Report from Bro. Ingraham.
By William S. Ingraham
BRO. WHITE: As I have not reported myself of late, it may be duty to acquaint our brethren with my labors since conference. I have made two visits to Darlington; found most of the brethren striving for the kingdom. Two of them were drafted, brethren Armitage and Albert Hardy. They paid $300.00 and were cleared. From this place I went to Fayette, where we held our last tent meeting. Found the Freewill Baptists were making a division in their church by closing their meeting-house against us. I designed to follow up the interest we left when we closed our tent labor, but we are cut off for the present, there being no house for meetings. I attended the quarterly meetings at McConnell's Grove and Monroe. At these meetings I did not enjoy as much liberty as on some former occasions, but our communion seasons will long be remembered by those present. At McConnell's Grove our elder (Bro. Brown) was confined at home and could not meet with us at our usual place of worship, consequently we had the communion at his house. In answer to prayer Bro. B. was much blessed. His distress, caused by rheumatism, was removed, and he was able to take part with us. At Monroe we had a melting time. There were brethren present from Avon, McConnell's Grove and Darlington. Our quarterly meetings should be well attended by all that can consistently reach them. It is my opinion if we should have our communion seasons in the evening, and by ourselves, away from the world, it would be better. This institution belongs to the church of God. I have preached some in new places. I have given several lectures in the town of Jordan. Here I was assailed in the most abrupt manner by one Dr. Cox, once a Protestant Methodist preacher, but now a Spiritualist lecturer. The doctor and his party have been successful in throwing confusion into nearly all the meetings that have been held by different ones for a long time. They had enjoyed the privilege of speaking in every meeting, and to be cut off from this privilege was more than they could bear. They said it was a free country and they could not submit to the gag law. I told them I was a man of order, and they could not speak on my time or responsibility; but if they wanted to discuss the subject of Spiritualism, I would meet them. A question was proposed, moderators chosen and rules adopted, and the debate began, which lasted one week. The doctor grew more and more nervous to the close. The last evening of our debate, when I was criticizing some of his foolish positions, and especially his remarks on Eccl. ix, 3-5, and the rich man and Lazarus, he could govern himself no longer, but jumped from his seat, shook his fist in my face and called me a liar. With patience I bore it, but met his arguments without fear. His position in regard to the rich man and Lazarus was nothing new. But his having said the spirit of man was a part of God, involved him in difficulty when he came to the parable; for he said it was the spirit of the rich man that went to hell. My reply was as follows: If the spirit of man is a part of God, and the spirit of the rich man was in hell, we must conclude that God was presented in hell; and, second, as there was an impassable gulf between him and Abraham, it would subject the divine being to eternal damnation. Now doctor, exert your skill in getting God out of hell across the impassable gulf into the seventh sphere. This point will bear with equal weight against some religious bodies. The M. E. Hymn Book says the soul is God's immortal breath. The doctor made such a failure in the estimation of the audience, that when he entered upon his last speech there were so many raps on the house and in the house he was obliged to sit down. These raps were not from the dead but from the living. Another gentleman took his place and made many remarks that had no bearing on the question. I replied and the debate closed, much in our favor. The people are anxious to hear on the different points of our faith. I shall accommodate them as soon as I can. It will not be possible for me to travel much this winter. My wife's health is very poor, and she is away from home for the purpose of being benefited by cold water treatment. I shall travel all I can, and labor as much as I can to spread the truth.