John Norton Loughborough became a Sabbath-keeping Adventist through the labors of J. N. Andrews. He began preaching immediately and was ordained in 1854. He became our first missionary (to California, that is!) in the year 1868. In 1878 he was sent to Europe. He was at one time president of the Illinois Conference. For six years he was superintendent of General Conference districts made up of conferences. He was the denomination’s first historian, writing the book, The Rise and Progress of Seventh-day Adventists, which was followed by The Great Second Advent Movement. He was also the author of smaller books. Loughborough was the first man to receive ordination in what was later to be known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This occurred when he was only 22 years old.APBP 14.2

Like most of the early Advent leaders, John Loughborough took a real interest in the literature work. One day he and James White were discussing ways and means of advancing the work of the gospel. It was suggested that if books were offered to the people in public in connection with preaching services, the people would be willing to buy and pay a small price for them, thus the way would be prepared for more literature to be produced. The alert young preacher said, “I will try it.” So at one of the meetings tracts were displayed on the speaker’s stand and offered for sale. At the close of the sermon many persons came forward and bought them. At that time a complete set of all Adventist literature published, including tracts and one paper-covered book, could be purchased for 35 cents. Today it would cost thousands of dollars to buy one copy of all Seventh-day Adventist literature published in many languages.APBP 14.3

Loughborough was truly a great pioneer, lending his many talents to the development of the work wherever there was a need.APBP 14.4

“In 1908, at the age of seventy-six, he began a tour around the world, visiting the principal centers of the Seventh-day Adventist work. He travelled thirty thousand miles by water and six thousand by land. This closed his active service except for an occasional trip to a camp meeting or General Conference session, or to take up his pen to write reminiscences of bygone days. He made his home with his daughter, Mrs. J. J. Ireland, at Lodi, California. When she and her husband were called to Washington, D. C., Elder Loughborough’s health was failing, and he spent his last years in the St. Helena Sanitarium, where he passed away peacefully on April 7, 1924, at the ripe old age of nine-two. His funeral was held in the St. Helena church, which was one of the first churches he had raised up in California more than fifty years before.”APBP 14.5

See: Pioneer Stories Retold, pp.115-142; Footprints of the Pioneers, pp.147-156.APBP 14.6

A Story About John N. Loughborough

Not long after John Loughborough became a Seventh-day Adventist, he was impressed that he should go and preach the message but he hesitated until he could earn enough money to support his wife. He tried to make the business succeed in which he was engaged, but it failed. His funds were very low. Then he went to a meeting in Rochester. During this meeting Sister White had a vision. In relating this vision she said, “Brother Loughborough is holding back from his duty to preach the message, trying to get means for his support. The Lord told me to say, ‘Decide to preach the message and the Lord will open the way for your family’s support.’” — Divine Predictions Fulfilled, pp.25-27.APBP 15.1

After the meeting, John Loughborough went home and prayed. He said to the Lord, “I will go and trust in You to open the way for my support.” When he made that promise he only had three cents in his pocket and he didn’t know where any more money was coming from. But he was happy in his heart.APBP 15.2

Monday morning his wife said to him, “John, we are out of matches and I need some thread.” Elder Loughborough took the pennies out of his pocket and said, “Mary, this is all the money I have. You get one cent’s worth of matches and a skein of thread and bring me one cent. I don’t want to be entirely without money.”APBP 15.3

His wife was very blue. “What are we going to do?” she said. John Loughborough said, “I am going out to preach and let the Lord open the way for us as He promised to do in the vision last Sabbath.”APBP 15.4

Mary Loughborough went to her room to have a good cry. She wept for an hour. Then she went out to make her purchases. She hadn’t been gone but a few minutes when a strange man called at their door and ordered sixty dollars worth of sashlocks. Brother Loughborough had tried to sell sashlocks but he had failed. Now, since he had told the Lord that he would obey and become a preacher, the Lord began to work for him.APBP 15.5

The man said, “I will call for the sashlocks at noon and pay you for them then.” Well, Brother Loughborough only had to walk about two blocks to the factory where he placed the order for the locks. The sale went through as planned and his profits were over thirty dollars. And thirty dollars was a lot of money back in the 1850’sAPBP 15.6

When Mary Loughborough returned with the purchases, she found her husband singing. “You seem to be very happy,” she said.APBP 15.7

“Yes,” he replied. And he told her what had happened. And she went to her room and had another hour’s cry, but this time for a different reason.APBP 15.8

Elder Loughborough was obedient to the heavenly vision. He became a successful preacher. God used him in a mighty way to build up the interest of His cause.APBP 15.9

STEPHEN N. HASKELL

WILLIAM MILLER