p. 61 | The Illinois Tent Meeting

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 22, 1862

The Illinois Tent Meeting

By Isaac Sanborn; Wm. S. Ingraham

FROM THE ILLINOIS TENT.

BRO. WHITE: After a three day's journey from Elmwood, we reached this place where we expect to pitch the tent to-day.

Our tent meeting in Elmwood was a very interesting one. In the commencement the dragon host pressed us hard, yet we held on to the promises of God,

"I will be with you to the end;" and if ever the Lord fulfilled that promise he did to us in Elmwood. Just as soon as the ministers found that they could not meet us with argument, they sent to Peoria City for Eld. Lucenck, Methodist presiding elder, called the great champion of the West, as a debater.

He came and the propositions agreed upon for discussion were—1. "Do the Scriptures teach that the seventh-day Sabbath was made at creation, and is binding throughout the gospel dispensation?" Bro. Ingraham affirmed. Bro. I. in his opening speech of three-fourths of an hour, built such a fort of truth that his opponent with all his dignity and sarcasm (and he dealt in little else), could not remove one stone from the breastwork of truth which had been built by Bro. I. Eld. Lucenck first admitted the seventh-day Sabbath to be binding to the cross; but in his second speech he tried to prove that it was changed in the wilderness; and in his third speech he tried to prove that it was changed at the resurrection. Failing to do that, he then tried to prove that the Sabbath was lost in the days of Joshua. The fallacy of this was soon made manifest by Bro. I. before all the people.

2. The second proposition was—"Do the Scriptures teach that man is in possession of an immortal soul or spirit, capable of conscious existence between death and the resurrection?" Eld. Lucenck affirmed. Bro. I. denied. Eld. L. tried to prove his proposition by referring to the case of the witch of Endor, Moses at the bush, the thief on the cross, and the rich man and Lazarus. This last he reserved for an especial charge, but as is generally the case with such men, he stepped in front of his own battery, and therefore received the whole charge into his own theory. He said to Bro. I., "You attempt to prove that it is a parable; but we deny it." This of course compelled him to receive it as a literal narrative. This let him down so in the estimation of the people that he never recovered from it; and accordingly the next day afternoon he was sick, and sent in Eld. Kellan of Princeville to fill his place, and in the evening also, at which point the discussion closed.

The discussion having raised the interest of the meeting to a very high pitch, we continued the meetings a little more than a week after the discussion closed; and though times here for money are very hard, we sold about twenty-five dollars' worth of books, and send you eleven subscribers for the Review.

Last first-day after the forenoon meeting, we repaired to the water where several hundred people witnessed seven persons follow their Lord in the ordinance of baptism. We left twenty-five there keeping the Lord's Sabbath, a number of whom were with many others members of the Methodist church, who said they thought they should keep it. They appointed a prayer meeting among them on the Sabbath. May the Lord bless them, and send out others to go with them, is our prayer.

ISAAC SANBORN. WM. S. INGRAHAM.

P. S. According to appointment we pitched the tent in Gridley, and have preached three times to large and attentive congregations. Yesterday we had a heavy thunder storm which broke our tent pole about five feet from the ground, and tore the side wall in several places; but we have it up again, and expect to have meeting to-night and onward. We are expecting to have a discussion with a Disciple minister. The prospect here for good is flattering. May the Lord bless the word, and save the people is our prayer.

I. S. WM. S. I.