Church of God, Carmichael, CA
D. S. Warner, Orignial Publishing Date, unknown
[Original Page Numbers]
Biographic Sketch
D. S. Warner
THE subject of this sketch was born in Bristol, Wayne Co., Ohio, on the 25th of June, 1843. From his birth his life was one of sorrow, pain, and suffering. The enemy of all truth seemed to foresee that God intended to use him as one of his chief instruments in establishing a great reformation in the world, by which thousands of precious souls who were bound in chains of darkness might be led out into the beautiful Evening Light and set free. Therefore the arch" fiend put forth his best efforts to destroy his life, beginning as soon as he was born.
The following beautiful lines penned by his own hand, show the disadvantages under which he labored in early life.
Conceived in sin, to sorrow born,
Unwelcome here on earth,
The shadows of a life forlorn,
Hung gloomy o'er my birth.
A mother's heart oppressed with grief,
A father's wicked spleen,
Who cursed my faint and gasping breath,
Combine to paint the scene.
But life held on its tender thread,
Days unexpected grew
To weeks, and still he lived,
Why, heaven only knew.
He lived, though life was bitter gain,
His youth a flood of tears,
His body doomed to cruel pain,
His mind to nervous fears.
But the heavenly Father had his eye upon him and sent his guardian angel to protect his tender years. He was converted when about twenty-two years of age, and a few [2] weeks later enlisted as a soldier in the Union Army, and went to fight for his country. It is said that he did this to save his brother, who was a man of a family, and about to be drafted, going in his stead and acting as his substitute. He remained a short time and returned home. About two years after his conversion he entered upon the duties of a minister of the gospel, and in this capacity he labored faithfully with tongue and pen until the close of his life.
During his early Christian experience the Lord began to show him the true church, the body of Christ; but the light not being clear, he was influenced by certain parties to unite with the so called Church of God, or Winebrennarians. He was deceived in making this step because of their name, " Church of God, " which he well knew by the Word was correct; and not discerning clearly the body of Christ, he yielded to their solicitations.
He remained in this sect about ten years, but never enjoyed the spiritual liberty and freedom he had before uniting with this body. In the year 1879 he became interested in a paper called the " Herald of Gospel Freedom, " which was published in the interest of the sect to which he belonged, acting as the editor of the holiness department. In the year 1880, he became editor of the whole paper, and during this prophetic year God showed him more clearly than ever before the evils of sectarianism, the downfall of Babylon, and enabled him to discern the body of Christ, the true church. True to his convictions of right, he at once began to cry out against sectarianism, proving by the Word that she is a part of Babylon, and exhorting God's little ones to come out of her that they partake not of her plagues.
This astounding declaration fell like a thunderbolt from heaven (which it was) on the sectarian world, and it appeared that all the demons of earth and hell were stirred, and they became terribly enraged against him. He was persecuted, tried, afflicted and tormented; but God's grace was sufficient and enabled him to stand for the truth. After having assumed control of the paper mentioned, he became impressed that its name ought to be changed, and he laid the matter before God, asking what it should be called. "Gospel [3] Trumpet," came ringing in his soul. This was the name he got from heaven, and this name is no doubt destined to become familiar with God's children throughout the length and breadth of the earth.
After removing a number of times from place to place he finally settled permanently at Grand Junction, Mich., where the paper was published for a number of years. He was very earnest and zealous in thework for the Master. Although his body was frail and his constitution weak from the day of his birth, yet by the help of the Lord, he was enabled to accomplish a vast amount of work during his life. He seemed to be a living miracle, and it can be truly said that he walked and labored in the strength of God. He was the author of a number of books including one of poems. The following is a copy of the last poem he was engaged in writing, just before the summons came, calling him away, leaving it unfinished. The first stanza, two lines of the chorus, and one line of the second stanza, is all that was written. It is entitled
A HYMN
Shall my soul ascend with rapture,
When the day of life is past?
While my house of clay shall slumber,
Shall I then with Jesus rest 1!
Cho.—O my soul, press on to glory!
Worlds of bliss invite thee on.
O shall my immortal spirit,
We see in this that his thoughts were being wafted away to his future and eternal home, to which he was so soon to be called. He was sick but a few days with an affection of the lungs and heart, and God gave him grace to bear his sufferings very patiently, when on the morning of Dec.. 12th, 1895, about 3 A. M. he quietly and gently passed away.[4]