We have State Conferences, Union Conferences, and a General Conference of the world. These bodies are representative bodies. It is also the rule that ministers and other regular laborers in the employ of a conference are delegates at large to that conference. Parliamentary practice is universal.
Delegates from churches form the State Conference.79Delegates from several adjoining State Conferences form the Union Conference. Delegates sent by each State and Union Conference and Mission Field form the General Conference.
The number of delegates chosen in each case is in proportion to the membership, except that, certain ones at the head of foreign Mission Fields, some others in charge of special lines of work, and certain Union Conference officers, are delegates at large. The great body of the General Conference is composed of delegates from every Conference and Mission Field in the world.
State Conferences meet annually. Union Conferences meet every two years. The General Conference has, as a rule, been called every two years, alternating with the Union Conferences.
The 1905 Conference, however, made an exception to this by voting for a term of four years.
DENOMINATIONAL ENTERPRISES.
We have many Denominational enterprises, such as Sanitariums, Publishing Houses, Colleges, Orphanages, City Missions, etc., etc.
These are all conducted under the control of the Conference, or in council and harmony with the advice of the officers of the Conference, or Mission Field, in which they are located, or of the General Conference.
Such enterprises as are not so conducted, however good they may be, are, of course, not Denominational.
CHAPTER XI.
OTHER STATEMENTS, FROM THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY, ON CHURCH ORDER.
THE LORD’S SOLEMN COMMISSION AND MARVELOUS ASSURANCE TO HIS MINISTERS.
“Jesus, in giving the disciples their first commission, had said, ‘I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever thou (referring to responsible men who should represent his church) shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.’ In renewing the commission of those to whom he had imparted the Holy Ghost, he said, ‘Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.’ These words conveyed to the disciples a sense of the sacredness of their work, and its tremendous results. Imbued with the Spirit of God, they were to go forth preaching the merits of a sin-pardoning Saviour; and they had the assurance that all Heaven was interested in their labors, and that what they did on earth, in the spirit and power of Christ, should be ratified in Heaven.” Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 3, page 244.
“The Saviour taught that His is the only name given under Heaven whereby men shall be saved. Jesus, however, delegated to His church upon earth, in her organized capacity, the power to censure and to remove censure according to the rules prescribed by inspiration; but these acts were only to be done81by men of good repute, who were consecrated by the great Head of the church, and who showed by their lives that they were earnestly seeking to follow the guidance of the Spirit of God.
“Jesus charged his disciples to preach the remission of sin in his name among all nations; but they themselves were not empowered to remove one stain of sin from the children of Adam.” Id., page 245.
DUTY TO DEAL WITH OFFENDING MEMBERS.
“When dealing with obstinately offending members, the holy men of the church were to follow the directions laid down by Christ; this, the only course of safety for the church, has been traced step by step by the apostles with the pen of inspiration.” Id., page 246.
HOW TO OPEN AND CONDUCT CHURCH TRIALS.
“When the church takes up the case of an offender, the prayer of faith will bring Christ into the midst as an all-wise counselor.
“With Christ to preside over the council of the church, how cautiously should each man speak and act. Prayer should be offered for the erring, and every means be used to restore him to the favor of God and the church.” Id.
MUST BE PROMPTLY DEALT WITH IF THE VOICE OF THE CHURCH IS DISREGARDED.
“But if the voice of the church is disregarded, and his individual will is set up above it, then the offender must be promptly dealt with, and the decision of the brethren, made with prayer and faith,82and according to the wisdom given them of God, is ratified by heaven.” Id.
IF OFFENDER REPENTS, CHURCH IS TO REMIT THE SIN.
“The repentance of the sinner is to be accepted by the church with grateful hearts. The church is empowered to absolve sins only in the sense of assuring the repentant sinner of the forgiving mercy of the Saviour, and in leading him out from the darkness of unbelief and guilt, to the light of faith and righteousness. It may place his trembling hand in the loving hand of Jesus. Such a remission is ratified by Heaven.” Id., page 247.
TILL THE END OF TIME.
“The directions of the apostles in regard to condemnation or acquittal in case of church trials are to remain valid till the end of time. And the promise of Christ’s presence in answer to prayer should comfort and encourage His church to-day as much as it comforted and encouraged the apostles whom Christ directly addressed.” Id.
TO DESPISE CHURCH IS TO DESPISE CHRIST.
“Those who despise the authority of the church despise the authority of Christ himself.” Id.
