Brooklyn Mission by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 2, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 46.

Brooklyn Mission.

By Editor

FROM a private letter to Elder Haskell, we are permitted to print the following account of the work at the Brooklyn Mission, New York. It shows how the truth is spreading in that great city. May the Lord bless and speed the work:—

DEAR BROTHER HASKELL: Your very interesting letter came in season to read at our morning worship yesterday, and our hearts were deeply affected by its contents. Such evidences that God is willing to pour out his Spirit, is what we have been earnestly seeking, of late; and the Lord has graciously come near to us and our work.

Seven have embraced the truth since the camp-meeting. I never saw the interest manifested in the truth, among so many people as there seems to be here. I think I have written you of the combined efforts of the clergymen of this part of the city to overthrow the influence of our work. It seems as clear to us as the noon-day sun that God has turned this effort in favor of our work.

Rev. Harris has preached four sermons in opposition to us. We reviewed one of his discourses on the Sabbath through the Green Point Daily Star, in the Saturday edition, which goes into nearly every family in this part of the city. The editor told us that he would publish it if we would allow it to go in over our own signature. Last Saturday's edition had five articles, and notices referring to the agitation on the Sabbath question.

What seems remarkable, is that people living right near where we live, but who have never known anything about us until this agitation came up, have come to our hall and after hearing one discourse and one or two Bible-readings, have taken a firm stand for the truth; we have had as many as four instances of this kind within as many weeks. While some for whom we have labored for months, while admitting that it is the truth, do not seem to move. I cannot understand it unless the Lord wants us to learn that it is only his Spirit that can move the people.

I cannot begin to tell you of the effect of our printed Bible-readings; I believe they have helped us more than any other one thing that we have made use of in our work. Last Sunday night I spoke on the Sabbath, to a large and interested audience; many of them had heard Mr. Harris. We had an extra large number of the printed sheets this week and are placing one in every family in this part of the city. When we moved into our new hall we adopted the plan of taking up collections, and the result has been thus far more than enough to pay the rent of the hall.

Does it not seem as though the coming Conference would be a time when the Lord would come near and give his servants a fitting up for the work, different from what they have had in the past? I have thought much of late of that text, the first verse of Zech. 10. It seems to me that the time for the latter rain has come and that the "bright clouds" and "showers" will come where there are those who are asking for it and expecting it.

A lady who called here a few days ago said her father told her that the Adventists and their work are the theme of conversation on ferry-boats and in horse-cars, among those who live in this part of Brooklyn and work in New York. We had over fifty at our last Sabbath meeting.