Labors in Maine by John Nevins Andrews

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 31, 1865

Labors in Maine.

By John Nevins Andrews

AFTER our meeting in Portland, the first week in July, Bro. Cornell and myself separated; he going to Augusta, and I to Topsham. At T. I spent one week, devoting the most of my time to writing, but meeting on the Sabbath with those who observed it, and on first-day visiting a number of families. The following Sabbath, July 22, Bro. Cornell, who had held a profitable meeting in Augusta, met me at Cornville, where we held a two-days' meeting. Quite a good number of Sabbath-keepers were present. Here I was happy to form an acquaintance with Brn. Stratton and Goodrich, and also to meet with some Sabbath-keepers that I had not seen for fourteen years. The following Sabbath I met with the brethren in Hartland, near the residence of Bro. Goodrich. On first-day, held meetings with Bro. Goodrich in the east part of Palmyra. At the same time Bro. Cornell held meetings in Rome. Tuesday, August 1, Bro. Goodrich took me to Kendall's Mills where we met Brn. Cornell, Howard, Wight, and others, for the purpose of a Bible-class. Devoted two entire days and two evenings to this work. The subjects considered were, the Sabbath, the 70 weeks and 2300 days, the commandment for the restoration of Jerusalem, and the subject of organization. I think this was a profitable interview.

At the close of this meeting, the subject of future labors caused anxious inquiry on the part of Bro. C. and myself. No special opening for labor had there been before us thus far, and we now earnestly desired to find some place where we could reach the mass of the people. From what we could learn, Norridgewock seemed to be a suitable field of labor, and we decided to send to Topsham for the tent, and to Manchester, N. H., for Bro. Gage to act as tent-master. The following Sabbath and first-day, Aug. 5 and 6, I spent with the brethren at Cornville, and Bro. Cornell with Bro. Stratton at Athens. Tuesday, Aug. 8, we visited Norridgewock to secure a place for our tent and lumber to seat it. That day we were unable to find the owner of the land or the owner of the lumber. We returned to Skowhegan to spend the night with Bro. Cyphers, and at his earnest request determined to make an effort at that place, if the way should open. We found a beautiful place, with nearly seats enough upon it that had been taken out of the town hall. We obtained the consent of the owner, and also of the man who had the ground in his possession, and as the way was thus readily opened before us, decided to pitch our tent there. But in the morning when we had drawn our tent upon the ground and had begun to put up our notices, the man who had the ground in possession, came out, and in an angry manner forbade us to pitch the tent.

Upon this we decided to return to Norridgewock. This time we found the owner of the land, and secured the use of it; and we obtained lumber by buying it. It now required our utmost effort to get our tent pitched and seated before the Sabbath; but by the aid of two brethren from Madison, we were able to accomplish this. We had a respectable congregation the first evening, and as our meeting progressed we had great cause to thank God that we had come to Norridgewock. Our tent remained standing nearly six weeks, and during all this time we did not have one meeting broken up by rain, nor did we have to lower our tent once on account of wind. We had meetings every evening except three, one of which was to accommodate another meeting, and the other two to give the people rest. The attendance upon this meeting was large; the people coming much of the time from seven or eight towns, and on Sundays from a still larger area. We had generally a good degree of freedom in presenting the important truths of the Bible relating to this time, and had encouraging tokens that the people were not only interested, but benefited.

A vote was taken in the latter part of the meeting to know how many were convinced that the seventh day ought to be observed. Some 300 arose to their feet. Then a vote was taken to know how many were decided to observe the Sabbath, and about sixty arose. Quite a number who had previously decided to keep the Sabbath were not present when this vote was taken. One hundred and fifteen persons subscribed for the Review, and eight for the Instructor.

When it became necessary to take down the tent and to close this meeting, we began to realize that some provision must be made for the future, or much of this labor must be lost. As no meeting-house or hall could be procured for Sabbath meetings, and in short as there was no way for us to gather a congregation in that place in the future, we took steps at once to learn whether it was practicable to attempt the building of a house of worship. A week was spent in visiting our friends, scattered through several towns, and also in holding several business meetings. By this effort we obtained pledges to the amount of about $1600. On the strength of this a contract was made for the erection of a neat, plain house of worship, 55 by 38. Mr. S. Y. Pierce, the gentleman who undertakes this, had sold his farm in order to move West, but though not a professor of religion, he felt so deep an interest in the truths preached in the tent, and in the building of a house for future labors, that he took the burden upon himself. Under his energetic efforts the building is being rapidly urged forward. Many have paid their pledges promptly; and I trust that those who have not yet paid, will immediately attend to this, as the money is now needed, and we cannot consent that the builder should be embarrassed. With present prices for material and labor, there is no chance for the contractor to make this a source of profit, nor did he expect to do this; let us see that he is sustained by the prompt payment of the pledges.

Since the close of the tent-meeting Bro. Gage has labored with some success in Starks. Bro. Cornell has attended the discussion at Alton Bay, between Elders Preble and Wendell on the resurrection of the wicked, and has labored with success in Rome. During the same time I have been detained by various duties at Norridgewock, of which the principal have been holding Sabbath meetings in a school-house, visiting from house to house, and aiding in various things relating to our house of worship.

The week after our tent was taken down, a proposition for a discussion on the immortality subject was handed us from Elder Deering, a Freewill Baptist minister of Richmond, Me. As our opponents in N. were ready to endorse him as their champion, Bro. Cornell accepted the proposition of Elder D., and designated Tuesday, Oct. 10, as the time for the discussion to commence. When Eld. D. arrived it was agreed to discuss the following resolutions:

Resolved, That the Scriptures teach that all who die are in an unconscious state from the time of their death till the resurrection.

