REPORT FROM BRO. HULL by M. Hull

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 15, 1861

REPORT FROM BRO. HULL.

By M. Hull

BRO. SMITH: I left my home on the 5th of Dec., and arrived at Russiaville on the 7th. I commenced meetings on the 8th. The interest has been good considering the circumstances. The nights were very dark, and the roads tremendous muddy the most of the time. This prevented many from hearing the word of the Lord.

Eld. Thompson, an old regular Calvinistic Baptist, came out against the truth in two long discourses on the kingdom and law questions. He fully manifested what spirit he was of. None could fail to see the dragonic spirit manifested in each of his discourses. There was nothing too untrue for him to tell, nor was there anything too low for him to condescend to use.

I have heard political demagogues use low buffoonry, but I never found a professed blackguard that could get quite so low as the Eld. did, especially in his last discourse. He convinced many of the truthfulness of our position that Babylon is fallen. This he did not do by argument, but by his conduct. He also proved that he would resort to anything to make out a case. The Lord gave freedom in reviewing his discourses, so that the people could see how weak the strongest men are when they undertake to fight the truth.

Next came Eld. Shockey to discuss the Sabbath question with me. He and I went into a three days' discussion, but not of the question which we had previously agreed to debate. When the Eld. arrived he found that the question would give no chance to talk without talking to the point, hence he refused to debate it. So in order to have a discussion I had to submit to a change in the proposition which gave the Eld. the advantage; i. e., it gave him a chance to quibble if he chose to do so.

We spent three days in calmly and dispassionately arguing the origin and perpetuity of the Sabbath. There was not a hard word spoken, nor hard feeling manifested during the whole discussion. When we finished debating we left the whole congregation in tears. The good Spirit seemed to pervade every breast, and all said it was the best meeting they ever attended in their lives.

It is but just for me here to say that Eld. Shockey is a gentleman in the highest sense of the word, a scholar, and an able defender of his position. But he has failed where all must fail—he lacked the evidence.

After the discussion Eld. S. preached a discourse against our position on spiritual gifts, which made it necessary for me to set our position before the people on that subject. This I did to the best of my ability. The discourse on this subject led six other noble souls to take a decided stand with the remnant who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.

There is now a church of seventeen members here, ten of whom have been baptized since my arrival. May they be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Others are now halting between two opinions, some of whom I hope to see take a stand on the Lord's side soon.

M. HULL.