His Messenger

Chapter 10—The Seventh Day is the Sabbath

The farmers living among the rocky hills near the little village of Washington, New Hampshire, had heard the message that Jesus was soon coming, and were earnest in looking for Him. They had built a little church out in the woods, where they held their meetings. HMes 51.1

A young woman, nineteen years old, was hired to teach the country school. Her name was Delight Oakes. When she went to Washington, her mother moved there with her. They were Seventh Day Baptists, and although there was no one else in the village to meet with them, Delight and her mother were faithful in the observance of the seventh day. HMes 51.2

The Adventists became acquainted with these new neighbors, and began to talk to them about the coming of Jesus. “He is coming soon,” they said, “and we are preparing to meet Him.” They read from their Bibles the texts that spoke of His coming again to this earth. Mrs. Oakes and her daughter loved the Bible, and were glad to study with them. After they had talked to Mrs. Oakes about the coming of Christ, she said: HMes 51.3

“I want to ask you a question. Why do you not keep the Sabbath of the Lord? Why do you worship Him on Sunday?” HMes 51.4

“Why do you ask that?” someone said. “Isn’t Sunday the Sabbath of the Lord?” “Indeed, it is not,” said Mrs. Oakes. She opened the Bible and read to them the texts about the seventh-day Sabbath. She knew just what the Lord had said about His holy day. HMes 51.5

Mrs. Oakes and her daughter were so certain that the Lord wanted His people to keep the Sabbath that they could not believe He would come to translate His waiting ones until they had turned to keep all the commandments. HMes 52.1

The Adventist farmers in Washington were just as certain regarding the coming of the Lord at the end of the 2300 years, in 1844, as their neighbors were regarding the seventh day’s being the Sabbath. HMes 52.2

After the time passed, some of the farmers began to think more seriously about the Sabbath. They read the tracts that had been given them on the subject. One Sunday, William Farnsworth stood up in the little meetinghouse and said, “Brethren, I am going to keep the Sabbath.” There was silence in the church. Many of the other members sat with bowed heads. “I am convinced that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord,” he added. HMes 52.3

After a few moments another one stood and said, “I too want to obey the Lord’s command.” Others decided that day to keep God’s Sabbath. The next Sabbath, Mrs. Oakes and her daughter and a few other families met at the home of Cyrus Farnsworth to worship God. HMes 52.4

The next day, Sunday, William Farnsworth and his son Daniel worked by the side of the road, so that their neighbors who passed on the way to church could see that they no longer considered Sunday the right day to keep holy. HMes 52.5

As time went on, others joined the company who worshiped on the seventh day, until nearly all were united, and then they held their meetings in the church. Frederick Wheeler, a minister, united with them, and was their leader. This was the first company of Sabbathkeeping Adventists. The next spring, in 1845, Joseph Bates went to visit this small company of Adventists. When he arrived at the little village, the Adventists welcomed him. They gladly answered his questions about the seventh-day Sabbath. Mr. Bates carefully studied the texts they pointed out to him. They then gave him an article written by Mr. Preble, showing how the Sabbath had been changed by men who wished to keep the first day of the week instead of the seventh. Mr. Bates was much interested. HMes 52.6

“Surely,” he said, “this is the truth. Sabbath is the seventh day. It is the day God set apart at Creation, and He has never changed it. The seventh day is still the Sabbath of the Lord.” HMes 53.1

Of course, Mr. Bates could not keep this wonderful news to himself. He must go and tell the Adventists in his home town of this wonderful message. He at once set out to return to New Bedford, Massachusetts. HMes 53.2

Near New Bedford was a bridge. As the captain started across this bridge, he met a prominent man of the community. HMes 53.3

“Captain Bates, what’s the news?” he called out as he saw the captain hurrying along. HMes 53.4

“The news is that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord,” answered Mr. Bates, as he paused to greet his friend. HMes 53.5

“Well,” said the man, “I will go home and read my Bible and see about that.” Mr. Bates hurried on, and the man went back to his home. When next they met, the man was also keeping the seventh-day Sabbath. HMes 53.6

Mr. Bates continued telling the people wherever he went that the seventh day was the Sabbath. After a year he wrote a small book telling of the Sabbath truth, and had it sent to those who were interested. This caused many to study, and they too started to worship God on the Sabbath. HMes 53.7

While Mr. Bates was writing his book, Ellen Harmon and others visited him in New Bedford. He talked earnestly to them about the wonderful truth he had found in his Bible, that the seventh day is still the Sabbath. But Ellen did not then see the importance of the Sabbath question. She had never particularly studied the matter, and did not think it was very important. She felt that Mr. Bates made a mistake in talking so much about the fourth commandment. Soon after this she was married to James White, and together they studied the book written by Mr. Bates and compared it with the Bible. HMes 53.8

As they studied and compared scripture with scripture, they found that the Lord had never given command to change the Sabbath day. They studied history, and found that the day had been changed by men who wished to worship on the first day of the week instead of the seventh. HMes 54.1

Soon they became fully convinced that it was the Lord’s will, and they too began to keep the seventh-day Sabbath and to teach it. This was in the autumn of the year 1846. How happy Mr. Bates must have been as he saw these earnest workers in the cause of God finding the true Sabbath. HMes 54.2

On the first Sabbath in April of the next year Mr. and Mrs. White went to a meeting held at the home of Stockbridge Howland, a devoted Adventist. While they were there, a vision was given to Mrs. White in which she saw the importance of the Sabbath. She saw the temple of God opened in heaven, and she was shown the ark of God, covered with the mercy seat. Two angels stood, one at each end of the ark, with their wings spread over the mercy seat, and their faces turned toward it. The messenger angel told her that these two angels represented the whole host of heavenly angels, who look with reverent awe toward the holy law that was written by the finger of God on the tables of stone. Jesus raised the cover of the ark, and she saw the tables of stone with the Ten Commandments written upon them. As she looked she saw that the fourth commandment had a soft halo of light all around it. HMes 54.3

“It is the only one of the ten which defines the living God, who created the heavens and the earth and all living things that are therein,” said the angel. “When the foundations of the earth were laid, then was also laid the foundation of the Sabbath.” HMes 55.1