Testimonies for the Church Vol 1 - Lansing SDA Church

Advent Experience 51Elder Brown neither then nor afterward severed his connection withthe Christian Baptist Church, but was looked upon with great respectby his people. When he had finished speaking, those who desired theprayers of the people of God were invited to rise. Hundreds respondedto the call. The Holy Spirit rested upon the assembly. Heaven andearth seemed to approach each other. The meeting lasted until a latehour of the night. The power of the Lord was felt upon young, old,and middle-aged.As we returned to our homes by various ways, a voice praisingGod would reach us from one direction, and, as if in response, voicesfrom another and still another quarter shouted: “Glory to God, the Lord [51]reigneth!” Men sought their homes with praises upon their lips, andthe glad sound rang out upon the still night air. No one who attendedthese meetings can ever forget those scenes of deepest interest.Those who sincerely love Jesus can appreciate the feelings of thosewho watched with the most intense longing for the coming of theirSaviour. The point of expectation was nearing. The time when wehoped to meet Him was close at hand. We approached this hour witha calm solemnity. The true believers rested in a sweet communionwith God—an earnest of the peace that was to be theirs in the brighthereafter. None who experienced this hope and trust can ever forgetthose precious hours of waiting.Worldly business was for the most part laid aside for a few weeks.We carefully examined every thought and emotion of our hearts, asif upon our deathbeds and in a few hours to close our eyes foreverupon earthly scenes. There was no making of “ascension robes” forthe great event; we felt the need of internal evidence that we wereprepared to meet Christ, and our white robes were purity of soul,character cleansed from sin by the atoning blood of our Saviour.But the time of expectation passed. This was the first close testbrought to bear upon those who believed and hoped that Jesus wouldcome in the clouds of heaven. The disappointment of God’s waitingpeople was great. The scoffers were triumphant and won the weak andcowardly to their ranks. Some who had appeared to possess true faithseemed to have been influenced only by fear; and now their couragereturned with the passing of the time, and they boldly united with thescoffers, declaring they had never been duped to really believe thedoctrine of Miller, who was a mad fanatic. Others, naturally yielding