1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

accepted doctrines. Brought up a Presbyterian,indoctrinated from the catechism, and beingnaturally of an inquiring mind, I fell a ready preyto the logic of infidelity, as soon as I began tothink for myself. But that which at firstthreatened to be the utter shipwreck of faith inGod and the Bible, was, under God's providence,overruled for good, and merely wrecked myconfidence in human creeds and systems of Bibleinterpretations. I was led gradually to see thatthough each of the creeds contained someelements of Truth, they were, on the whole,misleading and contradictory of God's Word.Among other theories, I stumbled uponAdventism.Seemingly by accident, one evening I droppedinto a dusty, dingy hall in Allegheny, Pa., whereI had heard that religious services were held, tosee if the handful who met there had anythingmore sensible to offer than the creeds of the greatchurches. There, for the first time, I heardsomething of the views of Second Adventism, byJonas Wendell, long since deceased. Thus Iconfess indebtedness to Adventists as well as toother Bible students. Though his Scriptureexposition was not entirely clear, and though itwas very far from what we now rejoice in, it wassufficient, under God, to reestablish mywavering faith in the Divine inspiration of theBible and to show that the records of theApostles and the Prophets are indissolublylinked."When in 1872 I came to examine the subject ofRestitution from the standpoint of the Ransompricegiven by our Lord Jesus for Adam, andconsequently for all lost in Adam, it settled thematter of Restitution completely, and gave methe fullest assurance that ALL must come forthfrom their graves and be brought to a clearknowledgeFM54of the Truth and to a full opportunity to gaineverlasting life through Christ. The yearsfollowing, to 1876, were years of continuedgrowth in grace and in knowledge on the part of