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF ORGANIZED CHURCHES AT JERUSALEM, A. D. 52; COMPOSED OF APOSTLES AND ELDERS AND DELEGATES FROM ORGANIZED CHURCHES.
After mentioning Derbe, Antioch (in Pisidia), Iconium and Lystra, Spirit of Prophecy says:—
“Churches were duly organized in the places before mentioned, elders appointed in each church, and the proper order and system established. Paul and Barnabas labored in Antioch some time; and many Gentiles there embraced the doctrine of Christ. But certain Jews from Judea raised a general consternation among the believing Gentiles by agitating the question of circumcision. They asserted, with great assurance, that none could be saved without being circumcised, and keeping the entire ceremonial law.” Vol. 3, pages 368, 369.
SENT TO APOSTLES AND ELDERS FOR COUNSEL.
“The matter resulted in much discussion and want of harmony in the church, until finally the church at Antioch, apprehending that a division among them would occur from any further discussion of the question, decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, and lay the matter before the apostles and elders.” Id.
A REPRESENTATIVE BODY OF EXPERIENCE, INCLUDING DELEGATES FROM THE DIFFERENT CHURCHES.
“There they were to meet delegates from the different churches, and those who had come to attend the approaching annual festivals. Meanwhile all controversy was to cease, until a final decision should be made by the responsible men of the church. This decision was then to be universally accepted by the various churches throughout the country.” Id.
HOW THAT CONFERENCE MOVED; AND ITS RESULT.
“The council which decided this case was composed of the founders of the Jewish and Gentile Christian churches. Elders from Jerusalem, and deputies from Antioch, were present; and the most influential churches were represented. The council did not claim infallibility in their deliberations, but moved from the dictates of enlightened judgment, and with the dignity of a church established by the divine will. They saw that God himself had decided this question by favoring the Gentiles with the Holy Ghost; and it was left for them to follow the guidance of the Spirit.
“The entire body of Christians were not called to vote upon the question. The apostles and elders—men of influence and judgment—framed and issued the decree, which was thereupon generally accepted by the Christian churches.” Id., page 376.
A FACTION OF MURMURERS THEN, AND SUCH MAY BE LOOKED FOR UNTIL THE CLOSE OF TIME.
“All were not pleased, however, with this decision; there was a faction of false brethren who assumed to engage in a work on their own responsibility. They indulged in murmuring and fault-finding, proposing new plans, and seeking to pull down the work of the experienced men whom God had ordained to teach the doctrine of Christ. The church has had such obstacles to meet from the first, and will ever have them to the close of time.” Id.
HEAVEN RATIFIES THE DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH.
“The world’s Redeemer has invested great power with His church. He states the rules to be applied in cases of trial with its members. After he has given explicit directions as to the course to be pursued, He says, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever (in church discipline) ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.” Thus, even the heavenly authority ratifies the discipline of the church in regard to its members, when the Bible rule has been followed.”
“The Word of God does not give license for one man to set up his judgment in opposition to the judgment of the church, neither is he allowed to urge his opinions against the opinions of the church. If there were no church discipline and government, the church would go to fragments; it could not hold together as a body.”
“There have ever been individuals of independent minds, who have claimed that they were right, that God has especially taught, impressed and led them. Each has a theory of his own, views peculiar to himself, and each claims that his views are in accordance with the Word of God. Each one has a different theory and faith, yet each claims special light from God. These draw away from the body, and each one is a separate church of himself. All these cannot be right, yet they all claim to be led of the Lord. The Word of inspiration is not yea and nay, but yea and amen in Christ Jesus.” Vol. 3, p. 428, 429.
CHRIST RESPECTS THE MEANS WHICH HE HAS HIMSELF ORDAINED FOR THE ENLIGHTENMENT AND SALVATION OF MAN.
“In the wonderful conversion of Paul we see the miraculous power of God. * The marvelous light given Paul upon that occasion astonished and confounded him. He was wholly subdued. This part of the work man could not do for Paul; but there was a work still to be accomplished which the servants of Christ could do. Jesus directs him to His agents in the church for a further knowledge of duty. Thus he gives authority and sanction to His organized church. Christ had done the work of revelation and conviction, and now Paul was in a condition to learn of those whom God had ordained to teach the truth. Christ directs Paul to his chosen servants, thus placing him in connection with his church.
“Christ here gives all His people an example of the manner of His working for the salvation of men. The Son of God identified himself with the office and authority of His organized church. His blessings were to come through the agencies that He has ordained, thus connecting man with the channel through which His blessings come.
