Tent Meeting at Shelby, Mich by M. E. Cornell; John Norton Loughborough

Publishing Committee · Rochester, N. Y. · Oct 10, 1854

Tent Meeting at Shelby, Mich.

By M. E. Cornell; John Norton Loughborough

This meeting was one of interest, from the commencement to the close. Our tent was pitched in a beautiful place, and the weather was very favorable; so that on First-day about fifteen hundred came out to hear the testimony. A good interest was manifested during the day, and order was observed. After the last discourse, the tent was taken down, and we continued our testimony during the week, in the Academy near by. The interest was such, and the weather so fair, it was thought best to pitch the tent again, for meetings on the following Sabbath and First-day, and we advertised accordingly, and called upon the professed watchmen in that vicinity to come out and acknowledge our testimony true, or try to show it false, and point out the better way: giving any minister the privilege of preaching a sermon in the tent, and presenting the opposite of any of our positions. A Baptist minister consented to give his opinion of what he had heard. Said he had been much interested in the subjects presented; that he believed in the literal, personal, second advent of Christ; that his coming was near; that the saints would all receive immortality at his coming, and all the living wicked be destroyed, and live not again until after the one thousand years, when they would be resurrected and punished according to their deeds, and receive their doom which is death. Concerning the Spirit Manifestations, he had not given them an investigation; but if there was any spirits about them, he believed they were all of the Devil. Concerning the Sabbath, if there is any Sabbath in this dispensation, one day more than another, it must be the original seventh day. He regarded the efforts of Protestants to show divine authority for Sunday-keeping, "one universal quibble." He believed that in the former dispensation, God had but one law, and that was nailed to the cross, &c. In our review we contrasted the two laws, and showed clearly that Christ destroyed one, but the other "he came not to destroy," &c. At the close of the discourse, the Elder reminded the people of the fact that Jesus was that Prophet like unto Moses, and we should listen to him, &c.; that if we could show from the New Testament a definite Sabbath or Lord's day, one day more than another, he would keep it. This was done by reading Matt. xxiv, 20, and Rev. i, 10. If there was not a definite day in the year A. D. 96, known as the "Lord's day," and every day was known to be alike, John certainly must have been ignorant of the fact, and his statement that he was in the Spirit on "the Lord's day," was entirely superfluous. This we cannot believe.

This public investigation before the people was conducted in such a manner that no evil can result from it. Each party presented their views in a candid manner, with a manifest desire to have the truth found out, and understood by all. We expect to see this watchman, together with many others like him, engaged ere long with us in calling God's people out of Babylon, for the following reasons: 1. The truth is so plain that a man of his ability cannot fail to see it when he has once investigated. 2. He has been in the habit of changing his position when convinced of error. 3. He, professing to be an honest, independent, free man, for the Lord, will stand boldly for the truth when he sees it. 4. An honest man will no sooner hold on to an error in regard to the Sabbath, in order to be popular, than in regard to Baptism. 5. Any man, after a candid, thorough investigation, without prejudice, cannot fail to see that Sunday-keeping, sprinkling for baptism, and infant sprinkling, all came from the same source, viz., the Catholic church.

The truth has taken deep root in Shelby. About $20,00 worth of books were sold at this meeting: making in all about $70,00 worth sold in that town. Operations with the tent are now closed for the season. God's blessing has attended our efforts with the tent, for which we praise his name. We believe that much prejudice has been removed, and the way prepared for a good work to be done the coming Winter.

M. E. CORNELL. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.