Earlier text: Sanctification : or Living HolinessA Friendly Word with the Voice of the West.
By Editor
THE Voice of the West and Second Advent Pioneer is the title of the paper recently started a few miles west of us, in Buchanan, Mich., by Elder J. V. Himes. With that paper, being a near advent neighbor, it will be a pleasure to us to endeavor to cultivate friendly and social relations. Our readers have seen frequent mention in these columns of Elder Himes, but never otherwise than in terms of respect and esteem, especially for the part he acted in the former history of the great advent movement. With all that he has passed through on account of false brethren discouragements and affliction, he is still pressing forward the work of publication and making known the coming of the Lord as he views it, with all the energy of former times, manifesting a zeal and perseverance worthy of the whole truth. But having, as we conceive lost the true prophetic key, or in other words, still clinging to the idea that the prophetic periods extend to the coming of the Lord, of which there is no proof in the Sacred Scriptures, it is impossible for him at the present time, on that principle, to make a right application of these periods, at least all of them. Hence in regard to these main pillars of prophecy he is liable to adopt every view but the right one; and hence his present fallacious application, or what we must regard as such, of ending these periods in 1867-8, and placing the coming of the Lord at that time. But we are digressing from the object of these lines. In the Voice of July 30, the Editor under the heading of "My Journal," describes a visit to Lapeer, Mich., in which we find a few things for comment. He says: "Saturday, July 16.—This being the Seventh day, or the Jewish Sabbath, and being in a place where the Seventh-day Adventists have a church, and regular worship, I arranged to worship with them in the morning, and preach in my own place in the p. m. and evening. Their meeting had just begun on my arrival.—There were about thirty present, all of whom, as I found afterward, were professors. Elder Higley conducted the service. It consisted in reading the Scriptures, prayers, addresses, and exhortations. Some twenty-five spoke and prayed. It was a good, heavenly, spiritual meeting. It was good to be there. I enjoyed it much, and could but ask God's blessing upon them." We are certainly glad if Eld. H. enjoyed his meeting with the S. D. Adventists in Lapeer. If he saw some good fruits there, it may perhaps lead him to conclude that the tree which bare them is, at least, not bad. But why call the seventh day "the Jewish Sabbath?" We have endeavored to study the subject of the Sabbath somewhat carefully, and we have failed to find that there ever was a weekly Jewish Sabbath, or a weekly Sabbath that was peculiar to the Jews, any more than the command, Thou shalt not kill, or steal, was peculiar to them. Popular parlance, to be sure, has coined the phrase, and passes it glibly from mouth to mouth; but Adventists, above all people, should have learned that that is not a reliable source from whence to adopt theological terms, and that all is not necessarily divine which is gray with the dust of antiquity, and receives the homage of the multitude. As Eld. H. has now located in a State where Sabbath views are comparatively prevalent, we hope he will see fit to carefully re-consider the subject of the Sabbath, and in speaking of it, use only such terms as he can readily produce a warrant for from the Scriptures of truth. Again he says: "It is true they hold to some views, which they have added to the Advent faith, which I do not see to be true. But I do not doubt their honesty or sincerity in these things." We must differ somewhat from the statement that the views we hold have been added to the Advent faith. But one view occurs to our mind which could be said to be added, understanding by the term of course that which is not especially connected with the Advent doctrine; and in that we are happy to see by late numbers of the Voice that Elder Himes is himself fully with us. We refer to the sleep of the dead, and destruction of the wicked. Other prominent points of our faith may be summed up under the following heads: The sanctuary, the third angel's message, the Sabbath, and spiritual gifts. As to the sanctuary, that is not an addition to the Advent faith, but simply an adjunct of the first angel's message, or first part of the Advent proclamation. It is a glorious apartment of truth into which the 2300 days opened the door in 1844. Spiritual gifts is a subject included in "the faith of Jesus;" and the Sabbath is included in "the commandments of God," and these both in the "third angel's message," which is itself but the third link in the Advent chain, or the third era in the great proclamation of the Advent which is to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord. Thus these are not additions, but only further developments of the same great system of truth. We saw a magnificent portion of the stately edifice in 1844, but other proportions we have discovered since. And we now see a relation of parts, and a great harmony of the whole not before perceived. Much as