“In the conversion of Paul are given us important principles which we should ever bear in mind. The Redeemer of the world does not sanction experience and exercise in religious matters independent of His organized and acknowledged church, where He has a church.
“When Paul asks, ‘What wilt thou have me to87do?’ the Saviour does not tell him directly, but places him in connection with His church. They will tell thee what thou must do. Jesus is the sinner’s friend; His heart is ever open, ever touched with human woe; He has all power, both in Heaven and upon earth; but He respects the means which He has ordained for the enlightenment and salvation of men. He directs Saul to the church, thus acknowledging the power that He has invested in it as a channel of light to the world. It is Christ’s organized body upon the earth, and respect is required to be paid to His ordinances. In the case of Saul, Ananias represents Christ, and he also represents Christ’s ministers upon the earth who are appointed to act in Christ’s stead.
“Saul was a learned teacher in Israel; but while he is under the influence of blind error and prejudice, Christ reveals himself to him, and then places him in communication with His church, who are the light of the world. They are to instruct this educated, popular orator, in the Christian religion.
“In Christ’s stead Ananias touches his eyes that he may receive sight; in Christ’s stead he lays his hands upon him, prays in Christ’s name, and Saul receives the Holy Ghost. All is done in the name and authority of Christ. Christ is the fountain. The church is the channel of communication. Those who boast of personal independence need to be brought into closer relation to Christ by connection with His church upon the earth.” Testimony 24, Vol. 3, page 429-433.
CHAPTER XII.
A Summary of Fundamental Doctrines Taught by Seventh-day Adventists.
(This chapter is taken entire from the Seventh-day Adventist Year Book of 1889.)
Seventh-Day Adventists have no creed but the Bible; but they hold to certain well-defined points of faith, for which they feel prepared to give a reason “to every man that asketh” them. The following propositions may be taken as a summary of the principal features of their religious faith, upon which there is, so far as we know, entire unanimity throughout the body. They believe:—
I. That there is one God, a personal, spiritual being, the creator of all things, omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal; infinite in wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and mercy; unchangeable, and everywhere present by his representative, the Holy Spirit. Ps. 139: 7.
II. That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, the one by whom he created all things, and by whom they do consist; that he took on him the nature of the seed of Abraham for the redemption of our fallen race; that he dwelt among men, full of grace and truth, lived our example, died our sacrifice, was raised for our justification, ascended on high to be our only mediator in the sanctuary in heaven, where, through the merits of his shed blood, he secures the pardon and forgiveness of the sins of all those who penitently come to him; and as the closing portion of his work as priest, before he takes his throne as king, he will make the great atonement for the sins of all such, and their sins will then be blotted out (Acts 3: 19) and borne away from the sanctuary, as shown in the service of the Levitical priesthood, which foreshadowed and prefigured the ministry of our Lord in heaven. See Lev. 16; Heb. 8: 4, 5; 9: 6, 7; etc.
III. That the Holy Scriptures of the old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, contain a full revelation of his will to man, and are the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
IV. That baptism is an ordinance of the Christian church, to follow faith and repentance,—an ordinance by which we commemorate the resurrection of Christ, as by this act we show our faith in his burial and resurrection, and through that, in the resurrection of all the saints at the last day; and that no other mode more fitly represents these facts than that which the Scriptures prescribe, namely, immersion. Rom. 6: 3-5; Col. 2: 12.
V. That the new birth comprises the entire change necessary to fit us for the kingdom of God, and consists of two parts; First, a moral change wrought by conversion and a Christian life (John 3: 3, 5); second, a physical change at the second coming of Christ, whereby, if dead, we are raised incorruptible, and if living, are changed to immortality in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Luke 20: 36; 1 Cor. 15: 51, 52.
VI. That prophecy is a part of God’s revelation to man; that it is included in that Scripture which is profitable for instruction (2 Tim. 3: 16); that it is designed for us and our children (Deut. 29: 29); that so far from being enshrouded in impenetrable mystery, it is that which especially constitutes the word of God a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps. 119: 105; 2 Peter 1: 19); that a blessing is pronounced upon those who study it (Rev. 1: 1-3); and that, consequently, it is to be understood by the people of God sufficiently to show them their position in the world’s history and the special duties required at their hands.
VII. That the world’s history from specified dates in the past, the rise and fall of empires, and the chronological succession of events down to the setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom, are outlined in numerous great chains of prophecy; and that these prophecies are now all fulfilled except the closing scenes.
