p. 188 | SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS AND SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS

The Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · December 11, 1879

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 54, No. 24

SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS AND SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS.

By James White

THE Seventh-day Baptists observe the last day of the week as the Sabbath of the Lord, and practice immersion for Christian baptism; hence their denominational name, Seventh-day Baptists. The strength of their positions on the weekly Sabbath of the Bible, and baptism, lies in accepting Scripture testimony upon these as meaning just what it says. “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Ex. 20: 10. “My holy day.” Isa. 58: 13. “The Sabbath was made for man.” “The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” Mark 2: 27, 28.

Accepting the literal and obvious meaning of the sacred Scriptures relative to baptism, S. D. Baptists reject all forms of water baptism excepting immersion. Jesus was “baptized of John in Jordan; and straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened.” Mark 1: 9, 10. “And they went down, both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water.” Acts 8: 38, 39. “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism.” “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” Rom. 6: 4, 5. “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him.” Col. 2: 12. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” Col. 3: 1.

Accepting the same literal interpretation of Scripture on the question of the second appearing of Christ, that the Bible means what it says, which rule both S. D. Baptists and S. D. Adventists accept on the questions of the Sabbath and baptism, the figurative or spiritual coming and reign of Christ is excluded. If the Bible be allowed to speak for itself, and we be allowed to understand its words as we do those of other books, the doctrine of the second coming of Christ is clear and forcible. We will here let Christ, the angel at the mount of ascension, and Paul, testify, relative to the personal and visible second appearing of Christ, to raise and reward the just.

“They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matt. 24: 30. “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Matt. 16: 27. “Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him.” Rev. 1: 7. “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1: 11. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess. 4: 16–18. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Heb. 9: 28. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Tim. 4: 7, 8. “And behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22: 12.

The rule of Biblical interpretation which S. D. Adventists feel safe to adopt is, “Every text of Scripture means just what it says, word for word, excepting those passages where it is evident from the text and the context that a parable or figure is introduced.” Departing from this, the only safe rule, and giving license to fanciful interpretations, has brought deplorable results. It has filled the mouths of skeptics with objections to the Bible, brought reproach upon our holy religion, and caused the enemies of the Lord to tread his word in the very dust. Approach the infidel upon the subject of religion, and with feelings of disgust he will at once point to the confusion of sentiment, the fancies and curiosities, of the great Babylonish museum of the professed Christian world.

Christ prayed that his people might be one as he was one with his Father, that the world might know that God had sent his Son to save lost sinners. Paul prayed that the church might all speak the same thing, and be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. This happy state may be realized when the church will allow the Lord to answer that other petition, “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.” John 17: 17.

The widest difference between S. D. Baptists and S. D. Adventists is in regard to the nature and destiny of man. But here also, we intrench ourselves in the plain, literal and obvious meaning of the word. The record gives the creation, life principle, and the nature, of the first man in these words, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Gen. 2: 7. After the transgression and fall, the sentence of death fell upon Adam. “Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.” Gen. 3: 16.

The two-fold nature of man, taught by those who charge us with teaching a “grossly materialistic system,” is not intimated in the record of the creation and dissolution of the first man. All there was of Adam was formed of the dust of the ground. The record does not state that a second immortal Adam was put into the first. The Creator gave the creature life, and when that life ceased in consequence of sin, Adam returned to dust, unconscious, till he shall be reorganized from dust, and brought to the enjoyment of immortal life at the resurrection of the just.

The figure which Inspiration uses to represent the state of the righteous dead is sleep, from which they will be awakened by the trump of God at the resurrection of the just. This is as true of the writers of the Old Testament as of the New: “For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept.” Job 3: 13. “So man lieth down, and riseth not till the heavens be no more: they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” Job 14: 12. “Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” Ps. 13: 3. “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.” Dan. 12: 2. “Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust.” Isa. 26: 19. “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.” John 11: 11. “And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 7: 60. “The greater part remain unto this present; but some are fallen asleep.” 1 Cor. 15: 6. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” Verse 51. “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep.” 1 Thess. 4: 13.

In regard to the question of the destiny of the unjust, probably more changes have taken place in the religious world during the last thirty years than on any other subject in all the range of Christian theology. Where is the man who will stand before an intelligent audience and paint the horrors of an eternity of punishment in a hell of fire and brimstone, as ministers did a half century since?

“God is love” is a declaration no less true to-day than before the Universalists used it to comfort the sinner in his sins. In love he created man and gave him life. We prize this mortal life, with all its toils, and pains, its sorrows, tears and woes, above all else in this world. In love God gave his Son to die that we may have eternal life. But if the sinner will not have life, what can the God of love do with him? Will he take him up to Heaven? The holy Heaven of the Bible would be to him the veriest hell. Will God punish him in an eternity of suffering, and receive in return an eternity of curses from the sinner, and thus sin be immortalized? The voice of Wisdom and of Love answers:—

“The wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs. They shall consume. Into smoke shall they consume away.” “For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth, and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.” “For yet a little while and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.” Ps. 37: 10, 20, 22.

“For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Mal. 4: 1. In love God will let them return to unconscious dust, and in the words of the prophet, “be as though they had not been.” Obad., verse 16.

The last we hear of the wicked, with Satan at their head, represented by Gog and Magog of the Apocalypse, is that “fire came down from God out of Heaven, and devoured them.” Rev. 20: 8, 9.

Then comes that grand song of jubilee from a delighted Universe that the blot of sin is removed from the earth, and that the rebellious career of Satan and all sinners has ended. Phil. 2: 10, 11; Rev. 5: 13. That triumphant song from holy intelligences in Heaven and on earth, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever,” is not marred by the yells of the immaterial damned, and the gnashing of their immaterial teeth in some immaterial corner of the Universe. J. W.