we then saw, as we now walk about Zion, many are the towers and bulwarks we can count, which we could not then. We rejoice in these glorious truths, and we would that others, yea, all, might take their stand with us, and enjoy them too. Again we quote: "The Seventh-day Adventists have treated me with kindness, and in my severe trials in time past have not, like some, stood in the cross-ways to help on the affliction, but gave me their kindly Christian sympathies. They have among their number many who are the fruit of my labor, having since been converted to their view of the Sabbath, and other questions, which separated them from me, of which I have not complained. Let every one be fully persuaded in their own minds. And if our Seventh-day brethren are more industrious, and efficient in making converts, and by their zeal and industry turn our members over to their side, it is their right to enjoy the results of their labors. And if we have been remiss, and have neglected to spread and defend the Advent faith as we should have done, the remedy now, is, not to complain, or to contend with others; but to go to work as we should, and what little time remains, use it in preparing a people for the coming kingdom." We can say in behalf of S. D. Adventists that the kind treatment our friend speaks of has been but the spontaneous development of kind feelings toward him. It is a pleasure to bestow sympathy where not only the justice of the cause demands it, but where it is appreciated. But there is an intimation in the above, not intentional, perhaps, that it has been by remissness in defending the Advent faith, that they have lost any members to the Sabbath cause, as though this cause was antagonistic to Adventism. Whereas we shall claim that it is only by promulgating the Advent faith according to the original standard, only with greater clearness, as we have received further light, that has brought any accessions to our members. Again we read: "While we shall continue to preach the Advent faith, as from the beginning with Father Miller, and not turn off on the switches set for us, by kind and well-disposed persons, or otherwise, we do not intend to turn aside to "vain wrangling" or controversial questions, or bitter strife with brethren who look with us for the coming of the Lord, however much we may differ on other points. Our warfare is with the common enemy." Another intimation, perhaps more than this, that we are switched off the track, and are setting switches to run others off. Now as to the original Advent faith, and the question who are adhering to it, and carrying it out, we are willing to compare notes with any class of people calling themselves Adventists. Go back to 1863 and 1864. All Adventists were then agreed that the Advent movement was the especial work of the Lord, that they were giving the judgment-hour proclamation, or the first angel's message, that the longest of the prophetic periods would end about that time; and that then the Lord would come. How is it with the different classes of Adventists now? How is it, for instance, with Elder H.? He does not believe the prophetic periods there ended as then held that they would. We do. He does not believe that the arguments which proved their termination at that time—arguments which never have been shaken in the least, are legitimate and sound. We do. If we did not, half our ground of sympathy for Eld. H. would vanish from beneath our feet. That past work he throws entirely aside, and goes to work upon a new foundation; whereas we make that work the very basis and foundation of our present position. That the Lord did not then come, we are both agreed; and the only main feature of his former Advent faith that he still retains, namely, that the second advent of Christ is near at hand, we hold in common with him. Now who are adhering to the original Advent faith, and who are switched off? We respectfully represent that we are not the latter. No, reader, the Adventism of Seventh-day Adventists is the only logical and legitimate continuation of the Adventism of '43-4, that is to be found in the land. It is that very movement and nothing else, only in its further development. In regard to strife, it is not pleasant; and were we not living in a world of error, it would not be necessary. Into any unnecessary, or vain, or bitter, strife, we should feel as loth as any one to enter. But it is important to have the truth. We are to worship God in spirit and in truth. Hence we cannot render him acceptable worship unless we have the truth. Especially is it necessary on a subject like the Sabbath—a subject which affects our practice, our characters, and our relations to God, that we know on what ground we stand. "First pure, then peaceable," is the rule laid down by the apostle. No peace till there is purity. No cessation of strife so long as there is opposition to the truth. If all the inhabitants of the land were unanimous in keeping holy the Sabbath of the Lord, there would then, so far as we are concerned, be peace on this subject. But while that state of things does not exist, we cannot forbear crying aloud, to show the people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Progress of the Sabbath Agitation.
