Quarterly Meetings in California.
By R. F. Cottrell
OUR system of quarterly meetings in California is now placed entirely in the hands of the State Missionary Society, and the religious exercises and ordinances will be attended upon the Sabbath of each quarterly meeting as heretofore, so far as church officers present are authorized to attend them. We publish in this number of the SIGNS a list of the districts into which the Missionary Society have divided the State, and a list of the churches included in each district. It is the design of the society to hold a quarterly meeting in each district once in three months. These quarterly meetings are to be held simultaneously in each district, that is, in each of the nine districts the district quarterly meetings shall be upon the same Sabbath and first day. Where there is more than one church in a district it is expected that the quarterly meetings will alternate with the churches of that district, as far as convenient, being one quarter with one church, the next quarter with another, and so on. It is hoped that, as far as possible, every brother and sister will make it a point to attend all the quarterly meetings in their district. We cannot furnish a minister for every district quarterly meeting, but the meeting will be held by the Directors of each district, with such aids, either ministerial or otherwise, as can be furnished them from time to time. The old arrangement of quarterly meetings will close with the appointments at Woodland and Bloomfield October 24th and 25th, and the new series will commence December 19th and 20th, thus giving all ample time to become familiar with the new Constitution published in this paper, and to get into good working order, according to the plan therein set forth. A State quarterly meeting is to be held the first Sabbath and first day in each of the natural quarters of the year, namely, in January, April, July and October, and the district quarterly meetings are to be held two weeks before this State quarterly meeting, so as to give opportunity for a report at this State quarterly meeting from every district and church in the State. As officers of the California State Conference, we would urge upon all the brethren and sisters the importance of the missionary work. May we be imbued with a desire to save our fellow men, and, with hearts full of love for them, seek opportunities to place the truth within their reach. The Tract Society is designed as an aid in systematizing our labor. It is the experience of all who have tried it, that much more can be done in any labor where system and order are observed than otherwise. 'What is worth doing is worth doing well.' So let us unitedly, systematically, and with energy move out to save our fellow men. Is This The Promised Message.
A most solemn message is being proclaimed to the world. It is a message of warning; and is designed to prepare the people of God for the close of probation, the Judgment and the coming of Christ. This is what the bearers of the message claim as the work to which they are called. The question of absorbing interest to every person is: Is this message genuine? Is it from Heaven? Such a message is found in prophecy. Rev. 14:9-12. Has the time come for its fulfillment? If the time has come, the message is in the world; for God will not fail to fulfill his promises, when they become due. And as there is but one movement in the world that claims to be this last warning, if prophecy shows that the time has come, the present movement is the genuine, Heaven-sent message. The great lines of prophecy are so far fulfilled that the intelligent believer can say without a doubt that we are in the last days. The four great kingdoms of Dan. 2 and 7, are all fulfilled except the closing event—the coming of the everlasting kingdom. The signs of the advent as given by the Lord himself, have been fulfilled to the point where he declares his coming to be at the doors. The present state of the churches and the world answer the description given of the last days. All these things combine to show with certainty that we are in the last days. Then, if this is the case, it is time that the advent messages should be in the world; and that which claims to be the last warning is genuine. Can this be true? It certainly is. God is speaking to us in this message. Let all hear. 'Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?' Amos 3:7, 8.