VIII. That the doctrine of the world’s conversion and a temporal millenium is a fable of these last days, calculated to lull men into a state of carnal security, and cause them to be overtaken by the great day of the Lord as by a thief in the night (1 Thess. 5: 3); that the second coming of Christ is to precede, not follow, the millenium; for until the Lord appears, the papal power, with all its abominations, is to continue (2 Thess. 2: 8), the wheat and tares grow together (Matt. 13: 29, 30, 39), and evil men and seducers wax-worse and worse, as the word of God declares. 2 Tim. 3: 1, 13.
IX. That the mistake of Adventists in 1844 pertained to the nature of the event then to transpire, not to the time; that no prophetic period is given to reach to the second advent, but91that the longest one, the two thousand and three hundred days of Dan. 8: 14, terminated in 1844, and brought us to an event called the cleansing of the sanctuary.
X. That the sanctuary of the new covenant is the tabernacle of God in heaven, of which Paul speaks in Hebrews 8 and onward, and of which our Lord, as great high priest, is minister; that this sanctuary is the antitype of the Mosaic tabernacle, and that the priestly work of our Lord, connected therewith, is the antitype of the work of the Jewish priests of the former dispensation (Heb. 8 : 1-5, etc.); that this, and not the ea92rth, is the sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the two thousand and three hundred days, what is termed its cleansing being in this case, as in the type, simply the entrance of the high priest into the most holy place, to finish the round of service connected therewith, by making the atonement and removing from the sanctuary the sins which had been transferred to it by means of the ministration in the first apartment (Lev.
XI. That God’s moral requirements are the same upon all men in all dispensations; that these are summarily contained in the commandments spoken by Jehovah from Sinai, engraven on the tables of stone, and deposited in the ark, which was in consequence called the “ark of the covenant,” or testament (Num. 10: 33; Heb. 9: 4, etc.); that this law is immutable and perpetual, being a transcript of the tables deposited in the ark in the true sanctuary on high, which is also, for the same reason, called the ark of God’s testament; for under the sounding of the seventh trumpet we are told that “the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.” Rev. 11: 19.
XII. That the fourth commandment of this law requires that we devote the seventh day of each week, commonly called Saturday, to abstinence from our own labor, and to the performance of sacred and religious duties; that this is the only weekly Sabbath known to the Bible, being the day that was set apart before Paradise was lost (Gen. 2: 2, 3), and which will be observed in Paradise restored (Isa. 66: 22, 23); that the facts upon which the Sabbath institution is based confine it to the seventh day, as they are not true of any other day; and that the terms Jewish Sabbath, as applied to the seventh day, and Christian Sabbath, as applied to the first day of the week, are names of human invention, unscriptural in fact, and false in meaning.
XIII. That as the man of sin, the papacy, has thought to change times and laws (the law of God, Dan. 7:25), and has misled almost all Christendom in regard to the fourth commandment, we find a prophecy of a reform in this respect to be wrought among believers just before the coming of Christ. Isa. 56: 1, 2; 1 Peter 1: 5; Rev. 14: 12, etc.
XIV. That the followers of Christ should be a peculiar people, not following the maxims, nor conforming to the ways, of the world; not loving its pleasures nor countenancing its follies; inasmuch as the apostle says that “whosoever therefore will be” in this sense, “a friend of the world, is the enemy of God” (James 4: 4); and Christ says that we cannot have two masters, or, at the same time, serve God and mammon. Matt. 6: 24.
XV. That the Scriptures insist upon plainness and modesty of attire as a prominent mark of discipleship in those who profess to be the followers of Him who was “meek and lowly in heart,” that the wearing of gold, pearls, and costly array, or anything designed merely to adorn the person and foster the pride of the natural heart, is to be discarded, according to such scriptures as 1 Tim. 2: 9, 10; 1 Peter 3: 3, 4.
XVI. That means for the support of evangelical work among men should be contributed from love to God and love of souls, not raised by church lotteries, or occasions designed to contribute to the fun-loving, appetite-indulging propensities of94the sinner, such as fairs, festivals, oyster suppers, tea, broom, donkey, and crazy socials, etc., which are a disgrace to the professed church of Christ; that the proportion of one’s income required in former dispensations can be no less under the gospel; that it is the same as Abraham (whose children we are, if we are Christ’s, Gal. 3:29) paid to Melchisedec (type of Christ) when he gave him a tenth of all (Heb. 7: 1-4); the tithe is the Lord’s (Lev. 27: 30); and this tenth of one’s income is also to be supplemented by offerings from those who are able, for the support of the gospel. 2 Cor. 9: 6; Mal. 3: 8, 10.
