Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-07-05
Seventh Day Adventists-A few
Thoughts Concerning Them.

Mr. EDIToR-We come before the citizens
of Lancaster and vicinity as representatives OF
a religious demonstration, of which, we pre-
sumo very little is known by the masses. They
may have heard of us as a people but have
only vague idea of our origin, and funda-
mental principles
Feeling that if we were understood, and our
position and work were plainly set before the
people, much prejudice might be removed
thus opening up the way to the hearts of
those who favor US with a hearing for the
precious message God has sent us to proclaim
we thankfully accept the opportunity you
grant us of introducing ourselves to your
readers, giving only brief outline, at the
same time inviting closer attention, and
more thorough knowledge through our pubi>
cations, to be found at the tent. GAS Seventh
day Adventists, I'VE desire simply that our po-
sition shall be understood; and we are the
more solicitous for this because there are many
who call themselves Adventsts, who hold
views with which we can have no sympathy,
some of which, we think, are subyersve of
the plainest and most important principles set
forth in the word of God
As compared with other Adventsts, Sew
entlI- day Adventists differ from one class in
believing in the unconscious state of the dead
and tho final destruction of the unrepentant
wicked; from another, in believing in the per-
petuity of the law of God, as summarily con-
tanned in the ten commandments, in the oper-
alton of the Holy Spirit in the church, and in
setting no time for the advent to occur; from
all, in the observance of the seventh day Of
the week as the Sabbath of the Lord, and in
many applications of the prophetic scriptures
OUR ORIGIN.
"Two causes have operated to introduce the
observance of the seventh day Sabbath among
Adventists, and thus to develop that class
known as Seventh,day Adventists First, a
Seventh>day~Bap sister, Mrs. Rachel D.
Preston, from the State of New York, moved
to Washington n. H. where there was a
church of Adventists. From them she receiv>
ed the doctrine of the soon-coming of Christ.
and in return instructed them in reference to
the claims of the fourth commandment of the
decalogue. This was in 1914. Nearly that
whole church Immediately commenced the
observance OF the seventh day, and thus have
| the honor OF being the first Seventhsday ADJ
ventist church in America. The ravages Of
death, and renewals from the place, have con.
slderably diminished their numbers; hut the
church there still lives to bear witness to the
truth thus introduced among them.
The Sabbath question began Immediately
to be agltated among the Adventists and
within few months, many from their ranks
commenced It's observance. Among the ear
Hest permanent converts to this doctrine three
deserve special mention Ed. Joseph Bates,
who with great zeal, devotion and self-sacri-
fee, gave himself to its advocacy, and brought
many to its observance. He fell asleep March
10, 1872, in the S0th year of his age Ed
James White, the founder and manager to
the present time, OF the S. D. Adyintest pub
fishing work and now president of their five
leading organizations, namely, The General
Conference, The Publishing Association, The
Health Reform Institute The General Tract
and Missionary!Society,y and the Educational
hSocie:y. 8, Ed. j. N. Andrews, author of
the History of the Sabbath, The Sanctuary,
the Three Messages and other important
works, and now absent as missionary to
Switzerland in Europe.
Secondly, another cause which has tended
to strengthen them in the observance of the
seyenth,day Sabbath is the subject of
the sanctuary. 1t was seen at once that the
central object in the sanctuary, in whichever
dispensation we view it, is the ark of God.
which was cnshrined in the most holy place.
This ark was prepared expressly as receptacle
for the tables of stone on which were written
the great moral preeepts of Gods government,
the ten commandments. Thus attention was
called to the law of God It was also seen
that if the law in the ark of the heavenly san,
ctuary, Rev. II: 10. is the great original, and
that deposited in the typical sanctuary was on,
ly a copy or transcript, that law must read the
same now as it read then, and the idea of any
change is placed beyond the range of possibil-
tiles; that heaven and earth, as Christ in his
first sermon declared, would sooner pass than
one jot or title pass from the law; and that
a., a..
ond house OF Isreal, what it reunired of the
first and has required from Eden down, the
observance of the seventh day of the week, as
the grand and glorious memorial of our crea.
ton by the hand of God
OUR PUBLISHING WORK.
This, as already stated, originated through
the nstrumentality of Ed. James White. Ed
w. was born in Palmyra, Me- in 1921. Conn
mencing at the age of 20, he labored with
much success as public speaker in the great
Advent movement of 1904; and when the
claims of the Sabbath were brought to his no,
tice, he entered as heartily into the work of
its defense and PRONUNCIATION. He began the
work of publishing in 1S49. In November
1850 he commenced the publication of the
Advent Review and Herald of tile Sabbath
the organ of the S. D. Adventists. To accom-,
modate his publishing work to the field of his
operations as travelling evangelist, the pa
per was first issued at Paris. Me-, till June
1851, then at Saratoga Springs till March. 1882.
1t was then removed to Rochester, n. Y.
where it continued nearly four years Then
the cause of Sabbath reform rapidly advance
ing westward, its present location, Battle
Greek, Mich, was selected as a more central
position, and the paper was moved to this
place in Nov. 1855. Up to this time Ed
White was publisher and sole editor. Some
of the time since then, others have been asso-
| ciated with him on the editorial board.
The wants of the cause demanding an en-
largement of operations, and the employment
of more capital in the publishing business, an
Al - tha I = NJ.