Western Tour by James White

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 27, 1865

Western Tour.

By James White

THE church at Hundred Mile Grove, Wis., have completed—except painting the inside—a neat house of worship, of respectable dimensions, and have seated it with comfortable settees. It presents a wide contrast with the cheapness of the house of worship of the numerous church at Battle Creek, with its plain, rickety, board seats. These scattered brethren, who are farmers, are flourishing, and are able to do what most of our eastern brethren cannot do. We were glad to see their enterprise in the direction of building a respectable house for the Lord. We think the Lord's house in that church cost more than the dwelling of any one of the members of the Lord's church in that place.

We do not like to see the Lord's house look meaner and cheaper than those of the wealthiest of the brethren. One might get the idea, on entering some places of worship, that the Lord must be exceedingly poor in the hearts of his people in that locality. The brethren have rather fine looking dwellings, but the place where the great God is worshiped is some old-fashioned kitchen, shop, cheap hall, or little cheap meeting-house. We would not recommend our people to build houses to gratify pride and show; but we give it as our humble opinion that in a church of members and wealth, the Lord's house should cost more than that of any one member of the church.

Sabbath morning, June 17, the house of worship at Hundred Mile Grove was well filled. Bro. Loughborough spoke to the brethren with his usual freedom. We spoke in the afternoon, and Bro. Ingraham spoke in the evening on the nature and ministration of angels. At the close of his discourse we made some remarks on the same subject, and while speaking of the last triumphant gathering of the elect from the four winds by the angels of God, at the time of the last trump and the resurrection of the just, the Holy Spirit came upon us in such measure as to cut off our remarks, and we gave some faint expression of the joys of an overflowing cup, in shouts of praise to God and the Lamb.

Elders Ingraham and Loughborough spoke twice on Sunday with much freedom, and Mrs. W. did not fail to water others, while she drank largely in addressing the congregation, of the fountain of salvation. On the whole, this was a very excellent meeting. The brethren gave us $20 s. B. funds, and with cheerful hearts and ready hands, helped us on our way—with teams for ourselves and baggage—to Madison, where, on Monday the 19th, we took the cars for Freeport, Ill. Here we found Bro. Newton with easy carriage to take us to his hospitable home at Crane's Grove.

With the tried friends in this place we spent three days, and held one excellent meeting. They spared no pains to make us happy, and revive our weary and worn natures with plain, healthful food. Refreshed in body, soul, and spirit, we parted with the friends at Crane's Grove this morning, the 22d, and came to this place (La Salle) on our way to the Princeville meeting. But as the cars do not connect, we are obliged to stay over till four in the morning in a western rumselling hotel. J. W.