XVII. That as the natural or carnal heart is at enmity with God and his law, this enmity can be subdued only by a radical transformation of the affections, the exchange of unholy for holy principles; that this transformation follows faith and repentance, is the special work of the Holy Spirit, and constitutes regeneration, or conversion.
XVIII. That as all have violated the law of God, and cannot of themselves render obedience to his just requirements, we are dependent on Christ, first, for justification from our past offenses, and, secondly, for grace whereby to render acceptable obedience to his holy law in time to come.
XIX. That the Spirit of God was promised to manifest itself in the church through certain gifts, enumerated especially in 1. Cor. 12 and Eph. 4; that these gifts are not designed to supersede, or take the place of, the Bible, which is sufficient to make us wise unto salvation, any more than the Bible can take the place of the Holy Spirit; that, in specifying the various channels of its operation, that Spirit has simply made provision for its own existence and presence with the people of God to the end of time, to lead to an understanding of that Word which it had inspired, to convince of sin, and to work a transformation in the heart and life; and that those who deny to the Spirit its place and operation, do plainly deny that part of the Bible which assigns to it this work and position.
XX. That God, in accordance with his uniform dealings with the race, sends forth a proclamation of the approach of the second advent of Christ; and that this work is symbolized95by the three messages of Revelation 14, the last one bringing to view the work of reform on the law of God, that his people may acquire a complete readiness for that event.
XXI. That the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary (See proposition X.), synchronizing with the time of the proclamation of the third message (Rev. 14: 9, 10), is a time of investigative judgment, first, with reference to the dead, and secondly, at the close of probation, with reference to the living, to determine who of the myriads now sleeping in the dust of the earth are worthy of a part in the first resurrection, and who of its living multitudes are worthy of translation,—points which must be determined before the Lord appears.
XXII. That the grave, whither we all tend, expressed by the Hebrew word sheol and the Greek word hades, is a place, or condition, in which there is no work, device, wisdom, nor knowledge. Eccl. 9: 10.
XXIII. That the state to which we are reduced by death is one of silence, inactivity, and entire unconsciousness. Ps. 146: 4; Eccl. 9: 5, 6; Dan. 12: 2.
XXIV. That out of this prison-house of the grave, mankind are to be brought by a bodily resurrection; the righteous having part in the first resurrection, which takes place at the second coming of Christ; the wicked, in the second resurrection, which takes place in a thousand years thereafter. Rev. 20: 4-6.
XXV. That at the last trump, the living righteous are to be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and with the risen righteous are to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, so forever to be with the Lord. 1 Thess. 4:16, 17; 1 Cor. 15: 51, 52.
XXVI. That these immortalized ones are then taken to heaven, to the New Jerusalem, the Father’s house, in which there are many mansions (John 14: 1-3), where they reign with Christ a thousand years, judging the world and fallen angels, that is, apportioning the punishment to be executed upon them at the close of the one thousand years (Rev. 20: 4; 1 Cor. 6: 2, 3); that during this time the earth lies in a desolate and chaotic condition (Jer. 4: 23-27), described, as in the beginning,96by the Greek term abussos “bottomless pit” (Septuagint of Gen. 1: 2); and that here Satan is confined during the thousand years (Rev. 20: 1, 2), and here finally destroyed (Rev. 20: 10; Mal. 4: 1); the theater of the ruin he has wrought in the universe being appropriately made, for a time, his gloomy prison-house, and then the place of his final execution.
XXVII. That at the end of the thousand years the Lord descends with his people and the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21: 2), the wicked dead are raised, and come up on the surface of the yet unrenewed earth, and gather about the city, the camp of the saints (Rev. 20: 9), and fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them. They are then consumed, root and branch (Mal. 4: 1), becoming as though they had not been. Obad. 15, 16. In this everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord (2 Thess. 1: 9), the wicked meet the “everlasting punishment” threatened against them (Matt. 25: 46), which is everlasting death. Rom. 6: 23; Rev. 20: 14, 15. This is the perdition of ungodly men, the fire which consumes them being the fire for which “the heavens and the earth, which are now, * are kept in store,” which shall melt even the elements with its intensity, and purge the earth from the deepest stains of the curse of sin. 2 Peter 3: 7–12.
XXVIII. That new heavens and a new earth shall spring by the power of God from the ashes of the old, and this renewed earth, with the new Jerusalem for its metropolis and capital, shall be the eternal inheritance of the saints, the place where the righteous shall evermore dwell. 2 Peter 3: 13; Ps. 37: 11, 29; Matt. 5: 5.