General Conference Bulletin, vol. 4

GENERAL CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

FIRST MEETING, TUESDAY, 9 A. M., APRIL 2.

Thirty-fourth Session (seventh biennial session) of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, convened at Battle Creek, Mich., April 2, 1901, at 9:00 A. M. GCB April 3, 1901, page 17.2

No. 104 of the Hymn Book was sung to open the meeting. Elder J. N. Loughborough read the 106th psalm for a scripture lesson, and Elder S. N. Haskell prayed, as follows:— GCB April 3, 1901, page 17.3

“Heavenly Father, we present ourselves before thee for thy blessing to rest upon us. We thank thee, O Lord! for thy sparing mercy that has been over us, and that we have this privilege of meeting once more in this General Conference under circumstances so favorable; and we pray, in a special manner that thou wilt come into our midst, and that thou wilt preside over us. We ask O Lord! that thou wilt work for us as thou didst for the disciples in early days. We are convinced that we have reached a time when we need more of thy Holy Spirit. We need a baptism of thy Spirit as the disciples had on the day of Pentecost: and we pray that thou wilt help us individually so to relate ourselves to thee that we can receive in large measure of thy Holy Spirit, that this Conference may be a success in the name of the Lord. GCB April 3, 1901, page 17.4

“O God! we pray thy blessing to rest in a special manner upon those that bear responsibilities during this Conference. Remember him that may preside over it. Remember each individual, we pray thee, upon whom thy providence has laid, or may lay, responsibilities. We ask God to be our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption. GCB April 3, 1901, page 17.5

“We thank thee, O God! that we have some part in the work that thou thyself hast inaugurated, and that thou hast brought out a people thus far. We pray that thou wilt point the right way before this people, and not only bless us who have assembled on this occasion, but remember thy people in every part of the world. O God! send forth thy light and thy spirit to enlighten and sustain, and to give success to the work in every portion of this world. We believe the time has come when new fields should be entered—new plans should be laid. We ask God to lead in all these things, and may there be within these walls a heavenly influence that surrounds us, and that comes from thee. Encircle us, we pray thee, and this congregation, by thine own power; and may there be angels that surround us, to keep back every influence that is not from thee, that Satan’s power may be paralyzed, and that God may be glorified. GCB April 3, 1901, page 17.6

“We commit ourselves to thee. We thank thee that thou hearest the prayers of thy people, and that thou hast a care for thy people here upon the earth. Accept us in Christ this morning. We believe that thou dost do this, O Lord! Let angels stand by each individual, we pray thee, that has a part to act in this Conference—each delegate, and those friends that have come in. O Holy Father! we pray that there may be a manifestation of thy power. And we ask thee to forgive us our sins—our neglect to move as we should in the past, to follow in thine opening providence, and understand the mind of thy Spirit. O Lord! forgive the past, and in the righteousness of Christ, accept us and bring us nearer and nearer to thyself: and when the conflict is over, and thou gatherest thy people, grant us each a part with thee, to meet around thy throne. GCB April 3, 1901, page 17.7

“We ask these favors through Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.” GCB April 3, 1901, page 17.8

The congregation sang hymn No. 767, after which the President of the General Conference, Elder G. A. Irwin, made the following introductory remarks to the business of the meeting:— GCB April 3, 1901, page 17.9

“We have come to the time of the opening of our General Conference, the thirty-fourth session of this body. I think it is hardly necessary for me to say to the delegates and brethren assembled, in view of the time of great peril in which we are living, and in which we are convened to consider the important interests of the cause of God, that this will be the most important Conference ever held by the Seventh-day Adventist people. GCB April 3, 1901, page 17.10

“Now it is not my purpose to take up any time this morning speaking to you, because the time of this session of the Conference is very limited. There is much that needs to be done, and that must be done; so I do not feel like trespassing upon the time to any great extent; but I would like to express this thought right in the beginning: I trust that each delegate in this Conference will feel the burden of responsibility that rests upon him as an individual. The few who may take part in the discussions—those who shall be called to preside, or to take an active part in the meeting—will not be sufficient to do the work that is to be done; and it will not be enough for a few men to feel the burden, and to be seeking the Lord in prayer for his constant and abiding presence with us in our council; but it seems to me that if we shall meet the mind of God in this Conference, it will be necessary for every soul to seek God earnestly,—to seek the Lord as we have not done hitherto, that he may reveal to us whatever is wrong in our individual lives, that it may be put away from us; so that the Spirit of God can rest upon us as individuals without measure. If this is accomplished by us as individuals, the Spirit of God will rest upon the body collectively. And we are certainly in a time when we can not afford to move a single step unless we know for a certainty that God is leading the way. GCB April 3, 1901, page 17.11

“Therefore in the beginning I say: I trust that a spirit of prayer will come into all hearts,—not only the hearts of the delegates, but also of the visiting brethren who shall attend from day to day. I trust that such a spirit will pervade the entire Conference that it will be sensibly felt as soon as we have entered the house. God has promised, brethren, when we come together in these gatherings, to shut us in, to shadow us with a canopy of angels; and it is our privilege at this time to have this Spirit of God around us a wall of fire, to shut us in from the attacks of the enemy. So I trust that each one will feel the responsibility of this Conference resting upon his shoulders, so that if any evil thing comes in, it will not come in through him. GCB April 3, 1901, page 18.1

Now we will proceed at once to the organization of the Conference. The Secretary will call the roll of delegates as they have been sent in, calling the roll by States. The committee appointed to have charge of seating the delegates have done their work, and I trust you will all feel satisfied with the arrangement that has been made. GCB April 3, 1901, page 18.2

“The Secretary will now proceed to call the roll.” GCB April 3, 1901, page 18.3

The Secretary then called the roll, as follows:— GCB April 3, 1901, page 18.4