CLEVELAND, O., CONFERENCE.
By Joseph Bates
THIS Meeting was one of interest and trial. Two professed the Sabbath, and some others were roused to examine the subject. Spiritualism, and kindred objections to Bible light, connected with our experience since 1844, seemed the prevailing sentiment among a remnant of the large number of professed Advent believers who once stood firmly under the labors of our deceased Brother Charles Fitch. The little church here, that are now rallying under the standard of the third angel's message, have been connected with some that desired to keep the Sabbath, while at the same time they were advocating, "spiritual union," street-preaching and the like, and in consequence of such unscriptural teachings, mobs and unnecessary prejudice has been created against this last message of mercy. After a due course of labor with some of these, in conformity with the scriptural rule, we decided to withdraw all fellowship from them, until they repent, and forsake all such wrong views and teachings, "and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shall honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure," &c. The few that are struggling for freedom are now no longer burdened with these stumbling blocks. I pray the Lord to make them free indeed. A professed Advent teacher by the name of Y. Higgins, from Indiana, finding our meeting somewhat in his way called upon us, in company with one of the professed lecturers, of C. and because I would not concede to their proposed union meeting, awarding to him the privilege of controverting and objecting to what he thought fit, he said that he should not come to the meeting. We replied in substance that we shut none out of our meetings, but invited all who had ears to hear and hearts to feel. But at the same time we considered it our duty to avoid all unnecessary controversy with unreasonable men. To those that were seeking for truth we were bound to listen. We neither invited nor refused him a place in the meeting; but we objected to his proposed union, especially if he intended to pursue such a course of conduct towards us, and the truth which we presented, as he had already done a few weeks previous, at the house of Bro. J. Catlin, Kingsborough, Indiana. We will here state one of his arguments to prove that the commandments of God are abolished. He said that God delegated twelve men under the gospel dispensation to revise his law. We stated that it would then look something like this, viz: God was so ignorant when he gave his law of the ten commandments, in the days of Moses, that it became necessary for him to delegate twelve men under the gospel dispensation to revise it for him. This view of his he argued was clear, and some other points, also, which were utterly untenable. JOSEPH BATES. Cincinnati, O., Sept. 2d, 1852.