p. 12 | A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE by Loman A. Ferris

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 8, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 19.

A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

By Loman A. Ferris

About 1895, while having charge of “Farmers’ Exchange Bank,” of Cleveland, N. Y., I received a tract entitled, “What We Owe, and How to Pay It,” or a treatise on tithing, with testimonials from some who had tried it. The idea of giving away one-tenth at that time seemed too great a test. In 1896 I went to Europe for my health, but did not recover; so on my return I gave up my position, and bought our present home. Later my attention was called to Mal. 3:10: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Considering this text and the tract before mentioned, I resolved in the spring of 1898 that I would for a time deduct from any salary I might receive one-tenth for religious, charitable, or worthy purposes, calculating, from a worldly standpoint, that if the promise were fulfilled, I would eventually gain financially.

Making Copra; Scene on Industrial Farm at Avera, Raiatea.

During October of 1898 I took charge of a bank during the cashier’s absence, and from my wages deducted one-tenth. In a few weeks a man came for me to keep books, and as I had recovered my health, I began Jan. 1, 1899, and continued for more than a year, carefully deducting one-tenth of my salary; but owing to lack of business, this position gradually slipped away from me.

Another Forgotten Truth.

Not having steady work, I read some ancient history, tracts, the Bible, etc., and looked up references. I wished to determine for myself if the observance of the seventh day as the Sabbath is really correct, as is taught in the commandments of God, or if there is as good authority for keeping Sunday. I wanted to find as much as possible favoring Sunday, but to my discomfiture I found nothing that seemed reasonable to me, except what was overwhelmingly in favor of the seventh day, as plainly taught in the commandments, and indorsed by noted and eminent scholars.

What to do next was a query; for I did not like to break the fourth commandment every week, neither did I want to give up Sunday, having been taught to observe it strictly. To keep the seventh day seemed equivalent to giving up almost any position that might be offered me, besides the attendant inconvenience and loss, so I set about finding something in favor of Sunday that would ease my conscience. Being a subscriber to the New York Tribune, I sent in some questions on this subject.

About this time on Saturday I attended a quarterly meeting. Tho there were but few present, it was a very affecting meeting, and I came home despondent and gloomy. This meeting and the Sabbath question made quite an impression on my mind. I recalled the story of a prisoner whose life was to be saved or lost, according as two children might each select at random a verse from the Bible. So I opened my Bible at random, and the first verse I saw was Isa. 41:13, “For I the Lord thy God will

hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” Could I have found anything more pointed and direct?

Finally my questions with the answers appeared in the Weekly Tribune of May 24, 1900. My first questions were about church statistics, and I had already found answers; but the fourth was, “Is there any real Scriptural authority for observing the first day of the week as the Sabbath, instead of the seventh day?” Answer: “None whatever. Neither Christ nor His apostles nor the first Christians celebrated the first day of the week, instead of the seventh, as the Sabbath.” The next one was, “Is not the seventh day as the Sabbath really correct, as taught in the Bible?” Answer: “It would seem so.” Instead of favoring Sunday, all was in favor of Saturday.

Quarterly-meeting time drew near again, and still I worked Saturday, but did not feel right about it. I disliked to attend the meeting, neither did I want to stay away; for I had had a good lesson about absenting myself from meetings when it seemed plain I should be present. I had learned that it never pays to run from God’s messages; for how helpless are we in His hands. Quarterly-meeting time came; but as my wife said nothing about my going, as I had expected she would, and as I was reluctant anyway, I remained at home and worked. I was disappointed and miserable, and working on that day seemed worse than ever.

