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Beginning of the story

REMINISCENCES OF H.M. WALLER . . . Continued

AGAIN IN THE GENERAL FIELD

As soon as Elder Waller resigns at Monmouth, he listens again to the Macedonian cry, and lets his farm continue to pay the expense, for he gets very little from those for whom he labors.

Bro. Peter Shuck asks him to hold a meeting at Monitor, and, if possible, organize near his place. An attempt is made, and though quite discouraging at first, an interest soon developed, and ere long about twenty were baptized and organized a once little church.

They now think, with Brethren Shuck, Roberts and Webb to aid and preach occasionally, they can go along nicely. The next spring, however, he hires to preach during the dry season for them for $12.50 per trip, once each month. They soon build a neat little chapel, and Elder Waller is called to dedicate it.

They again insist that he must preach for them another summer. He does so. During the time he is preaching for the Monitor church, the citizens of the city of Woodburn ask the brethren at Monitor to send their preacher to the their city and tell them "our principles."

The Woodburn delegation say: "We have had the Salvation Army, the Sanctificationist, and now the Seventh Adventists are in town pounding away. Now we wish to hear your plea. We are all about ready for the asylum, and unless some physician of skill comes, we will soon be in bad shape."

After a consultation it is decided that Elder Waller should go and counteract as far as possible this degenerating stuff that has been poured into the minds of the people.

He begins in due season, and preached two or three discourses on first principles, but the people are not satisfied. The brethren then say: "You must quit this line now till you have answered a few things relative to the Sabbath question."

Of course he is ready for that, and announces that the next night he would talk on that subject. This was the keynote, and the interest became intense. Nearly everybody was there.

He says: "The Gentiles are not now, and never have been, under law of Moses, for Moses gave the law to the Jews only. 'The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day' (Deut. v. 2,3). 'Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath - to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations - for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever' (Exodus xxxi. 16, 17). None but the Jews were under this law. No Gentile could live under this law now. As soon as the time expired for which it was given, even the Jews themselves could not observe it. Since Jesus' coming none can keep it. 'The law was a school-master to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come we are no longer under a school-master' (Gal. iii. 24,25)."

A Jewish rabbi of San Francisco said to Elder Waller: "We keep the Sabbath and its laws as nearly as we can.

This brings out two of these Sabbatarian preachers, who say: "You have established that Saturday was in reality the Sabbath; this aids us very much, and we thank you for your help."

"Hold on, please, Mr. Sabbatarian, I am not through yet," says Bro. Waller. "There are noted three special days in the Scriptures - Preparation day, Sabbath day, and Lord's Day. The Sabbath day was given to the Jews as their memorial and rest day. The Lord's day is something new; is a memorial of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb. It is not something that comes in the place of, or in substitution for, circumcision."

Here, of course, the Methodist preacher squirmed as though he had been hit. "Under the new of Christian dispensation, our day is the Lord's day. Under Jewish dispensation, their days were those of preparation and the Sabbath."

After the meetings began, the Methodist preacher said to Elder Waller: "You must look out how you walk, for these Adventist are a great Bible people."

"That is just the kind of people I like to talk with, for the hardest people to talk to are those who are ignorant of, or know little of the Bible."

He now announces that his next lesson with be on the Lord's day and it's observance. The Adventist jumps up and says: "If you will all come to the tent to-morrow at eleven o'clock I will review Elder Waller."

Bro. Waller said: "I hope you all with go, for I shall be there, God being willing."

The tent is filled, and Bro. Waller is overhauled. This is kept up for about four days, with the Adventist preaching in his tent in the morning hour, and Elder Waller in the evening at the church.

By this time the Adventist wilt and leave the field. Bro. Waller now announces if the people will attend the next night he will positively prove that these Advent preachers did not know how to read the Bible.

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