Resolved, That the Scriptures teach that the wicked shall be punished with eternal conscious suffering.

The first of these was to be affirmed by Elder Cornell, the last by Elder Deering. As the weather was very favorable, and it was evident that no house in N. could hold the people, we decided to pitch the tent. One day was devoted to each question. Three sessions of two hours each were to be held daily; thus occupying forenoon, afternoon, and evening. Elder Blacker, a Universalist minister of N. acted as chairman. The discussion was decidedly an interesting affair. It would be impossible in this article to give any general statement of the argument adduced. To us it appeared like a signal triumph of the truth; how it appeared to our opponents we will not say.

The discussion was opened by Bro. Cornell with testimony

showing that the dead sleep, that they are not rewarded till the judgment and resurrection, that they know not anything, that they praise not the Lord, that their thoughts have perished, and that they can only be with Christ by his coming after them and taking them to himself. A large amount of testimony was adduced on these points, of which only a part was even alluded to. Thus Elder D. did not even attempt to reply to these : "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Ps. cxv, 17. "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Ps. cxlvi, 4.

Elder D. spent his time in the forenoon in simply parrying Bro. C.'s blows, but laid no foundation for his own theory. Indeed, when pressed by Bro. C. to prove the immortality of the soul by the Scriptures, that there might be something to rest the conscious state of the dead upon, he declined the attempt, and would not even affirm that he believed it himself. In the latter part of the afternoon session he began to adduce the common arguments in favor of consciousness in death. Thus he cited the departure of Rachel's soul; and also that of the widow's son; the spirit returning to God; Christ's words to the Sadducees; the thief on the cross; the rich man and Lazarus, etc., etc. These were answered as fully as the limited remaining time admitted, and several of them shown not only not to help him, but even to bear directly against him. Particularly was this the case with reference to the words of Christ to the Sadducees, which were shown to be used by Christ to prove not the conscious state of the dead, but the resurrection of the dead. When it was shown in answer to his use of Christ's words to the thief, that Christ had not yet been with his Father three days after his death, John xx, 17. Elder D. did not attempt to show how these words could be reconciled with Christ's going to Paradise, at his death, but said it was "Christ's business to reconcile it," not his.

On the second day, Elder D. opened the discussion with a quotation of those texts that speak of everlasting fire, everlasting punishment, etc., etc., taking strong ground on the literal signification of the terms used, and how these would be understood by the people addressed. Elder C. acknowledged that the punishment in its duration would be endless, but that in its nature it would be destruction. In other words, that it would be everlasting destruction. The everlasting fire was illustrated by the eternal fire that consumed Sodom. It was also illustrated by the "eternal judgment" and the "eternal redemption" spoken of by Paul, which are not a judgment and a redemption that shall be going on forever, but which shall be eternal in their consequences. Elder C. showed that the wicked should be destroyed, should die the second death, should be consumed, should perish, be devoured, come to an end, be burned up, consumed soul and body, be as nothing, and as though they had not been. This was sustained by a multitude of texts. He showed also that the wicked when cast into the fire are compared to perishable substances, as chaff, tares, stubble, thorns, the fat of lambs, etc., and that they are never compared to things imperishable.

At the opening of the afternoon session Elder D. astonished us with the statement that there was no literal fire connected with the punishment of the wicked. He said that he repudiated the idea, not in his own name only, but also in behalf of the denominations represented by the ministers present, viz., the Methodist, Congregationalist, Calvinist, Baptist, and Free-will Baptist churches. He said that these denominations not only do not believe that the wicked shall be punished in fire, but that they never did believe such doctrine. He said that the punishment of the lost would be a guilty conscience. Bro. C. showed that the consciences of the greatest sinners are seared as with a hot iron, so that the greater the wickedness the less the mental suffering; that the wicked delight in lies, have pleasure in unrighteousness, enjoy sin, rejoice to evil, and finally are said to be past feeling. Bro. C. quoted Spurgeon as a noted Baptist minister holding to literal fire as the punishment of the wicked, when Elder D. with the sanction of the Baptist minister present, repudiated Spurgeon as a Baptist clergyman, and said he was noted for whisky-drinking and advocated it in the pulpit. Bro. C. named several eminent commentators who represent the punishment of the wicked as accomplished with literal fire. He also showed that evil should not be immortal, but that Satan's rebellion against the Almighty shall be put down, and that God's anger toward the wicked shall cease in their destruction. He also showed that the earth, in its burning state, is to be the lake of fire where the wicked are to have their punishment, and as this fire is finally to be succeeded by the new heavens and new earth, as the time shall come, after the burning day, when the wicked shall be ashes under the feet of the saints, and when every creature alive in the universe shall join in praising God, and God shall be all in all.

I ought not to omit the following argument on a guilty conscience, as the fire that shall devour the wicked. Bro. C. substituted it for fire in the following passages:

"Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting guilty conscience, prepared for the devil and his angels." Matt. xxv, 41.

"Shall be tormented with guilty conscience and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels." Rev. xiv, 10.

"And guilty conscience came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." Rev. xx, 9.

We think the discussion has opened the eyes of many to the plain teaching of the Bible on this great subject. May it lead them to seek for immortality at the resurrection of the just, and thus escape the second death in the lake of fire.

The past Sabbath was spent at this place with Bro. C. We had an interesting season with Brn. Howard, Hanscom, Wight, and others. Here are quite a number interested in the subject of the present truth.

After a few weeks I hope to be at liberty to visit our brethren in many places. It seems to me very evident that the Lord is at work in this region, and I desire that we all may act well our part in his service.

J. N. ANDREWS.

Rome, Me., Oct. 16, 1865.