dedicated the meeting-house six years ago. Unexpectedly, the outside interest was very great. Our house was crowded at every sermon. Sometimes all could not get in. A deep impression has been made. We held meetings from Thursday evening to Tuesday evening. We spent most of the time with the brethren, in laying before them the history of the cause, and its present condition and wants. Tuesday we had a business meeting of the church. It was an excellent season. Nine united with the church." STATE CENTER.—Brother Farnsworth writes that the recent meeting at this place has been one of great profit. Elder Canright's instructions in reference to the best method of presenting the truth was listened to with interest. The brethren were strengthened and encouraged. LAPORTE CITY.—Brother McCoy has closed his series of meetings here. He gave twenty-two discourses. A good work has been accomplished, and he leaves a company in good condition to labor for God and his truth. Three souls have lately embraced the truth. OSKALOOSA.—Brother Starr has been giving lectures ten miles south-east of this place, with good attendance. Sunday night, March 24, a vote was taken, sixty persons voting on the side of the seventh day. Seven kept last Sabbath.

Kentucky.

BULLITT COUNTY.—Elder S. Osborn writes: "I commenced meetings near Shepherdsville, March 14. Came to help the few Sabbath-keepers, not expecting to get up any outside interest; but to my surprise and joy, the prejudice, that raged for some time after I held meetings here a year ago, was nearly all gone. The school-house, that holds about a hundred, is now crammed every evening. I have now given a discourse on the subject of the Sabbath with the best of attention. My prayer is that God may bless the word spoken. Pray for the cause in this Conference."

Tennessee.

NASHVILLE.—Brother Soule writes: "By invitation I preached a few times at the Baptist church. The pastor, who is an editor, is favorable to our views, and promises to publish some on our faith. Other ministers and many of the members are interested. I am now lecturing about four miles out in the country. Nashville has nearly 50,000 inhabitants. There is a city library, free to all, where they offer to take Adventist books for the benefit of the many readers. Who will send our works to this city? My address is Nashville, Tenn."

Texas.

PEORIA.—Elder R. M. Kilgore writes:- "Since our last report, we have organized at Peoria a tract society consisting of eighteen members, quite a number of others will yet unite with us in this work. Our little room is crowded every Sabbath, and will soon be too small to accommodate even the believers. It is very manifest that there is a growth of grace and an increase in the knowledge of the truth on the part of the brethren here. Encouraging reports come from Cleburne. The foundation for a meeting-house there has just been completed. This with the one completed here, built of cut stone, makes two foundations for meeting-houses which my father has constructed since he came to Texas. We now expect to be out with the tent the first of April."

Spirit of Prophecy Vol. 3, and the Fate of Pilate.

I AM reading Spirit of Prophecy Vol. 3, with deep interest. As this work is devoted largely to the most important events in the plan of human redemption—to the scenes connected with the trial, death and resurrection of the Saviour—I regard it as the most valuable work of the kind that has yet appeared. The result of reading what I have of this volume, has been an increased desire to be more assimilated in the likeness of Christ. The readers of this volume, and of Vol. 2, will not fail to notice the exactness with which the writer gives a description of the surroundings of Jerusalem, of the routes followed by the Saviour and his disciples in their labors, and of certain cities, as Capernaum, Antioch etc. This coming from one who never was in Palestine, and who never made ancient history and the geography of Palestine a special study, looks like anything but imposition. It looks like the straightforward story of one who tells the truth. In reading this work, I have among other things, been forcibly struck with the sad results of Pilate's pusillanimity in delivering up Jesus to the Jews to be cruelly scourged, and then to be crucified, to not displease the Jews, and lest he should lose his office for appearing to work against the interests of Cæsar. The following are some of the facts I have collected, which are corroborative of what the writer of the book in question says about the fate of Pilate. In the city of Vienne, France, which is situated on the river Rhone, near Lyons, and through which I have often passed, is a monument bearing the marks of age, and which, according to a tradition that is quite generally accredited in southern France, and that is recorded in a popular French dictionary of biography, history and geography to which I have access, is the tomb of the Roman governor who through fear delivered Jesus to the Jews to be crucified, and who shortly after lost his office, and then under the tortures of a guilty conscience, put an end to his own life. Now while I am strongly opposed to tradition when it conflicts with Bible truth, I see no reason why this tradition may not be true. My reasons in favor of its veracity are briefly as follows:— 1. It is certainly in consonance with the justice of God that so base a crime as that of judicially authorizing the Jews to crucify the Son of God, should be visited with humiliation and a disgraceful death. 2. No body of Christians, not even the Roman Catholic church, would invent such a story to support an error, or an anti-scriptural practice, there being nothing in such an account that would uphold any doctrine or any practice that is opposed to the Bible. 3. The gospel was preached in Vienne by Irenæus, a little after the middle of the second century and a trifle more than one century after the time of Pilate. It was therefore an easy matter for those who were then converted to Christianity in Vienne to authenticate the fact in question. 4. Vienne was a chief city in Gaul, if not the capital of that country, under the first Cæsar, and in the days of Pilate. There is to-day in that city a temple of Augustus Cæsar and Livie his wife. This temple was consecrated to Christian worship at an early age and is now used as a museum of antiquities. There is no dispute about this matter, and why should there be about the tomb or monument in question? 5. This fact is taught in Protestant as well as in Roman Catholic schools where I resided when in France. The monument in question had a bar of iron put through it to hang the French flag on under the first republic, and will be another solemn witness against French infidelity in the day of judgment. If it be objected that some claim that Pilate put an end to his life while roaming in Helvetia, we reply: If even this were true it would not invalidate the fact that a monument was built in his memory at Vienne by order of the Roman authorities, who, doubtless, remembering his acts of valor and commendable traits in the early part of his career, and touched by the manner in which he died, would show him some token of respect, on the principle that led David to mourn over Saul when the latter had come to a bad end. D. T. Bourdeau.