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Letter from England

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Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Mar 7, 1878

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 4, No. 10.

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Letter from England.

By Editor

The following is an extract from a letter from J. S., of Lancashire. He gives a brief account of his religious experience, previous to, and of his change of sentiment during a three years' sojourn in America, and says :—
“I attribute the change in my views in not accepting the gospel as preached, and my inclination to question and criticise, mostly to the insipid nature of the sermons to which I listened, to the pride and unchristian demeanor of those who attended church, certain skeptical influences brought to bear upon me and a proud and sinful heart. I obtained infidel works and adopted their views, repudiating the Bible; and I delighted to argue with, and, if possible, discomfit ‘believers,’ of whom comparatively few, when put to the test, were able to give a reason for the hope that is within them.
“All this time I had a friend, who is now a Seventh-day Adventists, whom no amount of argument, however strong, could shake the faith of; and it is through her instrumentality that I have been led out of darkness into partial light. After I returned to England she frequently sent me papers, sometimes the Review and Herald, and sometimes the Signs of the Times. These papers dealt with the very things that puzzled me. The articles on the ‘Unity and Personality of God’ swept one of my strongest points away. The lessons on the ‘Nature and Destiny of Man,’ and ‘The End of the Wicked’ answered another; ‘The Sonship of Christ’ very clearly and unmistakably
pointed out that Christ was more than mere man. ‘Can God Organize Matter?’ has considerably lessened my psychological difficulties. And here let me say that praise is due Mr. Canright for his earnest efforts in the attainment and promulgation of truth.”
He states that the principal object in writing is to ascertain how he can obtain certain publications noticed in the Signs, which matter is referred to the V. M. society, by which he will be supplied.