Untitled article by John N. Loughborough

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 30, 1908

Experiences in the Publishing Work—No. 7

By John N. Loughborough

AFTER our people had received the light on the sealing message, and following the wonderful experience and the vision of Sister White, mentioned in our last article, Brother Bates was strongly impressed with the importance of preparing a pamphlet in which the truth concerning the sealing message, and the facts brought out in the vision of Nov. 18, 1848, could be placed before those who had accepted the Sabbath, or those who might be led to investigate the subject.

As I write, there lies before me a copy of this pamphlet, the title-page of which reads as follows: “A Seal of the Living God. A Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand of the Servants of God Being Sealed, in 1849. Joseph Bates.” Then he quotes in full Rev. 7:1, 2, and Eze. 9:3. The imprint is: “New Bedford, Press of Benjamin Lindsey, 1849.”

This book contains seventy-two pages of “long primer” type. First, he shows that angels are used as symbols to represent messages of truth which God communicates to the world through his own chosen agency—mankind. The symbol of winds as representing wars is also considered. Then comes the proof that the seal of the law is the Lord’s Sabbath. Next it is shown that the true Israel of God to be sealed are the Lord’s people who will be found in readiness for his coming.

After this follows an account of that vision of Sister White, given Nov. 18, 1848, of which mention was made in our last article. He also gave an account of the start and progress of the confusion on the continent of Europe up to the time of his writing, and set forth the assurance that, as expressed when the vision was related, “These wars would be checked, and the winds would be held until the sealing work should be accomplished.”

At the close of the pamphlet was placed the following poem, called “The Seal,” from the pen of Brother Herman S. Gurney, the singing evangelist who labored so much with Elder Bates:—

“Behold a light appears, The holy Sabbath day, And magnified so clear, That none may need to stray; Though small at first as sunbeam’s ray, Its strength ascends to perfect day.

“It is the message clear, Ascending from the east, God’s servants now appear, Who will not worship ‘beast;’ Four angels hold the winds revealed, Until God’s servants all are sealed.

“Hebrews in Egypt’s land Must all receive a sign, When forth from Pharaoh’s hand, Deliverance was designed;

A sign, a token, thus shall be, Before the earth and heavens flee.

“The Sabbath is a sign, A mark which all may see, And sure will draw a line When servants all are sealed; And while destruction’s in the land, This mark will guard the waiting band.

“Then wrath in vengeance comes, The great and dreadful day! God’s voice in thunder tones, Shakes heaven and earth and sea; Ye living saints, who faithful be, No plague shall e’er come nigh to thee.

“O God! the living God, Do thou the seal apply; And from destruction’s rod, O keep us lest we die, And while the storm of wrath descends, O hide us till the earth be cleansed.”

When Brother Bates had the manuscript prepared for his book, he had no money with which to get it printed. He trusted the Lord to open the way for the publication, and so it came to pass, without delay. A maiden lady who had accepted the truth, and who had some money, on hearing of the situation, handed Brother Bates, as a gift, what was needed to meet the expense of printing this, his fourth book in the interest of the third angel’s message. So it was soon on its way—a free gift to all who would read it. It was indeed a source of strength to those moving out with the “little flock” to secure the needful preparation to receive the “seal of the living God.”

The sister who gave the money for the printing of the book was spared for more than a score of years, to see the message rise from its small beginning. On her death-bed she made mention of the gift she had the privilege of making to Elder Bates, that he might print that book on the sealing, and said “it was a joy to her in her last hours.” The four books which we have mentioned, that were published by Elder Bates, did a great work for the then new and needy cause of present truth. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.