D. E. Robinson
EGW
July 2, Mrs. E.G. White and her party traveled from South Lancaster to Portland, Maine. At Nashua we were joined by Elder and Mrs. S. N. Haskell, Elder and Mrs. H. J. Edmed, and Brother F. M. Dana. Mrs. White was met at Woodfords Station by Mr. C. S. Bangs, a son of her twin sister, and during her visit she was made welcome at his home, which was but a short distance from the camp. RH December 9, 1909, par. 1
For several years Mrs. White had cherished the hope of once more bearing her message to the people of Portland, Maine, and when at the General Conference old friends urged her to visit Maine, she agreed to do so. Therefore a camp-meeting was appointed to be held in Portland, beginning July 2. A beautiful spot was selected for the camp at Deering's Oaks, about two miles from the business section of Portland. RH December 9, 1909, par. 2
Owing to the associations of her childhood and youth, this visit to Portland was of special interest to Mrs. White. It was in this city that she attended school till she met with the accident that made her an invalid for many years. Here it was that she heard the powerful preaching of William Miller; and here, after a period of despair, Jesus revealed Himself, and she seemed to see His blessed face beaming upon her in divine love and gentleness. Across the river formerly stood the house where, in November, 1844, she received her first vision, and where she spent a night of anguish at the thought of going out to relate to others the things that God had presented to her. In Portland and its vicinity she and her husband had labored together in the early days of this message. During her stay she visited some of the localities of special interest in connection with her early life. RH December 9, 1909, par. 3
Sabbath morning, July 3, Mrs. White spoke in the tent, giving lessons from the experiences of Israel as rehearsed by Moses in the Deuteronomy 4:1. From this discourse we give the following: RH December 9, 1909, par. 4
“‘Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor; for all the men that follow Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the Lord are alive every one of you this day.’ RH December 9, 1909, par. 5
“It makes a great difference whether we are obedient or disobedient to the word of the Lord. Let us make sure that we stand in right relation to God. There is a God in heaven who guards his people, but we need to take heed lest we place ourselves in such relation to him that he can not protect us. RH December 9, 1909, par. 6
“‘Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore, and do them; for this is your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?’ RH December 9, 1909, par. 7
“The success of Israel in the promised land was made dependent upon their observance of God's commandments. This instruction is for us as verily as for them. These commandments have never been abrogated, and in the day of judgment they will be brought forward as the standard by which all shall be tried. Angels of God are writing in the books of heaven our life record; and if we remain true to God, serving him with exact obedience, our faithfulness will be remembered, and will have its reward. RH December 9, 1909, par. 8
“‘Furthermore,’ said Moses, ‘the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.’ RH December 9, 1909, par. 9
“I feel like weeping every time I read of Moses’ mistake, with its consequent bitter disappointment. The children of Israel had come to a place where there was no water. Forgetful of how many times the Lord had delivered them, they murmured and complained, and found fault with Moses. Moses and Aaron sought the Lord, and he bade them speak unto the rock, and promised that water should flow forth. But Moses was provoked with the people because of their unreasonable course, and he spoke hastily in anger. ‘Hear now, ye rebels,’ he said, ‘must we bring you water out of this rock?’ He smote the rock twice with his rod, and the water came forth. But the Lord had not told him to smite the rock. ‘Speak ye unto the rock,’ was the instruction given to him, ‘and it shall give forth his water.’ RH December 9, 1909, par. 10
“‘And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.’ Moses entreated of the Lord to let him pass over Jordan, but the Lord would not permit him. With this one exception, he had been so faithful and so true—why was this disappointment placed upon him?—Because of his position. If his disobedience had been lightly passed over, it would have made of little account the requirements of God before the people. RH December 9, 1909, par. 11
“The lesson is for us. We must follow the Word of God exactly. Those who deviate from it, thinking they will come out as well, will in the end find that they have met with a terrible loss. The word of God is precious in his sight, and it is for every one to obey that word to the letter. There must be no careless deviation from duty. Some think that God is not particular, and that, although he specifies in the commandment the seventh day as the Sabbath, yet because it is more convenient for them to observe another day, God will pass by their deviation from his command. Not one of us can afford thus to presume upon God's forbearance. RH December 9, 1909, par. 12
“It means earnest effort to be among the overcomers. This God would teach his people, even though in order to do so he was obliged to refuse to remit the punishment of faithful Moses. He had made his mistake before all Israel, and God could not pass it by as though he had been obedient. Let us remember that we are serving the same God today. Let us prove the Lord. Let us pray to him, and believe that he hears us. If we will trust in him, and be obedient, he will deliver us from all our troubles. RH December 9, 1909, par. 13