By Editor
In the World's Crisis of July 26, 1864, under the heading of "New works to be issued soon," Eld. T. M. Preble announces a forth-coming work upon the Sabbath, as follows: "And I wish to say to those who have written to me about my work on the subject of the Sabbath, and to others also who are interested, that I hope they will be patient, as I am now engaged in reviewing the Editor of the seventh-day Sabbath paper, published at Battle Creek, Mich., who has made a very lengthy reply to my articles, recently published in the Crisis. "I shall get the work ready for the press as soon as practicable; but, as I am not skimming on the surface of this question, it may be some weeks before the work will be finished. I propose to give, in the first place, my own work on the question, as recently published in the Crisis, a careful revision, and thus materially improve it. Then, in a supplement, I intend to present a review of the arguments opposed to the first-day Sabbath. "My reviewer says in his reply to me: 'The prospect before the Sabbath cause was never more encouraging, nor the halo of light that encompasses the subject more bright and glorious. The ball has been set in motion; and it bids fair to be even like the barley loaf that tumbled into the camp of the Midianites, laying prostrate their tents and leading on to perfect victory. To arrest this work will require more than his (Preble's) present effort. He will need to send forth publications which can cope with such works as the History of the Sabbath by J. N. Andrews, which not only has not been answered, but remains to be even attacked. We would not, however, counsel him (Preble) to any such effort,' etc. "If the Lord is pleased to spare my life and health, with his blessing, such language as the above will not be used by the opposers of the first-day Sabbath, in a few months from this, with quite so good cheer. Let every lover of truth pray that the Lord will help to bring out the light on this long controverted subject, so that God's people may 'rejoice in the truth.'" We are glad to see the agitation continue. Let the commotion spread and deepen. In this way truth is brought to light, beyond the possibility of burial. We are happy to learn that this time Eld. P. is "not skimming on the surface of this question." We hope he will dig deep. And when he gets down below the rubbish of tradition, and the blinding dust of popular sentiment and favor, he will find some eternal principles which have long been thus covered up, more enduring than the eternal granite and sufficient to blunt any instrument that has yet been devised to dig away the foundations of the Sabbath. It will be noticed that he is to give his work a85“careful revision” (in the light of our reply may we not hope?) and thus send forth, in many respects a new article as his work on the Sabbath. We hope that this time he will make it all right, and produce an argument, with which he will be fully satisfied; and we would just as soon review a second edition as the first. We are sorry, however, that Eld. P. should employ his time and talent in this direction, for he is engaged in a losing cause, as with all the honest in heart the truth will surely prevail. We hope a spirit of strife for the mastery is not usurping in his heart the place of a sincere purpose to know and obey the truth. Thankful, meanwhile, for his favorable notice of the Sabbath cause, and especially of the History of the Sabbath, we shall await with interest the appearance of the promised work. Report from the Michigan Tent
By I. D. Van Horn
Bro. White: We are enjoying ourselves well. Our health is good, and we have a good degree of freedom in speaking forth the words of truth. Yesterday, we had a congregation of upwards of two hundred at each of the three meetings held in the tent. In the afternoon, Eld. Webb, a Methodist minister, occupied86 the tent by invitation. He stated on the start that he had no big guns to use, but that he should throw some hot shot. And truly, he did; but they went hissing far over the heads of the sensible, and only lodged in the breasts of those who love fun. The truth remained unharmed. We feel to praise the Lord for the truth. This week will probably test the interest the people have in our meetings; for the Methodists have a camp-meeting within four miles of us. This may hinder us some, and we may have to stay longer in consequence; but we trust it will all work out for good in the end. Pray for us, that success may attend our labors. In hope of life. Alma, Mich., Aug. 1, 1864. THE TWO LAWS
By M. E. Cornell
Interesting Extracts. No. 7.
