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Passion, Purpose & Power - Contents
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    14. Commitment of Early Pioneers

    John Andrews: educated scholarPPP 66.1

    School was a delight to John. Early in life he made it a practice to rise at four o’clock in the morning and spend two or three hours before breakfast studying the Bible and praying.—Virgil Robinson, Flame for the Lord, 1975, p. 10.PPP 66.2

    At the age of 11, having acquired a working knowledge of the three R’s, John was forced to quit school because of poor health. From that time on whatever he learned he taught himself. Wherever he went he carried a book. Whenever there was a spare moment, no matter how brief, he would pull out his book and seek to absorb a few ideas from its pages.PPP 66.3

    Loving the Bible as he did, he naturally wished to read it in the languages in which it had been originally written. At his request his father got books in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, which John studied diligently. One by one he mastered those languages. Before his death he was able to read the Bible in seven languages.—ibid., p. 11.PPP 66.4

    By the time he was 14 John was recognized as a powerful spiritual leader. He was often invited to address the people of Paris on the subject of religion. As he continued his deep study of the Bible he became more and more sure that Christ would return sometime in 1843 or 1844.—ibid., p. 13.PPP 67.1

    Annie and Uriah Smith: service, their highest delightPPP 67.2

    It will give our readers some idea of the sacrifices made by the workers in those early days to give a little of the experience of Brother [Uriah] Smith and his sister Annie in connecting with the Review Office. When they accepted the Sabbath truth, they had a standing offer to teach, in a new academy which was to be opened at Mt. Vernon, N. H., for three years at one thousand dollars a year, besides room and board. Seeing the need of such help as they could render in the office, they gave up the academy proposition, and came to Rochester, where they spent that three years in labor to advance the cause of present truth. For this labor they received their board and clothes. During this time all the laborers in the Review Office lived in the family of Brother [James] White, and all practiced the closest economy, thus saving all that could be saved to meet the expense of publishing the paper and tracts.PPP 67.3

    These workers were happy, and even esteemed it a privilege to sacrifice. The feelings of Brother and Sister Smith are well expressed in words penned by Sister Annie herself respecting her feelings at that time: “Earth has entirely lost its attractions. My hopes, joys, affections, are now all centered in things above and divine. I want no other place than to sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn of him, — no other occupation than to be in the service of my Heavenly Father,—no other delight than the peace of God which passeth all understanding.” From association with Brother Smith in those early times, I know it was this same spirit of consecration that gladdened his heart.—J. N. Loughborough, “Reminiscences of the Life of Uriah Smith,” Review and Herald, April 7,1903, p. 8.PPP 67.4

    Hiram Edson: a farm, a loan, a pressPPP 68.1

    [A] big conference was held March 12 to 15, 1852, at Ballston, New York (or others have it as Ballston Spa, New York). At this time, [Hiram] Edson was still living on his farm at Port Byron [NewYork]. With all of his traveling, I don’t see that he had much time to work it, though possibly he couldn’t do much in the middle of winter anyway.PPP 68.2

    This was a very important meeting at Ballston. Among others, Brethren Bates, Rhodes, Holt, Wheeler, Day, Baker, Ingraham, Wyman, Churchill, Morse, and Edson were present. They came together “to be united in the TRUTH . . . not to establish any peculiar views of their own.”PPP 68.3

    The conference was held in the home of Jesse Thompson. According to one account, James and Ellen White were also present at this meeting. Though these early pioneers were very poor (the Whites were using borrowed furniture in their home at the time; Bates had spent his fortune; young J. N. Andrews had neither scrip or purse; Rhodes and Bates, who were traveling far and wide, were both dependent upon the meager support of their hearers). Yet, on Friday, March 12, 1852, the subject of printing a paper came up for discussion. It was decided to purchase a press and type and to set this printing office up at Rochester where the Review would then be published.PPP 68.4

    It was a monumental decision for this small group to make. It was thought that $600.00 would be needed to purchase the press and type. A committee of three consisting of Brethren Pool, Drew, and Edson were to receive the money and to purchase the type and press. Edson’s daughter, who was at that meeting with her parents where they were discussing the buying of the small Washington hand press, reports that her father said, “We, no doubt, will have a power press before the close; maybe two or three.” It certainly must have required a lot of faith to have made a statement like that at that time. Of course he never expected time to go on this long, but wouldn’t he be shocked to see our great presses of today printing our truth-filled literature for the people of the world!PPP 68.5

    The money was to actually be sent to Hiram Edson at Port Byron. Edson sold his farm at Port Gibson for $3500.00, and advanced $650.00, to purchase the press and type. To support himself and his family, he then rented a farm. He was to be paid back as donations came in from other believers for the press.—James R. Nix, The Life and Work of Hiram Edson, unpublished term paper, 1971, pp. 59-61.PPP 68.6

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