Finding the True Sabbath
By S. C. Welcome
Bro. Smith: While reading the various communications in the Review from those who love the appearing of the blessed Saviour, my heart has been made to rejoice that there are a few who delight in the law of God; a little flock scattered over the face of the whole earth, waiting for the great Shepherd to come and gather them into his fold. The Lord has done much for me in setting my feet upon a rock, and establishing my goings. Truly he has led me in a way that I knew not, and caused me to delight in the law of the Lord. I was brought up to keep the first day of the week for the Sabbath. From a child I was taught that God had commanded us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, but that when Christ came, he changed it to the first day of the week; that he arose from the dead on that day, and that he sanctioned the keeping of that day by meeting with his disciples at various times. Well, this satisfied me unt'l I experienced religion, which was when I was about fourteen years of age. I then read the Bible a great deal, but never came to the place where God repealed the law that he wrote on the tables of stone, neither did I find where Christ changed the Sabbath day; and then I was sorely puzzled. I used to go to my good mother [who I thought did and said everything just right,] to get her to explain these things, and she would teach me as she had been taught that we must keep the first day of the week in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ. This partially satisfied me, but not wholly. In 1842 I embraced the Second Advent doctrine, but I heard nothing said on the Sabbath question until 1848, when I became acquainted with a few Adventists in the eastern part of Maine, who kept the Sabbath; but they were so fanatical in other things that they had no influence, and finally were overthrown. I thought on these things and it strengthened me in Sunday-keeping; and thus I rested without the law until 1853, when one of my brothers, a preacher, living some eight miles from me, got some light on the subject and commenced keeping the Sabbath. This had some effect on my mind, as I knew he had so much decision of character that he would not take such a step without a good reason for it. I then commenced searching for truth, and was so well convinced that it was duty that I commenced keeping it, although I was very cold in religious matters at that time; but I kept searching for truth in history, ancient and modern, in the Bible, and finally everything I could find from which I thought I could get light. But in talking with some Sabbath-keepers, I thought they were bigoted, accusing those that were seeking for light as willfully rejecting light, and those that did not keep the Sabbath, they said, were as guilty as those who would steal. This I considered wrong; for we have all been taught that it was wrong to steal, and are therefore without excuse; but having been taught that the first day is the Christian Sabbath, and that God has always blessed his people that have worshiped him on that day, we need light on the subject, and then we are verily guilty if we do not yield to that light. For about three years I was undecided what course to take. I had begun to keep the Sabbath, but I had to make a great sacrifice on account of having no one to keep it with me within eight miles, except my wife; but I was willing to make the sacrifice if God required it. In the Fall of 1856, a revival commenced in this region, and I among many others consecrated myself anew to God. Then came the trying point. Our meetings were held on Sunday. I had received so many blessings on that day, that it seemed to me that God had accepted it as a Sabbath; therefore I yielded so far as to keep both days for awhile, and my mind was so occupied in striving to live by faith, and in seeing souls converted to God, that I almost lost sight of the Sabbath question, and from that time up to last Fall I did not get any further light on the subject. One great trouble with me, was, that I could not understand the law, and I could find no one that could explain the law spoken of by Paul in Romans and Galatians, nor the difference between the old and new covenants, until I got hold of Bro. Waggoner's work on the Law of God. This removed every obstacle out of the way; the cloud was removed that had hidden the fourth commandment from my view, and the tables of stone stood before my eyes with the Ten Commandments engraven thereon by the finger of God, never to be erased, to be kept not only by the Jew, but by the stranger and the sons of the stranger, as in Isaiah lvi, 3-6, and all the nations of the earth. Now having received this light, what was I to do? Many had been looking to see what course I would take while standing on the fence, halting between two opinions. I had promised God that I would yield to all the light I received, and yet it was hard to take a stand in opposition to the most of my brethren; but while in this state of feeling I talked with brother Thurston, formerly of Kingston. I told him my feelings, and he impressed upon me the importance of yielding to the light I had received. He then said to me, "If you believe it to be duty, will you not do it?" I did not promise him, but the next day in a social meeting I arose to speak, not expecting to say anything on that subject, but when I opened my mouth I had to confess before God and man, that I had received the light, and had decided, let the sacrifice be what it would, to keep the commands of God.135This set my mind at rest; and although I had enjoyed my mind well before this, I now had verified unto me the promise, "great peace have they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." I can exclaim from my heart, O how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day. There are many that object to keeping the Sabbath on the ground that the law is binding only on the Jews. I would advise all such to read Waggoner on the law of God, and compare it with the word of God, and if they are honest seekers after truth, they will find it. Light is shining all through this part of the country, but few are willing to yield, and poverty prevents many from giving the light that is needed, by distributing books which they would gladly do. I can truly sympathize with those in different places, scattered far from each other, having no Sabbath-keeping neighbors; but may we live consistent christians, and let our light shine, pray for and encourage each other, and we shall soon be gathered home. Almond, Wis., Feb. 17th, 1858