Meetings in Mich by Joseph Bates

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 10, 1859

Meetings in Mich.

By Joseph Bates

SABBATH, Feb. 12th, had a free meeting with the church in Parma. In the evening Bro. A. L. Burwell took us to a place called the Island, some five miles north and west from his place, where the people wished to hear respecting our position, on First-day. They listened very attentively to three discourses. The Sabbath question excited quite a number of them. One sister who had recently emigrated from England, and is reported of as a Bible reader, declared her intention to observe it. The Lord help her, and others who seemed interested to hear, to search the Scriptures and know assuredly that God has never instituted any other than the seventh day of the week for a Rest-day.

Feb. 14th, our esteemed friend, Wm. Hutchins, according to previous arrangement came to Parma and conveyed us to Onondaga, thirteen miles north of Parma, where we were invited to give a course of lectures on present truth; the same town where we had held a series of meetings a few weeks since, three miles north.

Our meetings commenced the 14th, with quite a full house. A local Methodist minister present remonstrated vehemently against our preaching, declared that the Devil had helped me to go beyond the present salvation, and that the appointed time in Hab. ii, and Dan. viii, 14. was all assumption and had no connection; that my premises were false, and then pointing to the chart from which I had been explaining, said it was devilish, and if he could have the privilege he would prove my teaching false, &c. After he had freed his mind we invited him to come forward and take our place and occupy all the time he wished, for successive evenings, and we would follow him and leave his neighbors to judge. He excused himself by saying he could not attend, he was otherwise engaged. Nevertheless, he came the third evening and manifested the same spirit by endeavoring to show the people that no one knew anything about Christ's second coming, but we were taught to prepare for death, &c. We urged him to accept our invitation, and show the congregation our errors. Some of his friends also urged him, but he declined.

The fourth evening he came and accepted our invitation, and said to the congregation he only wished for half an hour after I had delivered my lecture, to overthrow my position. He occupied about forty minutes in reading what Josephus says in his history about Dan. ii, and then read Heb. viii, 1-15, and a few scattering texts, and exhorted the people to beware of our false doctrine. We followed with a few remarks, and stated to the congregation that as the gentleman had not touched our position we had nothing to say. One of his old friends made a motion which was carried by the congregation's rising to manifest their wish for me to continue without any interference.

The meetings continued every evening from the 14th to the 28th. For several days before we closed the almost impassable going for teams, and dark nights, prevented many from coming.

After the minister had "freed his mind" we found good homes among his neighbors, and a goodly number became deeply interested in the Third Angel's Message and its kindred doctrines. Sister Swift had believed the first message, and said she had been praying for further light on the second coming of the Lord. About all that she had heard for years she said was from a very excellent young man who used to stop with them when he came into the neighborhood to repair clocks. "He told me about the Sabbath, &c. He did not say much, but I always thought of it, and often wished I could learn what became of him, for he was such a good young man." I asked her if his name was Wm. Smith. "Yes," she replied, "that was the name." I related some few incidents in his life, how he had continued in that hope and died in the triumphs of faith, in full expectation of soon seeing his Saviour, and that his parents and brothers and sisters were all members of the church in Battle Creek. She was the first that decided to keep the Sabbath. The school-teacher, is firmly and fully decided in all the truth, and very anxious I should go to his father's district and hold a series of meetings.

Another school-teacher in an adjoining district has attended part of the time. He says the Sabbath question is correct, and is deeply interested, and will, we trust, obey the Lord. Twelve have decided to keep the Sabbath of the Lord, and are arranging for a central point to worship with those who commenced in Jan. last, three miles north of them. The Lord give them wisdom and moral courage to walk in the strait path.

I am now waiting for the stage to convey me ten miles north to hold another series of meetings for a week, to strengthen those who decided to keep the Sabbath in Jan. last. See statement in Review for Feb. 17. O Lord help thy people to work while the day lasts.

JOSEPH BATES.

Onondaga, Mich., March 1st, 1859.