Reflections on the Fourth of July of 1857.
By Alvares Pierce
DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS: I sit down on this holy Sabbath morning, hoping that not many of you are situated as I am; not that I murmur or complain. No: God is good; blessed be his holy name. But I am deprived of the privilege of enjoying any of your social meetings on this holy day; of joining my voice with yours to worship our heavenly Parent. I also am living within hearing of the music and the firing of cannons by those who are assembled to celebrate the anniversary of our National Independence. And the reflection comes home, how many are there of those who call themselves Adventists and are looking for the coming of the Lord, that have left the worship of God to-day to join in the festivities of the birth-day of our nation, a worldly institution? O brethren, if any such there be, (and I hope there are none) let me say to you that it is no place for serious reflection, no place to buy the gold tried in the fire, no place to get the white raiment, no place to get the eye-salve, no place to get our hearts open to let the Saviour in, but it is a place where our garments would be defiled, and to the Christian it is a place that will bring sorrow and pain and in all probability, bitter weeping. I want to tell you a little of my feelings at this time. The public purveyor for this occasion is a friend of mine, and he has offered me a free ticket if I will come and take dinner with him. The answer that I gave him was, that it was God's holy Sabbath day. But brethren, I have an invitation to a wedding Supper, and that too the marriage of a King's Son, that I am making some preparation to attend; and this also is to be a free supper. The invitation is now being given; I want to see all your dear faces there. Then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the whole armor of light. Let us break away from the world and have no fellowship with the works of darkness. Let us keep our garments always white and let our head lack no ointment. Yours hoping to meet you all in the kingdom.
ALVARES PIERCE.
Eldorado, Hardin Co., Iowa, July 4th 1857.