p. 36 | Report from Bro. Loughborough

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Jul 4, 1865

Report from Bro. Loughborough.

By John Norton Loughborough

BRO. SMITH : Since my last report I have attended several excellent meetings in Illinois and Wisconsin. The first, at Clyde, Ill., held from June 3d to the 6th. This meeting was in the field of my labors during the winter of 1857. It was one of interest to me, as it called up a pleasing reminiscence of past scenes. I was glad to witness in the congregation several who embraced the truth in 1857, and to find them still pressing on. Many who were children then, have since embraced the truth. Several good brethren and sisters who then met with us are now sleeping in Jesus. Others have moved to other localities. I had the privilege of speaking five times, with good freedom, to this church in their commodious house of worship, and to full and attentive congregations.

Among others, while here, I saw those who opposed the truth when I was trying in past times to call the attention of the people to God's commandments. An Elder V— was of the number, who had in his hasty zeal to establish Sunday-keeping, told us that the disciples of Christ took up collections every Sunday! As he could find but one text, 1 Cor. xvi, 2, to favor the idea of a collection on that day, he told us that the word "fellowship" in the New Testament meant a collection or contribution. We of course claimed the right to substitute his definition of the word fellowship for the word itself. So the brethren gave to Paul and Barnabas the right hand of a collection, or, perhaps, gave them a contribution-box.

While these men, who used their wily schemes to overthrow God's law, have in their lives demonstrated the insufficiency of such a theory to hold men, the plain truth of God's law has steadily risen, and the numbers have greatly increased there of those who will honor God by obeying him.

Our interesting meetings at Monroe and Hundred Mile Grove, Wis., have already been reported by Bro. White. The brethren and sisters expressed gratitude for the encouragement they found in these meetings. For myself I felt that faith, hope, and courage, were increased while listening to the truth, especially to the themes of healthy and holy living, introduced by Bro. and Sr. White.

We are now on our way to Princeville, Ill., stopping for the night, waiting for the cars, at La Salle. From the appearance of the majority of the houses, and one-third of the people, in the business part of the town, one is not favorably impressed with the place. About every fourth door is a dram shop, swarming with customers. Abundance of idleness seems to be here, which will account for the dilapidated condition of the town, to some extent. I presume there are noble exceptions here, as we observe a better class of buildings, and a couple of tidy Protestant churches, on the higher ground of the city.

We are strikingly reminded here of the degeneracy in the morals of the people of this age. Drunkenness, profanity, and incivility, are on the increase.

This last expression reminds me of a circumstance that occurred as Bro. Ingraham and myself were passing from Monroe to the Hundred Mile Grove meeting. A stranger to us, who it appeared knew Bro. I., came up behind us and commenced conversation about weather, crops, &c. Finally he said to Bro. Ingraham:

"Is Mr. — living at Monroe?"

"Yes."

"How is he getting along?"

"Finely. He gets two dollars a day for his work, and is trying to do well."

"Is he a good member of your church?"

"Yes. We have never seen any thing out of the way in him."

"Well," said the stranger, "I hope he will go to h—ll, and everybody with him that has confidence in him."

The man, and the one he was speaking of, were both strangers to me, but had we been ever so well acquainted, and he a savage of the forest, such an uncivil attack in the streets, or elsewhere, is without excuse.

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.