Extracts from Letters

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 2, 1865

Extracts from Letters.

Bro. J. D. Hillis writes from Knoxville, Iowa: The church at Knoxville is in a good condition, and I think the brethren are all trying by the help of God to persevere in this good cause and prosecute their journey onward through this world of sin, to that place of rest that remains in the future state for God's dear children. My prayer is, that we may all so live that we may dwell together in the new earth.

Bro. L. Lyman writes from Roulette, Pa.: Myself and wife, have been trying to keep the commandments for a few years past. We were long the only ones in the town that tried to keep all ten of the commandments, as set forth by S. D. Adventists. Our prayer to God was, that he would send some one this way to preach the truth.

Eld. Fuller came here and preached a few times, which caused many to inquire, "What shall I do to be saved?" His labors were blessed; and we were made to rejoice, by seeing some twelve or fifteen start with the full determination to obey God, and keep his commandments. We have a regular prayer-meeting established, and we have meetings every Sabbath. It does me good to hear the youth and the aged, stand up and tell of the goodness of God, and their willingness to live a cross-bearing life here, and their desire to finally have everlasting life, where God's people will be permitted to meet and part no more.

A FRIEND writes the following: "Forbidding to marry." This is so clearly a mark of modern Spiritualists, that the marriage institution is the subject of every vituperative epithet on their part. And there is even talk among them of getting up petitions to the legislatures for its establishment by law. The shameless manner in which they break their marriage bonds, and take spiritual wives, is said by them to be at the express command of the spirits. Some, who have been remarkable for their moral and correct lives previous to their commerce with Spiritualism, have, by thinking that they must obey the spirits, been induced to leave wives and children that they loved much better than the spiritual wife that they were commanded to take; and were affected to tears when they spoke of those they had left, and of the sacrifices they had to make in doing so; but thought it the greater virtue that they did so in obedience to the spirits. There was a case of this kind which occurred here some time ago. A young man, of upright, moral character, left a young wife and family of children, for a woman of abandoned character, whom the spirits commanded him to take. He wept every time he spoke of his family, and said he loved them very much better than the woman the spirits had commanded him to take, but that he must obey the spirits.—Prophetic Times.

Formal Preachers.—As God can send a nation or people no greater blessing than to give them faithful, sincere, and upright ministers; so the greatest curse that God can possibly send upon a people in this world, is to give them over to blind, unregenerate, carnal, lukewarm, and unskillful guides. And yet, in all ages, we find there have been many wolves in sheep's clothing, many that daubed with untempered mortar, that prophesied smoother things than God did allow. As it was formerly, so it is now, there are many that corrupt the word of God, and deal deceitfully with it.—Whitefield.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James i, 5.

Humility is better than a gold mine.