Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 16 (Thursday, April 15, 1880)

Advent Review and Sabbath Herald

Thursday, April 15, 1880

Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Thursday, April 15, 1880

ORDER IN THE CHURCH.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.

When difficulties arise in the church, special study should be given to the word of God, with earnest prayer to learn what course Christ would pursue to settle the matter. It is a common practice for church-members to discuss the faults of the erring among themselves, while the one at fault is not visited, and no special effort is made to redeem him; and frequently he is treated with a coldness and neglect which has an influence to push him farther from light, and more fully upon the battle-field of the enemy, where it is far more difficult to recover him from the snare into which he is fallen.

Our Redeemer understood the perversity of human nature; and in order to save the souls for whom he sacrificed his life, and establish his church in unity and prosperity upon the earth, he has given explicit rules for church-members to follow in dealing with one another. Hear what he says: “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.”

Although it is no pleasant task to go to the one supposed to be in error, and tell him his fault between you and him alone, it is the very work Christ has given us to do to save the erring and preserve the harmony of the church. It is much more gratifying to human nature to tell our suspicions to our brethren, and make comments behind the back of the erring one, than to go to him frankly and say the same things we would say were he not present.

The church needs faithful, heroic men, who will dare to be right and true, and who will follow the Bible to the letter, refusing to basely submit to the forms and practices of this corrupt age. Such men, when they are fully known, will have great influence in the church, and their daily lives will be a confession of Christ before the world.

If we receive the eternal reward, many things for which self pleads will have to be yielded, and much will have to be endured for the sake of Christ and his gospel. Everything in social life must be held subordinate to the claims of religion. All who do this will be fruitful in God; and in time of extreme need, when there is help for them only in God, Jesus will stand up for those who have stood up for him. He will help them when they need help; and the light and strength which they receive from him, they will impart to others. Such men will have a molding influence in their families, in the church, and on the world. It is not always easy and convenient to do right. Satan’s path is the broadest and the most deceptive. It is made to appear the most attractive, while it is hard, mystifying, and full of disappointment. The path of holiness is narrow, full of self-denial and continual sacrifice; and yet in this laborious, up-hill path is happiness, comfort, and hope. In the midst of conflicts, rebuffs, and trials, the most elevated consolation is enjoyed by those who walk in the path of obedience.

We should deal with the erring as Christ has dealt with us. He pities our weaknesses, and so we should pity the erring. He made every sacrifice to save man; we should not hesitate at any self-denial or sacrifice to save our fellow-men. Our duty is plain. If our brother trespass against us, even though he has no immediate connection with us, it is our duty to go to him alone, not with censure and bitterness, but with sorrow expressed in our words. The voice should be modulated to reach his heart, and not to arouse a spirit of combativeness. We should come as close to the erring as possible, and with a spirit of forbearance, calmness, and love for their souls, patiently tell them their faults; and, with a softened heart, bow down and pray with and for them. In nine cases out of ten, these efforts will be successful. If the erring one yields to advice and counsel, and humiliates his soul before God by humble repentance and confession, that disagreeable matter is ended, a soul saved, and the church no longer grieved and tortured.

But if the erring will not yield to the entreaties and faithful efforts of his brother, then his course is clear to take one or two more of the church and visit the one at fault. These should act with patience and tenderness; and in the spirit of Christ, having their own hearts imbued with his love, with words of kindness, try to correct and save the erring; making humble supplications to God to touch and subdue the heart of the one who has erred, and is under the power and darkness of Satan. But should all these efforts prove ineffectual, and the erring persistently remain independent and incorrigible, the third step should then be taken. Bring the matter before the church. The action taken by this body in the fear of God, after these rules have been followed to the letter, is recognized in Heaven.

If members of the church were all doers of the word of Christ as well as hearers, freedom and prosperity would be the result. How much sorrow might be saved families and churches, if all, in sincerity and truth, practiced the lessons given us by Jesus, our Redeemer. Religion is not mere doctrine and dry theory. It regulates the life as well as the faith. The Bible, on one page, tells us what the doctrine of Christ is, while on another page, it specifies our duty toward God and our brethren. Piety and devotion are united. The injunction of the world’s Redeemer is, “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”

One great reason why our brethren and sisters have no more confidence toward God in prayer, is, that nearly all neglect to follow the words of Jesus in preserving harmony between brethren. They allow various wrongs to exist with members of the church, which create bitter envy and strife; and while these differences exist, God neither hears nor answers their prayers, and darkness comes over the mind, because they have neglected the duty so plainly pointed out by our Redeemer. There is a great want of Bible simplicity and genuine love for one another. Love and exaltation of self prevent that humility of mind which should characterize the life of every member of the church. Unless those who come together in church capacity shall observe the rules of Christ which are given them in his word, and which are so simple and reasonable that all may understand, regulating their conduct toward one another by them, there can be no such thing as spiritual strength, harmony, or prosperity in the church; but disaster and ruin will be the result.

