Chapter 6—The Disappointment of 1843-44
With carefulness and trembling we approached the time when our
Saviour was expected to appear. With solemn earnestness we sought,
as a people, to purify our lives, that we might be ready to meet Him
at His coming. Meetings were still held at private houses in different
parts of the city, with the best results. Believers were encouraged to
work for their friends and relatives, and conversions were multiplying
day by day.
Meetings in Beethoven Hall
Notwithstanding the opposition of ministers and churches,
Beethoven Hall, in the city of Portland, was nightly crowded; espe-
cially was there a large congregation on Sundays. All classes flocked
to these meetings. Rich and poor, high and low, ministers and laymen,
were all, from various causes, anxious to hear for themselves the doc-
trine of the second advent. Many came who, finding no room to stand,
went away disappointed.
The order of the meetings was simple. A short and pointed dis-
course was usually given, then liberty was granted for general exhor-
tation. There was, as a rule, the most perfect stillness possible for
so large a crowd. The Lord held the spirit of opposition in check
while His servants explained the reasons of their faith. Sometimes the
instrument was feeble, but the Spirit of God gave weight and power to
His truth. The presence of the holy angels was felt in the assembly,
and numbers were daily added to the little band of believers.
[55]
An Exhortation by Elder Brown
On one occasion, while Elder Stockman was preaching, Elder
Brown, a Christian Baptist minister, whose name has been mentioned
before in this narrative, was sitting in the desk listening to the sermon
with intense interest. He became deeply moved, and suddenly his
face grew pale as the dead, he reeled in his chair, and Elder Stockman
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