THE following, from the learned Jews' Letters to Voltaire, shows that the confounding of the two laws was an old infidel objection to the Bible, and, as such, it was exposed and refuted by those who were well versed in the nature and object at all the ancient laws. Those at the present day who confound the different laws of the Old Testament, making them all one and then abolishing the whole at the cross as if they were all indifferent, may here learn that their honorable prototype was the infidel Voltaire. "Thus, Sir, you describe our divine law. This whole legislation, the object of respect for so many ages, is nothing, according to you, but a heap of vain observances and superstitious customs. Such is the picture you give of them, similar in this respect to the work of those ill-natured painters who employ the art of profile with no other view than to represent the object they hate on the most unfavorable side. But are these ritual laws which you quote the only divine law of the Jews? Are they the principal and most essential parts of it? Our prophets every where say the contrary. The Decalogue, that most excellent compendium of morality. . . . precepts on the duties of man toward God, toward himself, and toward his fellow creatures, are the foundation, &c."—Letters, p. 177. To the above is appended the following note: "The divine law of the Jews is distinguished into divine natural law, and comprehends the moral laws founded in the nature of things; and into divine positive law, which comprehends the ceremonial laws, the laws of civil polity, &c." ARE ALL IMAGES OR LIKENESSES A VIOLATION OF THE SECOND COMMANDMENT?
Voltaire. "Moses himself seems now to transgress the law which he had made. He forbade all images yet he put up the brazen serpent. Solomon caused twelve bulls to be engraven," &c. Jews' Reply: "You might have added, to give strength to this little objection, that the legislator ordered the figure of cherubims to be worked, and embroidered on the rails of the tabernacle, and of the Sanctuary; that he commanded cherubims of gold to be placed over the ark, which they covered with their wings, &c. And yet he did not 'transgress the law which he had given,' because it did not absolutely prohibit the making any image or likeness; but the making it, 'with intent of worship.' Thus our fathers understood it, and thus did even Josephus. Now Moses did not make the brazen serpent, nor the cherubims with intent of worship. You allow that the, 'ancient Jews paid them no kind of adoration,' and when in process of time, they began to do so, a pious king caused the image to be destroyed. Moses' conduct does not contradict the law, but the interpretation you are pleased to give of it."—Letters to Voltaire, p. 217. Dr. Erasmus Albertus, when departing from Brandenburg, asked Luther how he ought to preach before the Elector. Luther replied, "Your sermons should be addressed, not to princes and nobles, but to the rude uncultivated communality. If in my discourses I were to be thinking about Melancthon and the other doctors, I should do no good at all, but I preach in plain language to the plain unlearned people, and that pleases all parties. If I know Greek, Hebrew, and Latin languages, I reserve them for our learned meetings, where they are of use; for at these we deal in such subtleties and such profundities that God himself, I wot, must marvel at us."—Mitchelet's Life of Luther, p. 293. Have the courage to appear poor, and you disarm poverty of half its sting. Another “Lo Here.”
By R. F. Cottrell
THE EVERLASTING KINGDOM IN PENNSYLVANIA!
DEAR REVIEW: Our friend of whom you remarked, some time since, that you knew not what particular stripe of fanaticism he wore, has developed himself, as you probably know. It would seem from his testimony, that he has, with his own hands, cut from the mountain that stone which was, according to prophecy, to be cut out without hands, and though our Saviour said, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there!” our friend can say, Look here! observe and take notice! here is a valley among the hill tops in Sullivan county which I have selected, where the saints, the heirs of the kingdom may gather and have all things common, and set at defiance all human governments and even death itself, till the Lord shall come, some time this side of 1883. He has chosen a tract of four square miles of land in which to build his “Zion of the West,” “having redeemed from the inhabitants of earth by lawful purchase” a portion of it, and intending to redeem the rest, and has consecrated it, dedicated it, and, in due form of law, deeded it to “Almighty God, who inhabiteth eternity, and to his heirs in Jesus Messiah,” and has acknowledged the same before a justice of the peace in and for the said county. This is the process of cutting out the stone, of which he sings as follows: “The stone cleft from the mountain
Shall grow amidst its foes;
Then rolling onward shall confound
They who the truth oppose.
