Your ShelfYour Projects

THE TEMPLE IN HEAVEN

5%

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Tuesday, November 25, 1884

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 61, No. 47

Read the full edition

THE TEMPLE IN HEAVEN.

By W. H. Littlejohn

BY ELD. W. H. LITTLEJOHN.

THE TALK ABOUT ASCENSION ROBES CONTINUED.

Mr. Biblist.—“As we separated last evening, I believe that I promised to prove to Mr. Clerical that the stories so widely circulated to the effect that Mr. Miller and his followers put on ascension robes in 1844, were wholly without foundation; or, to put it a little stronger, that they were born originally of that disposition to scandalize great religious movements, which has been manifested in all ages. That the Miller movement was marred in a few instances by excesses on the part of a very few of its adherents, no doubt is true. If it were not, it would have been an exception to the rule that holds in regard to great awakenings generally. Even the presence and example of Christ were not sufficient to repress altogether the tendency in his disciples in that direction. On one occasion even John and James were ready to call down fire to consume the inhabitants of a certain Samaritan village because they were not ready to receive the Master with open arms. Sixteen centuries later, Luther was greatly annoyed, and the Reformation scandalized, by the fanatical folly of the Anabaptists, who held just enough of the principles of the Reformation to make the latter responsible in the eyes of its enemies for their acts. At one time their frenzy culminated in the murder of one of their number, it being confidently expected that the individual thus sacrificed would be restored to life again in answer to prayer. It was to men of this class that the great Reformer once said, ‘I will rap that spirit on the snout.’ Wesley in his day was greatly irritated by those who transformed his doctrine of ‘perfect love’ into the odious theory of ‘perfectionism.’
“So I might go on; but I think that I have given a sufficient number of illustrations to establish the proposition that the presence of fanaticism among the adherents of a religious movement is compatible with the theory that the movement itself is of God, provided that there is in it moral power strong enough to resist and overcome ultimately all such tendencies. Do not get the impression, however, that I have made this argument for the purpose of apologizing for the wearing of ascension robes by Mr. Miller and his associates. That such robes were never put on by the parties in question, I am ready to demonstrate by the most indubitable evidence. In the first place, the charge is ridiculous on its very face. It is simply preposterous to suppose that men possessing good common sense could be induced to do so silly a thing; much more so, that persons of such marked intellectual ability as Mr. Miller and his more prominent co-laborers could be persuaded to participate in so silly a performance. Think of it for a moment. Why, the very idea of wearing cotton ascension robes to heaven is so absurd that the merest tyro in the Scriptures would at once discover its untenableness. The Apostle says in one place that ‘flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.’ In another place he declares, ‘Behold, I will show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.’ These scriptures teach distinctly that nothing that has upon it even the remotest taint of sin or that has in any way been connected with its history, can by any possibility enter into heaven. Even the bodies of the saints are to undergo a change which will eliminate from them every trace of corruption before they can share that destiny. Mr. Miller knew this and taught it in the most emphatic manner. The texts that I have quoted were repeated and elaborated by him probably a thousand times during the ten years of his public ministry. I repeat, therefore, that it is simply absurd to suppose that he could have been guilty of the folly in question. Had he been, his theory and his practice would have been diametrically opposed to each other. To preach at one moment that the ‘elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up,’ and in the next, to argue that ‘cotton ascension robes’ would furnish an exception to the general rule, would be an inconsistency so gross that while it might have been perpetrated by Mr. Miller’s slanderers, it never could have been enacted by Miller himself.”
Mr. Clerical.—“It don’t make any difference what you say, sir; I know that he and his friends did put on ascension robes.”
Mr. B.—“Alas, sir, I fear that there is too much truth in the first part of your declaration. You admit that you never saw an Adventist of 1844 attired in an ascension robe, and that you have never met with a person who had seen one thus arrayed. I have made an argument to prove that in the very nature of the circumstances it could not have taken place, and the only reply that you make is, that you do not ‘care what I say.’ Like those who for forty years have been engaged in a persistent effort to smirch the character of Mr. Miller, you seem to be bent upon believing any and everything that would damage the reputation of that great and good man, however preposterous in itself. It is not impossible that what I am about to say may be entirely thrown away on you; but I shall nevertheless proceed now to introduce on the point in question testimony of a personal nature, which will show that my reasoning from general principles was correct.”
“It is universally admitted that, other things being equal, a man’s friends are better judges of his motives, and more reliable authority in determining what his acts have been, than are his enemies. The former are agreed that the ascension robe stories were utterly without foundation. If Maud will hand me from my library yonder a volume entitled ‘Life Incidents,’ I will read you a couple of extracts that are in point. The authors of both of them were prominent preachers in the Miller movement. The first which you will find in the work that Maud has just handed to me was penned by Eld. James White, whose life and labors the book records. I will begin to read on page 310: ‘There are hundreds of ministers in the United States who, if disturbed in the quiet possession of the ears of the people by the proclamation of the unpopular truths of the third message in their vicinity, would take delight in repeating the old threadbare falsehoods concerning ascension robes, and the like, to cut off the influence of the servants of God. In almost every place where our ministers give discourses upon the second coming of Christ, and the necessary preparation for that event, they have to labor against the prejudices of the people, caused by reports of the inconsistencies of Adventists; one of which is, that at a point of expectation in the past, many of them did prepare robes of white linen, and put them on ready to ascend and meet their coming Lord.”
