PRO AND CON by R. A. Underwood

The Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · December 18, 1879

FromThe Review and Herald, Vol. 54, No. 25

PRO AND CON.

By R. A. Underwood

The following extracts from an essay on the ten commandments, written by Pardee Butler, and published by the Christian Standard of Nov. 15, 1879, I present in contrast with the words of the Lord. He says:—

“The capital objection to the ten commandments is, that they were written in the wrong place. They were written on stone—cold, hard, and insensible stone—instead of having been written on the hearts of the Jewish people.”

“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Gen. 18:25. “Far be it from God that he should do wickedness, . . . Will thou condemn him that is most just? Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked? . . . How much less to Him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands.” Job 34:10, 17–19.

“Growing out of the men on whom the Jewish laws were imposed, its exactions must, of necessity, have been narrow and mean.”

“Thy commandment is exceeding broad.” “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies.” Ps. 119:96, 18, 98.

“To have given them a law more ample and complete, would have been to cast pearls before swine. Hence the ten commandments do not forbid slavery, divorce, or polygamy. They enjoin neither love to one's neighbor, nor forgiveness of enemies. They contain no injunction as touching deeds of mercy and humanity.”

“The vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord.” Isa. 32:6. “I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.” Eccl. 3:14. “The law of the Lord is perfect.” Ps. 19:7; read also James 2:12; Matt. 22:36–40.

“There were, in the observance of the Sabbath, as commanded by the law, no prayers, no devout meditation, no assembling of the people together to worship God and read his law. And now Second Adventists mock themselves, and try to mock other men, by stealing the prayers, preaching, praises, devotional songs, the fellowship and the breaking of bread, that constitute the worship of the Christian institution, and seek to make them a part of the observance of the Sabbath as commanded by the law.”

“Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation.” Lev. 23:3. “Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures.” He “reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” Acts 17:2; 18:4; also Mal. 3:16, 17.

Again he says: “If we are amazed at the madness and blindness of Second Adventists in going back to the weak and beggarly elements of such a law, how much more amazed must we be at the greater madness of the denominations that call themselves evangelical, who make the Christian institution and the Jewish institution identical; who make the membership of the one identical with the membership of the other; and who sprinkle water on the face of a babe in the name of the Lord, though it has neither faith nor a single spiritual idea? Shall we wonder that Adventism flourishes in such soil?” In the same essay, trying to defend the Sunday institution, he says: “Grant that our observance of the first day of the week is purely voluntary, this is in exact harmony with the genius of the Christian religion.”

If this be true, why condemn those who voluntarily (without command) sprinkle water upon the unconscious child; for “it is in exact harmony with the genius of the Christian religion.” Such reasoning reminds one of the following stanza:—

“A man who thought himself quite wise, Climbed up a tree toward the skies, And as he meant the tree to trim, Just placed himself upon a limb, And trimmed away with progress good, But cut the limb on which he stood; When to his great surprise he found Himself soon sprawling on the ground.” R. A. UNDERWOOD.