p. 81 | ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT by H. P. Riton

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Feb 19, 1880

ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT.

By H. P. Riton

I MENTIONED in a previous report that I had availed myself of my profession as a means of carrying the message among persons whom it would otherwise be difficult to reach. This has enabled me to make a wide circle of new acquaintances, to all of whom I have been able to announce the true Sabbath and the nearness of our Lord's coming kingdom.

Medical men here, as a rule, are almost all materialists, and the fact that a doctor announced Christ's coming and professed to work in his name, caused no small sensation in Alexandria. I was accordingly invited to meet a number of persons, of various persuasions and tenets, who were desirous to hear from me directly the "new things" I had commenced to announce. Our conference was held last Sunday, in the office of a mutual friend. It was a little room, in dimensions about ten feet by six; and in it we were assembled, twelve in number, including Bro. Rupp and another brother of our church. Together we represented five churches,—Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Anglican, and American, the latter the Seventh-day Adventist. All of them, with the exception of the Adventists, lighted their cigars at the commencement of the conference, and the effect, in the little room in which we were packed may be better imagined than described.

What a conference! I prayed God to help me with his Spirit, and only with his powerful aid could I have answered the weighty questions which were propounded by Jews, deists, materialists, and spiritualists, every one of which would have required a lengthy discussion in itself. Tobacco opened the discourse, and its influence in shortening life was spoken of; this enabled me, by comparison, to introduce the subject of the new kingdom, where life instead of being short will be eternal. Among the questions propounded were these. Why should God allow man to suffer, instead of at once establishing his kingdom? Why did he allow man to fall? What need had he to put man to the proof, if he knew all things that would be? Why did he permit the continuance of the rebellion of Satan? Why should he in the Judgment condemn pagan nations that had never heard of his law or of Christ?

Then we were led to the question of the divine origin of Jesus, by an Israelite friend. I took him to the 18th chapter of Deuteronomy, and showed him that Jesus had given proofs laid down by Moses of his being the true prophet from among their brethren, whom they should hear. He admitted that whoever acknowledges Moses must acknowledge Christ, but confessed that hitherto monetary pursuits had prevented him from investigating whether Moses himself was worthy of credence. Such is, indeed, now the condition to which the greater part of the children of Abraham are reduced. Rabbinical tradition, like papal tradition, leads to utter incredulity. Spiritualism formed the closing topic of discourse, and I was invited to a spiritual seance; however, for manifest reasons, I declined to go. My Hebrew friend rather surprised me by saying that he invoked the aid of God, whom he acknowledges, in his magnetizing operations.

I am glad to say that all were so much pleased with the answers I gave them, that they expressed a desire for another conference, which I hope we will soon hold. How glad I would be if Bro. Andrews, with his long and deep Biblical experience, could aid us with his presence.

Our meetings are now held every week, at our house, and new hearers are coming in who take an interest in the word spoken. Our brethren in Naples still work actively, and report new friends gained to the Sabbath of the Lord. Bro. Bertola has gone to Odessa, in Russia, where we hope he may be able to sow some good seed.

We were invited last evening to a wedding in the church of our Arab brethren, whom I mentioned in a former letter. The ceremony was interesting; the bride was only fourteen years old. Bro. Rupp spoke in Italian, and his words were translated into Arabic. These worthy brethren take a great interest in prophecy, and would willingly listen to us and read our tracts; but their language places an almost insurmountable barrier between us.

May God give us much fruit, and enable us to raise "an altar to the Lord in the midst of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof," to "be for a sign and a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt." Isa. 19 : 19, 20. December 4, 1879. H. P. RITON.