Until a kingdom it become of universal sway,
Its king the glorious Son of God, through an
eternal day.” Thus he has raised his standard, his ensign on the mountains, and who will rally around it? Doubtless some will; for this has always been the case—every fanatical adventurer gains some adherents. But intelligent, Bible-reading people, it would seem, need none to caution them against such an enterprise. Our Saviour said, “And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there; go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.” Luke xviii, 20-24. We shall need no one to call our attention to the location of the kingdom of God, but its King shall be revealed from heaven like the lightning. “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is among you.” But though the Scriptures are plain against such a movement, yet many scriptures will be pressed into its service; and the bait of all things common will lure the lazy and covetous; the easy bond of union—“loving the appearing of Jesus,” and rejecting contentions about the “old dead school-master”—an expression by which is meant the holy law of God, the ten commandments—will draw the lawless and disobedient; while the novelty of the thing will give new vent to the wild fire of fanaticism, giving it a new subject for its ranting and roaring propensities. But this is under the Advent name, and is intended of the Devil to bring fresh odium upon the holy cause of truth. Those, however, who love truth, and honestly desire a preparation for those things that are coming, that they may finally stand before the Son of God at his appearing, will see that the preparation they need is not a pretended faith, but a holy character—a character conformed to the law of God—and that the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus will prove a better security in the day of wrath than the mountain vale in the State of Pennsylvania. The message of the “third angel” will not fail of the purpose for which it is laid down in prophecy. It will unite in faith and practice those who fear God and love the truth, and prepare them for the coming of the Lord, while those who would work out their own deliverance, by following some “lo here,” will find themselves entangled in their own devices and inventions. Holy Time, or the Sabbath.
“In a small work entitled, “The Missionary’s Daughter; a Memoir of Lucy Goodall Thurston, of the American Tract Society, we find the following on page 159: “We have concluded to observe to-morrow as the Sabbath with the Tahitians, as they are one day in advance of us. “As an explanation of the fact here alluded to, some may need to be informed, that in consequence of the missionaries at these two different groups of Islands having passed to their respective stations in opposite directions, the one company by Cape of Good Hope, and the other by Cape Horn, they necessarily differ one day in their computation of time. Hence the Sabbath at the Society Islands occurs one day earlier than at the Sandwich Islands. “Will those who contend for a specific day of holy time, tell us which of the above days is the Sabbath?” The above we clip from the Voice of the West. As those who contend for a specific day of holy time, are called upon to tell which of the days referred to constitutes the Sabbath, a word may be expected from us on the point. We are well aware of the effects that such paragraphs are calculated to have, that is to unsettle the mind of the reader as to the question whether there is any specific day to be regarded as the Sabbath. They are given to the public dressed up as objections to the seventh-day Sabbath, and observers of the seventh day are expected to explain the difficulty, or give up their position as inconsistent. But let us examine a moment and see who are the ones involved in this difficulty, if there is any difficulty in the matter. What day did the missionaries above referred to keep as the Sabbath? The first day of the week. Those who keep the first day believe that there is some reason for keeping that day; and that that definite day should be kept and no other. If those missionaries, were, as reported, one day apart in their reckoning, they could not both have been keeping the first day of the week. Now will those who believe that the first day is the Sabbath, as those missionaries did, tell us which one of those days was the right one? When they will do this, we will tell them how the seventh day could be kept under similar circumstances. If not, let them not object to our theory on ground which equally affects their own. This is a question for Sunday-keepers to settle, not Sabbath-keepers. In fact we have never yet heard of any who kept the seventh day getting into any such difficulty. Suppose one of the missionaries in one party had a twin brother in the other party. They are one day apart in their reckoning. Now will any one tell us which of them was the oldest? If a person could not keep the Sabbath under such circumstances, he could not keep the reckoning of his own birth day. But there is another question lying back of this, namely, has not God commanded a specific day to be kept as the Sabbath? And until it is decided that he has not, no Christian has any moral right to raise the objection here introduced. It is playing into the hands of infidels, and giving occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme his institutions. Motives for Making Disciples
A GRAND reason why some ministers are more successful in making disciples to Christ than others, is, the motive of the one class is to get the truth before the people, while the motive of the other class is, to make the people believe and obey the truth.