VI. Edson-First to Catch Glimpse of Sanctuary Light

HIRAM EDSON (1806-1882), of Port Gibson, New York, more than any other individual, was responsible for introducing among those who became the Sabbatarian Adventists, the fuller understanding of the sanctuary and its cleansing, both in type and antitype. A descendant of Elijah Edson, English clergyman who came to Boston about 1670 seeking religious freedom, ^{11Viah May Cross, letter to L. E. Froom, Aug. 23, 1944.} Edson was a respected steward in a village Methodist church in Ontario County, New York, in 1839, when, at the close of a three-week Millerite revival, ^{12Obituary, Review and Herald, Feb. 21, 1882, p. 126.} he accepted the message of the imminent second advent. As the “tenth day of the seventh month” approached, evening cottage meetings were held in Edson’s home, as noted. One evening, when a wagonload of interested people drove in from a distance, a revival broke out and about thirteen were converted. ^{13Edson, Ms., “Life and Experience,” p. 7.} He was an earnest, soul-winning layman.PFF4 889.3

A glimpse of his character and courage is disclosed by an episode that occurred shortly after the Disappointment. A sizable group of Adventists, who had met at Edson’s house, was attacked by an irate mob of about forty. Edson, as leader, walked calmly out of the house, mingled with them fearlessly, and persuaded them to withdraw. These Adventist leaders were men of courage as well as conviction.PFF4 890.1

Edson was not only a thoughtful Bible student and an earnest evangelistic helper, but he was self-sacrificing, putting his possessions into the upbuilding of the growing cause that he loved. His farm, the scene of two early conferences of the infant Sabbatarian movement, was sold in 1850 to help defray the evangelistic expenses of Bates, Andrews, Loughborough, Holt, and Rhodes. His next farm, in Port Byron, he likewise sold in 1852, ^{14Spalding, Captains, pp. 186, 187: J. N. Loughborough, “Experiences in the Publishing Work, no. 14,” Review and Herald, Dec. 31, 1908, p. 19.} and from the proceeds he lent James White the money to purchase his first printing press at Rochester. So Edson was one of the faithful and honored lay participants in the rising Sabbatarian movement.PFF4 890.2