“While all sane persons, who have any knowledge of what the Holy Scriptures do teach of the necessary preparation to meet the Lord as he shall descend from heaven, will agree that to prepare a literal white robe made of cloth as a fitting preparation for the transit from earth to heaven, from mortality to immortality, must be an indication of downright insanity, none will see in such an act evidences of criminality. But I do not believe that anything of the kind ever occurred. I have been actively engaged in the proclamation of the second advent for more than twenty-five years, and have traveled and preached in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Canada, and have not met a person who has seen an Adventist thus attired, or one that was able to give better proofs that anything of the kind ever did occur than vague reports. I have never found the place where the thing occurred. It was always in the next town, county, or State.”
“Again; reports in relation to this matter, and slanders of a similar nature, have a hundred times been denied in Second-Advent periodicals, and proofs have been called for of the truthfulness of these statements. No one has been able to produce the proofs. But still the tongue of slander takes delight in repeating the old threadbare falsehood.”
“The second extract was taken originally from the ‘History of the Rise and Progress of Adventism,’ and is found in ‘Life Incidents,’ on page 314. The author of that history was Eld. Josiah Litch. He was an able writer, and took an active part in the advent movement of 1844. He says: ‘Those periods came and passed with no unusual occurrence. As soon as they had gone by, a flood of scoffing, reviling, and persecution burst forth, not from the infidel world so much, but from the professed friends of the Saviour,—the most idle and foolish stories of ascension robes, and going out into graveyards to watch, going to the tops of houses, etc., etc. These were repeated again and again, both from pulpit and press, until the public were, many of them at least, almost persuaded to believe them true. How or where they originated, except in willful falsehood, we cannot devise. Some of the reports of that character, we happen to know, originated with professed ministers of the gospel, who gave date and place when there was not a word of truth in the whole story. Others must have originated in a similar way.’”
“I hope, Mr. Clerical, that you will not in the day of final account be found associated with the class of ministers to which Eld. Litch alludes. So far as the past is concerned, the plea of ignorance might be pleaded in your defense; but hereafter any repetition by you of the ascension robe scandal could be regarded as nothing less than willful misrepresentation. The testimony of two such men as Elds. James White and Josiah Litch on the point before us, will be received as conclusive by every candid individual. Their veracity was above impeachment, and their sources of information complete. One more fact, and this branch of the subject must be dismissed.”
“In the REVIEW AND HERALD for April 14, 1868, the following paragraph appeared: ‘Fifty dollars reward is offered to any person who will present unquestionable proofs of the truthfulness of the statements that believers in the second advent of Christ, on the day of expectation did put on ascension robes. Those who can produce such proofs, are requested to forward them immediately to the writer [Eld. James White] at Greenville, Montcalm Co., Mich., and receive fifty dollars by return mail.’ The REVIEW AND HERALD is the organ of Seventh-day Adventists. By inserting this reward in its columns, the public were generally apprised of the offer made. An opportunity was thus presented to all those who were willing to testify on oath that they had ever seen an Adventist attired in ascension robes, to do so. Had the ascension robes stories been true, there were thousands then living who were competent to make oath to their correctness. While it is natural to suppose that some, could they have done so consistently, would have made the necessary affidavits for the mere love of truth, it is certain that those who hated Adventists, and those who were greedy for gain would not have failed to respond when so favorable an opportunity was given either for the venting of spite or the acquisition of money.”
Maud.—“What I want to know, father, is whether any one ever got the fifty dollars.”
Mr. B.—“No, Maud; they were never paid over to any one, and simply because no one ever made the necessary proofs. There were some who, like Mr. Clerical here, insisted despite all the evidence to the contrary, that ascension robes were really worn by the Adventists in 1844; but none of them save one man ever ventured to carry out the conditions of the reward by offering the required testimony.”
Maud.—“How did that man come out, father?”
Mr. B.—“Just as you might have anticipated, my daughter. In endeavoring to prove that Mr. Miller and his friends were all fools, he demonstrated the fact most clearly that he himself had been most sadly duped. He said that he knew that Adventists did wear ascension robes in 1844 because he saw two young ladies actually engaged in making such robes. When interrogated as to how he knew that the articles in question were really ascension robes, he replied, that he knew it because the young ladies told him so. Fortunately, all the parties were living and the facts were easily reached. It turned out, upon examination, that the two young ladies to whom he referred were at the time in question engaged in making night-dresses, and that the gentleman who claimed the fifty dollars was by them regarded as somewhat impertinent because of the persistence with which he plied them with questions respecting that which they were doing; and so they jokingly gave him to understand that they were making ascension robes. When these representations were made to those who had the charge in the matter of the reward, you can imagine the result. The whole thing was dropped, the applicant retiring a wiser if not a better man. From that time to this, ascension robe stories have been at a discount with those who knew the facts and whose malice did not exceed their honesty.”
Mr. C.—“You will pardon me, Mr. Biblist, if I withdraw. I have just bethought me of an appointment that I have at this hour. I bid you all good evening.”
Mr. Thoughtful.—“I am very thankful, Mr. Biblist, for your talk this evening. I have always believed that the ascension robe stories were gross scandals, and now I know that they are. There is one point further connected with the Miller movement that I would like to have you discuss; and that is, the mistake in regard to the coming of the Lord.”
Mr. B.—“That will be the next thing in order. I will speak of it to-morrow night.”