It is necessary that each member of the church upon earth should cultivate those traits of character which will be the very attributes called into exercise to preserve harmony and happiness in the church above. Love is a plant of heavenly growth, and it must be cultivated by exercise. Supreme love to God and our neighbor is not cherished and does not abound more and more in the church. If there is one who has done wrong, that one is in darkness, and under the control of the destroyer of souls. While in this condition, he cannot clearly discern his own sinfulness, and will frequently make himself believe that he is right, and that his brethren are not kind, but trying to injure him. For the time being, reason seems to be dethroned; and he is a prey to ungovernable feelings, and seems hurried on to take a course which shall place him at the greatest possible distance from the church. Wisdom is needed to save that soul from ruining himself and others. Jesus understood all about the peril of these souls, and therefore gave rules which would prove a success if they were obeyed. Any departure from the Bible plan may place that soul fully on the enemy’s ground, where it is not possible for him to be reached.

If the wrongs of the erring one are talked by one member of the church to another, or if his wrongs are opened to the church, thus taking the third step without the two former, the one in error feels justified in considering himself injured, and this makes it much more difficult to get access to him, and impress his mind. He places himself beyond the reach of help, and is lost to the church. Christ knew the worth of souls as man never can. He has paid the price of his own life for their redemption, and Satan is constantly at work with every device, to wrench souls from the hand of Jesus Christ, and place them in his ranks. Church members, in not following the rules Christ has given them, aid Satan in the accomplishment of his work, when, had they been doers of the words of Christ, and not hearers only, they might have been wholly successful in taking the steps Christ has given in the settlement of difficulties.

Frequently individual members are suspected of wrong where no wrong actually exists. True Christian love cherished in the heart and exemplified in the life, would teach us to put the best possible construction upon the course of our brethren. We should be as jealous of their reputation as of our own. If we are forever suspecting evil, this very fact will so shape their course of action as to produce the very evil which we have allowed ourselves to suspect. In this way, a great many difficulties are manufactured that otherwise would never have had birth, and brethren are often wronged by our being suspicious, free to judge their motives, and express our opinion to others in regard to their actions. That which one may be ready to construe into grave wrongs, may be no more than we ourselves are chargeable with every day.

While our tempers are tried and feelings chafed, there is great temptation to speak of the supposed wrongs of some one of our brethren, and frequently a thrust is made at him in public meeting. Thus it becomes a grave matter, is made church property, and church action is called for, when, if the grieved had gone to his brother alone, and, in the spirit of the Master, talked over the matter with him, they would have come to an understanding at once, and the church would never have been troubled and burdened with the difficulty.

In this world we shall never be free from the assaults of the enemy. “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.” Satan did not hesitate to assail the world’s Redeemer. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Again we read that he suffered, being tempted. The conflict was at times so severe that the soul of the Son of God was wrung with anguish. Temptation is not sin, nor any indication that our Heavenly Father is displeased with us.

LIFE

“And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” 1 John 5:11.

The question to be considered is, What is life and what is its basis? Dr. Kellogg’s recent work on “The Soul and the Resurrection,” having been indorsed by the Seventh-day Advent General Conference, may be considered as a true expose of their present faith upon these points.

On page 124, he says: “Matter is the basis of all existence.” “Force is a property of matter; . . . matter and force are inseparable. Where one exists, the other must exist. Neither can exist alone.” On page 40, he says: “Life results from organization, not organization from life.” Now, if matter is the basis of all existence, force, and life, then no power or intelligent being existed before matter. Hence, matter is the basis of God’s existence. He did not create it, but was produced by it. Yet on page 125 he says, “All life was evidently originated by the Creator, who alone has power to originate such an arrangement or organization.” This statement contradicts the one on page 124. Both cannot be true; yet he makes no effort to explain the discrepancy. If life cannot exist without organization, then God could not; and hence did not exist till he had a material organization, nor did any force exist to produce such organization. Then how came he to exist? But if, on the contrary, life and force existed before matter, as it must, if God created all things, then they existed by law, independent of matter, and as eternal and perpetual as he is.

