AN INTERESTING LETTER by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 6, 1881

AN INTERESTING LETTER.

By Editor

THE following letter we copy from the Sabbath Recorder. It breathes the genuine Christian spirit which we have found in Bro. Clarke and his associates in labor, in our brief acquaintance with them. The remark in the last paragraph contains a truth which we have been pressing upon the attention of the people for over a quarter of a century. Bro. Huffman said to us, speaking of the opposition which some of his brethren manifested to making the Sabbath question so prominent: "If you want to make a man an earnest advocate of the Sabbath, send him out to work with a tent!" We have watched the tent labors of Brn. Rogers and Clarke with much interest, and with prayers for their success and prosperity:—

At the close of my labors in Elmira, my wife and two little ones joined me, and we proceeded to make a few visits in Steuben and Allegany counties. Before returning home, however, we found it convenient to spend part of a day at the Seventh-day Adventist camp-meeting, held in Belknap's Grove, two and a half miles from Hornellsville. A train runs up and back for every service, ten cents being the fare for a "round trip."

The first person we recognized was Bro. Welcome Stillman, of Rome, N. Y., a former schoolmate in DeRuyter Institute. Bro. S. and his wife kindly captured us, and made our stay most pleasant by introducing us to his Adventist brethren, and otherwise showing us marked favor. The table they set for us in their nice tent would do honor to any hotel.

At the entrance to the grove was a tent where the baggage of visitors was well cared for, free of charge, a sign to that effect being placed in front.

We counted fifty-five tents, all occupied by families in attendance, many of them well carpeted and tastefully decorated, also warmed with stoves during the cool evenings. Occupying a prominent place on the grounds was the tent where books and tracts, Bibles and Bible helps (not all from their own publishing houses either) were sold at reasonably low prices. A tent was also arranged for the sole use of committees. The large tent for preaching services was about one hundred feet long and fifty wide. Over the platform, in large ornamental letters, was a motto: "Blessed are they that do his commandments," under which sentence was placed, "Can ye not discern the signs of the times?"

As we entered the tent, Eld. D. M. Canright commenced his sermon from Matt. 26: 51, 52. We have no room or time for comments, but will say that it was a most earnest and excellent appeal in behalf of the love of Christ; and as we sat enjoying the feast, we felt ourselves drawing nearer to the Saviour, and making a resolution to be more faithful in the Master's service, and to love the souls of dying men. Surely the gospel of Christ was faithfully preached there, notwithstanding the adverse opinions of some of my Seventh-day Baptist brethren. I do earnestly hope, and almost believe, the time will soon come when most fraternal relations will exist between us as truth loving-people, and that all of error in both will be plainly seen and removed, while the precious truth will form a standard around which we can all rally. God speed the day. The tent and grounds were well lighted, and good order was maintained. The audiences led by Mrs. D. M. Canright, organist, furnished good music.

Among the leading ones at this meeting I noticed R. F. Cottrell, Joel Saunders, D. F. Fero, M. C. Wilcox, and others whose names are familiar to some of your readers.

We regretted very much our having to leave without hearing other speakers and getting a better understanding of the doctrines of our Adventist brethren. We have no desire to put our fingers into our ears and run from them, for we believe they love the truth, and with us are willing to search for it, no matter where it is found. I have no sympathy with the effort to keep us from having a better understanding with each other, and do hope the custom of sending delegates, when convenient, will be revived. All this is said without the fear of being led into errors, or of being called by that awful and most dreaded name, "Advent!"

I found many who felt a deep interest in our tent work, and many were the "God speeds" for Bro. Rogers and myself in that most interesting and profitable labor.

I am glad we are getting down to solid work, and the belief that it is our duty to spread the knowledge of this much loved truth, whether the people heed and obey or not. As Prof. Allen said in his sermon at the funeral of our beloved and lamented father in Israel, N. V. Hull, "'The soldier has no business with results,' . . . accept a thus saith the Lord, as a marching order to be unhesitatingly obeyed, uncaring results." Let us look to our "marching orders," found in Isaiah 58: 1; 1 Tim. 6: 12; 2 Tim. 4: 1, 2.

In the Recorder of the 8th inst., Bro. Main said: "When the importance of any truth or duty seems to be disregarded, it is necessary to make it particularly prominent in order that the attention of the people may be directed to it." As truth is of more importance than that respecting the law of God, and as no truth and duty is so neglected and despised as Sabbath truth and the duty of observing it, it becomes necessary to make it very prominent, and call the attention of the people to it.—H. D. Clarke, Leonardsville, N. Y., Sept. 16, 1881.