E. H. GATES by E. H. Gates

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 1, 1899

E. H. GATES

By E. H. Gates

FROM ONE WHO HAS READ IT

OAKLAND, Cal., Jan. 20, 1899.

I have read with the deepest interest the first thirty-four chapters of the "Desire of Ages," and can say without the least hesitation, and in truth, that it is the grandest book I ever read outside of the Bible. Nothing I have read before has ever given me the spiritual encouragement that this book has. To say nothing of the mechanical execution of the work—the beautiful and appropriate illustrations, the strong binding, and the good paper on which it is printed—I can simply say I am surprised and delighted with every page I read. Though I have many times since my childhood read the life of Christ as given in the Gospels, and as written about by other authors, I now see a thousand beauties in that life which were not revealed to me before. Almost every sentence reveals some new truth concerning the "old, old story," or some new phase of the old story with which we have been so long familiar. To me the Christ life seems more desirable than ever before. Chapter 34, based on Matt. 11:28-30, is worth more than the price of the book; in fact, its worth can not be estimated in money. The appearance of the book at this stage of the message, when the Lord says, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come," can scarcely fail to give a great impetus to the work of preaching Christ to the world. I could scarcely have a greater ambition than to be instrumental in placing this book in the homes of the millions in this and other countries.

E. H. GATES

Elder Gates, superintendent of the Pacific Island Mission Field, handed us the above statement a few hours before leaving this port for his work among the islands.

We publish this opinion, as it is representative of many others we would gladly reproduce, had we space.