On pages 51 and 52, the Doctor says: “We must consider, the mind, then, as the function of the brain, the result of its action, and so independent of matter. Thought is cell action.” Then he cannot conceive that there was ever a divine thought till after matter existed and formed itself into brain cells. If “mind is inseparably connected with matter,” it never existed before it.

Dr. Allman, President of the British Scientific Association, and a recognized authority on biology, says: “Between thought and the physical phenomenon of matter, there is not only no analogy, but no conceivable analogy. . . . The chasm between unconscious life and thought is dark and impassable, and no transitional phenomena can be found to bridge it over. This conclusion rests wholly on analogy where no analogy exists. The argument and its conclusion must fall to the ground together. Although, as yet, the mind is incapable of conceiving of a substance different from matter, this is no more an argument that it cannot exist than the fact that lower orders of intelligence cannot conceive of natural laws proves that natural laws do not exist.”—Inaugural Address before the British Association, August, 1879.

According to Dr. Kellogg’s theory, all moral character is the product of matter, which makes matter the only responsible part of man, it being the fountain from which all thoughts, feelings, desires, purposes, acts, words, etc., flow, and derive their character. According to the purity and impurity of the fountain, so must the stream be. Hence a man’s character can never change till the quality of his brain changes, so as to produce different thoughts, feelings, purposes, etc.

On page 43, the Doctor says: “The matter of which the body is composed is continually undergoing change, and, in course of a lifetime, is entirely changed many times.” The matter of the body being thus continually thrown off and replaced by new matter which had nothing to do with the sins committed before they entered into the organization, how is just retribution to be meted out? The guilt belongs to the matter which is gone, and not to that which takes its place. The matter which thus sinned may go to make up other human organizations, or remain unorganized. Must that which took its place be punished in its stead? Would this be just? or will all the matter that ever went to make up a person’s body be collected into one body and be punished according to the sin it has committed? And then, perhaps, a large portion of that matter might belong also to several other persons, and have committed sin in them to be punished for. If man is only organized matter, when he is disorganized all character and responsibility must go out of existence. When he ceases to have a conscious being, he ceases to have a character, and is neither rewardable nor punishable, as there is nothing to reward or punish.

But what say the Scriptures? “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Gen. 1:26, 27. “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.

The difference in these descriptions is evidently because of the different ends the Author had in view. The first described his higher nature, by which he was fitted to hold communion with his Maker, and exercise authority over inferior creatures. The second described his relation to earth as cultivator of the soil, and his dependence upon its products for his earthly existence. His body, being formed of earth, is necessarily sustained by its fruits, and finally returns to the earth. His spiritual nature represented the divine image (God is a spirit), and is neither male nor female, nor formed of dust, but breathed into him by the Creator, and so fitted to be God’s vicegerent on earth. Solomon tells us that man’s body returns to the earth, which it came from, and his spirit to God, from whence it came. Eccl. 12:7. It does not go to the earth, for the earth is not God.

In Gen. 2:9, we read: “Out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” And in chapter 3:22, 23, we read, “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever; therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” These passages show that man’s body was not naturally immortal, but was subject to dissolution, and therefore had to be nourished by food, and it was only by having access to the tree of life that the tendency to death was counteracted; and that said fruit would have preserved his physical life, after the fall as before, could he have had access to it; access being prohibited that he might not live forever. This shows that physical death was not the penalty, but a secondary result of sin. The term “life” is used in Scripture in at least two senses. First, physical: “God did send me before you to preserve life.” Gen. 45:5. “Take no thought for your life.” Matt. 6:25. “The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles.” 1 Pet. 4:3.

Second, spiritual life: “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matt. 19:17. “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” John 5:40. “To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Rom. 8:6. “He that hath the Son hath life.” 1 John 5:12. “He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” 1 John 3:14, 15. “Verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” John 6:47. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Gal. 2:20. Thus Paul was living two lives at the same time, natural and spiritual. How much does this look like his believing that mere physical life is the reward of righteousness? “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3.

The above passages make it clear that neither physical life, with mental activity, is the reward of the saints, nor physical death and cessation of knowledge the penalty for sin; but it affects a higher element of man’s nature.

Continue reading: LIFE: WHAT IS IT?