“There is a great work to be done for perishing souls. From the foreign countries, from every part of our earth, there is a call for missionaries. It was my privilege while at Washington to see representatives from many countries. There were some representatives from the heathen world, who had been converted and believe this message. They say, ‘We need help, we need teachers, and we need means for the building of churches, schools, and sanitariums. We are willing to help you to learn our language, if you will come and teach the truth to our people.’ RH December 9, 1909, par. 14
“But we need not look away to the foreign fields to find perishing souls. All around us are those to whom we can explain the Scriptures, showing them the simplicity of the truths of the Word of God. We can show them what God has promised to those who will be obedient to his requirements.” RH December 9, 1909, par. 15
The little band of workers in Maine seemed much encouraged by the suggestions made that the time was ripe for an aggressive work to be carried forward in Portland, and in other cities of the East. After speaking of her own early experiences in the city, Mrs. White said: RH December 9, 1909, par. 16
“The people of Portland were wonderfully stirred by the proclamation of the messages of the first and second angels. There were powerful speakers, and there was a great deal of visiting from house to house. A deep earnestness characterized the labors of those who took part in this movement. There was one speaker who was almost ready for the grave, but he would not leave his work; for he felt that he must sound the note of warning to as many as possible before he should be taken away and his voice silenced. Meetings were held in the homes of believers all through the city, and the Lord wrought with mighty power. RH December 9, 1909, par. 17
“A work is to be carried forward here in Portland as the proclamation of the Lord's coming was carried forward in 1843 and 1844. There is a great work to be done in our cities, and we are individually to act our part. Let each one ask himself, What shall I do to meet the mind of the Spirit of God? If any of you have lost the evidence of your communion with God, will you not today reconsecrate yourselves to his service? You will be elevated, ennobled, and sanctified through a belief of the truth. Then you will be fitted to be workers together with God. RH December 9, 1909, par. 18
“You can not afford to lose the strength that comes from a union with God; for you are to bear his message. There is a part for all to act in carrying the truth throughout this city. Meetings should be conducted by earnest, able ministers, and many should go from house to house with publications filled with the truth. There is but a little time in which to work; for the Lord is soon coming, and we must work diligently to do all in our power to prepare a people to meet him.” RH December 9, 1909, par. 19
The early morning Bible studies by Elder Haskell were greatly enjoyed. They were of a nature to strengthen faith in the evidences that God has led His people, and that through the gift of prophecy He has made known the counsel of His will. One forenoon was devoted by Elder and Mrs. Haskell, Elder W. C. White, and others to a presentation of the privileges and blessings of personal labor with books and periodicals. Many books were bought by those present for work in their home neighborhoods, and quite a number volunteered to spend a day or a portion of a day during the meeting in house-to-house labor in the city. RH December 9, 1909, par. 20
The evening of the fourth of July was devoted to a stereopticon lecture by Elder Edmed, the views dealing with scenes of native life and our mission work in South Africa. His story of the growth of our work in that field, and also a discourse on the infallibility of the Bible, were a source of great inspiration. RH December 9, 1909, par. 21
The meetings increased in attendance and interest during the week. The daily papers contained favorable reports of the meetings, and this served to advertise the camp. The house-to-house visitations of the “field day” workers also greatly augmented the interest, and on the second Sunday of the meeting, there was a very large gathering, among whom were many of the leading citizens of Portland. RH December 9, 1909, par. 22
When Mrs. White spoke Sunday afternoon, the tent was crowded. The campers were requested to bring all the available chairs from their tents, but when this was done, some were still unable to find seats. Mrs. White spoke with even more than her usual strength and power, and many hearts were melted by her earnest appeals. After a discourse of nearly an hour, she offered a fervent petition to God for His mercy to rest upon the people of Portland, and for the spirit of consecration and service to be poured upon the believers. We believe that a good impression was left upon the congregation who attended this service. RH December 9, 1909, par. 23
It was our privilege to see the beginning that has been made for a Seventh-day Adventist church in the city of Portland. A lot had been purchased, and the walls were up for the basement of what gave promise of being a neat, commendable place of worship. But the work was at a standstill because of lack of means. Because of the importance of having a memorial in this city, Mrs. White has felt an earnest desire that the needed means should be raised and the building completed as soon as possible. In some of her meetings in the middle West, she presented the needs of this place, and small sums were contributed. These donations were gratefully received and forwarded to the treasurer of the Conference. RH December 9, 1909, par. 24