How They Became Convinced
[Believing it would be of interest to our readers, the editor of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES has asked Sabbath-keeping ministers and evangelical workers to tell in a few words the scripture or scriptures, the truths and principles, which constrained them to accept the unpopular truth of the seventh-day Sabbath. These testimonies must not exceed 500 words. Let us hear from all.] I was brought up by my loving parents in the Church of England (my father was a doctor, my grandfather and uncles were Baptists), and from a child I loved to attend the Baptist services. When a young man I joined the Indian Medical Service, and at an early age I was invalided on a small pension owing to ill health. In 1886 I became a member of the Methodist Church, owing to my dear wife, who was a very godly person. In 1896 I was subscriber to the Ram's Horn. From that paper Mr. John H. Quinn, Philadelphia, Pa., obtained the name of my daughter, and sent a copy of SIGNS OF THE TIMES, of the 1st and 8th October, 1896, also a very kind letter, telling my child, “Give these papers to your papa; perhaps he would like to read them.” In careful perusal I found two distinct headings, “The Sabbath-school” and “The Sunday-school.” At first I thought they both meant the same thing, Sunday. But on further reading the SIGNS I found both papers contained subjects on Sunday not being the Sabbath. Then the dates of the Sabbath and Sunday-school lessons caught my eye. Immediately I felt the power of God in my inmost soul, in convincing power, that Sunday was not the Sabbath, and for further proof I applied myself to search the Scriptures with assiduity and prayer, and by the grace of God having become fully convinced, I at once publicly gave out that I was a seventh-day Sabbath-keeper. Ever since I was pensioned I have been preaching the Gospel, and since the 9th of January, 1897, I have added the Sabbath to my medical missionary work. My work progressed favorably—I held Sabbath services in my own house, and others were led to open their doors to me—until recently there came a rich man amongst us, an active Medical Missionary of the Plymouth brethren, and fighting bitterly against the Lord's Day, and being helped by other missionaries, they commenced their attack by disseminating the pernicious writings of D. M. Canright and others. These had the desired effect, and excepting two, they have all gone back to Sunday-keeping; hence I, too, felt discouraged, till I received helpful letters from Brothers M. C. Wilcox and J. L. Shaw, and I now thank God that I and my house will continue in the faith, steadfastly serving the Lord our God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and keeping His Sabbath. HENRY ALFRED DAVIS. WHEN, quite early in life, my attention was called to the question of the change of the Sabbath, it required but a careful reading of the texts in the New Testament, which mention the first day of the week, to convince me of the utter lack of divine authority for such change. For a time I satisfied myself with the thought that it is immaterial which day we keep. But as the question revolved in my mind, and I saw from the teaching of the Word the design of the Sabbath as the sign between God and His people, by which they may know He is the Lord; and as such constitutes the seal of His law, I came to see the importance of the subject as related to the definite day. It began also to dawn upon me that the counterfeit institution must be the mark of the authority making the change, which could be none other than the man of sin. Furthermore, just previous to this experience, I had publicly professed my entire willingness to do anything the Lord required of me, claiming that as the strongest and most satisfactory evidence that I was a Christian. The inconsistency of this profession with the attitude I had assumed toward a plain command of God was pressed upon me with a conviction which I could not stifle, and as a result I was constrained to accept of the Sabbath, and all other phases of the present truth, as far as I understood them, and ever since have endeavored to walk in the light and stand in defense of the truth as it has been revealed to me. S. B. WHITNEY.