No history of the rise and development of the remnant church could claim to be complete if it failed to mention Joseph Bates and to emphasize the important place he played. Joseph Bates devoted the last twenty-five years of his life to keeping the commandments of God—to the task of proclaiming, exalting, and championing the binding obligations of the seventh-day Sabbath.

It should be remembered that he was fifty-four when he began to proclaim the Sabbath truth. He had been a preacher of the first angel’s message for years before the great disappointment in 1844. Never seeking the limelight, he was perfectly satisfied to do his duty as he saw it, trusting the Lord from day to day to reveal to him his particular work and then give him strength to accomplish it.

In these days when the feeble resources of the pioneers—what they achieved with them still amazes us today—have been multiplied a thousandfold, it is hoped that this story may inspire the remnant people of God anew, leading them to throw into the task that still faces them the same ardor and devotion, the same sacrificial service and fearless courage, that marked the life of Joseph Bates.