I looked in the Bible for the verse found before, and found Isa. 41:10: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” Here I had another message which seemed direct from heaven, and for me individually. I pondered over these things; and at night Scripture passages would hit thru my mind. Finally on Tuesday morning I awoke at about two o’clock, with this text ringing in my ears, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” I think I did not sleep any more, but arose early; and as I was going out to the barn, my wife called me, and said, “I want you to decide the all-important question to-day.” We had had no conversation about my thoughts and feelings; for I had tried to conceal from her that I was troubled, and she knew nothing about this passage being given me until days afterward. After breakfast I went into the parlor, and our little girl followed me, and clinging to me said, “Papa, do you want to go to heaven? If you do, papa, I want you to keep the Sabbath. Will you, papa? Will you, papa?” This was her own request, made with no prompting from any one. First a message from heaven, then one from my beloved wife, and lastly one from our dear little girl, all in one morning. Here I was, seemingly, having but just one day in which to decide the momentous question.

I tried to work; but my thoughts were busy, and wakefulness and mental anxiety were telling on me, so that before night my head seemed to reel while I worked. It was a day of bitter conflict; but I finally decided I would keep the next Saturday as the Sabbath; and when the decision was made, I felt better. I had a praying mother, and was taught to pray when small, and had made it a practise, and during my later years, had the example and influence of a Christian companion. While I knew that I was not a Christian, I found some satisfaction in prayer, and felt that it kept me from drifting too far from good influences.

On Friday night I prepared to keep the Sabbath as never before, and it seemed sacred, as Sunday usually had. I attended Sabbath-school and a Bible-reading. When I returned, I felt worse than before I went, and realized that there was something more than merely keeping the Sabbath, and that I needed divine help. I prayed for peace of mind and comfort, and opened the Bible again at random, and found Psalm 37, which seemed full of precious promises, and the words, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him,” seemed especially for me. On Monday I was as despondent as ever, or even more so, and it seemed I had done all I could to get peace of mind. On Tuesday morning I awoke again at about two o’clock with such a feeling of relief as I never experienced before, and I knew at once that all this had not been in vain. I was indescribably happy. I had not felt just right toward a certain person; but all this old feeling was gone. The birds seemed to sing so sweetly, altho I had seldom noticed them before, and there was joy for me in all nature. This text came to me: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” Ps. 103:12. To say I was satisfied and happy does not express it to any one who has never experienced such feelings. Could I have kept the wrong Sabbath, or any except the one God wanted me to keep? Most decidedly no. Tears of inexpressible joy flowed from my eyes, and I thought, Truly what a wonderful Book! What “wonderful words of life.”

It was Tuesday morning, July 3, at about 2 A.M., when I received the message, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve,” and the Lord took till the following Tuesday, at about the same time, to assure me of my salvation, or just seven days. The experience of this day, July 10, was a wonderful one for me. Tears were expressive of what I felt so intensely that words will ever fail of describing it. As expressed in Mal. 3:10, was not the Lord proving Himself, and pouring me out a blessing that there should not be room enough to receive it? Hymns of praise, that before I had never realized the significance of, went thru my mind that day, with a perfect understanding, and I whistled, and sang, and worked, as never before. That evening a Christian neighbor came to our home, and I was impressed I ought to tell her what a wonderful day I had experienced; but as I was not accustomed to speak of such things, I did not, consequently felt a twinge of conscience, and not quite so joyful as before. I told her the next morning, and received words of comfort and good cheer, besides the satisfaction of having done my duty, and learning my first lesson in being ready and willing to witness for my Master.

The great joy I experienced at the first has given place to a calm, quiet peace of mind and comfort, such as the world does not give. This two-fold evidence, or verified assurance, that I now enjoy, is more than I could have expected or hoped for. I can recognize divine guidance, step by step, all the way along, and can see the wisdom and loving-kindness manifested in my behalf, altho I was struggling constantly against it.

When I accepted the seventh day as the Sabbath according to God’s command, that seemed to be the key to the whole situation, and I found “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” Phil. 4:7. If this my experience could only be the means of helping some of my dear friends and relatives to a knowledge of our Saviour, how pleased I would be. Even tho we seemingly can do nothing, if we only have a willing mind, and let the Saviour work with us, if we are obedient, and do not harden our hearts or feelings, He will show us the way, which is peace and comfort, and joy eternal; and this is something to look forward to for all time, something far better than the shifting and fleeting joys of this life. God has indeed proved Himself to me, both spiritually and financially. LOMAN A. FERRIS.