1 Cor. i, 4-8. "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
The gifts were planted in the Christian church. God set them there. And we judge that the Corinthians shared largely of their benefits, from the fact that Paul in his epistles to them, occupies much space in speaking definitely in regard to their proper exercise. In the above quotation the apostle thanks God on their behalf for the grace bestowed upon them by Jesus Christ; that they were enriched in all utterance and knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in them. If we turn to Rev. xix, 10, for an inspired definition of the testimony of Jesus, we read, "for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." By this they were enriched in knowledge and utterance.
However applicable this testimony might have been to the church at Corinth at the time the apostle wrote, or to Christians from that day to this, certainly especial reference is made to the last days in the expressions, "waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," "the end," "the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." Hence verse 7, "So that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," teaches the perpetuity of the gifts, and the privilege of the waiting ones to enjoy them all. The end here mentioned, is evidently the end of the age.
Here in this very connection the subject of perfect unity is introduced. Read verse 10. Paul taught the Ephesians that the gifts were given "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith." Chap. iv, 11-14. He here exhorts the Corinthians to "all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment," and this, too, in connection with the statement, "that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ." Then right here comes in the restitution of the gifts to unite a people for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
If an effort be made to carry this testimony back, and restrict it to the very members of the Corinthian church living when Paul wrote, then we inquire, Was that what the apostle calls the day of our Lord Jesus Christ? Did they consistently and scripturally wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ? Did "the end" then come? All well-instructed Adventists will answer these questions negatively. The present is the time to scripturally wait for the second coming of Christ, which event is associated in the New Testament with "the end."
The Epistles to the Corinthians were written for the benefit of the Christian church, not for those Christians only then living at Corinth, but for the church, and some portions have a special application to the present time. We will call attention to two passages where the apostle apparently, by the use of the word us, addresses only those then living, and yet the events of which he speak are in the future. In chap. xv, 51, 52, Paul says, "Behold I 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."
Shall we say that the word "we," used three times in this quotation, embraces only Paul and the members of the church at Corinth then living? Circumstances will not admit of so narrow an application. Paul and his brethren at Corinth did sleep—die. The last trump did not then sound. And none of them were changed to immortality in the twinkling of an eye. Hence this testimony has a special application to Christians who are alive on earth at the second coming of Christ.
The apostle says [1 Thess. iv, 16, 17]. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words." Here he again uses the word us, but the events mentioned did not occur in Paul's day. He and his brethren at Thessalonians were not translated to heaven without seeing death. The chapter closes with the above quotation, and the next opens with the continuation of the same subject.
Chap. v, 1-4. "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." The day of the Lord is seen to be the day of "sudden destruction." It is the day of wrath which is in the Old and New Testaments associated with the second advent of Christ. This day is not in the past, hence the language is not applicable to the Christians of past generations. The Christians of the last generation—the very men and women who are to be living on the earth when the day of the Lord comes—are here addressed. Hence all true Adventists will regard themselves as the "brethren" Paul addresses, and his language especially applicable to the present time. He continues in this chapter without change, setting forth practical duties applicable to those who are watching for the approach of the day of the Lord, and in verses 19-21, says, "Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." Here are three very important injunctions.
1. "Quench not the Spirit." We quench fire with water. And prominent among the means of quenching the Spirit of God is unbelief. Jesus in his own country did not many mighty works because of their unbelief. There is at the present time almost a universal state of unbelief in regard to the operations of the Holy Spirit, especially in the manifestation of the gifts. Unbelief shuts the Spirit of God away from the mind. It quenches the Spirit, and leaves the masses exposed to the delusions of these last days.
Again, those who by unbelief quench the Spirit in these last days will be illy prepared to share in the great blessings which God promises by the prophet Joel, quoted by Peter, Acts ii, 17, 18: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants, and on my hand-maidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy." The "former rain" was given on the day of pentecost, and enjoyed by the early Christians, to cause the gospel seed to germinate and take root. The "latter rain" is coming to ripen the golden harvest for the garner of God. Take care, dear reader, lest unbelief in you quench the Spirit, and shut you away from this great blessing designed for "them that believe."
2. "Despise not prophesyings." We are here warned of one of the dangers of the last days. The pretensions of Ann Lee, the mother of the Shakers, the corrupt prophets of Mormonism, and the one thousand and one of Satan's medium prophets, devoted to the cause of Spiritualism, with all its baseness, have struck the world with disgust at anything like the supernatural. The Devil got these things up to not only destroy many souls by them, but to disgust and drive others as far as possible to unbelief in regard to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Hence the danger of indiscriminately despising all prophesyings.
3. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." The three declarations, "Quench not the Spirit, Despise not prophesyings, Prove all things; hold fast that which is good," have a close relation to each other. Therefore the "all things" to be proved, do not mean everything in the wide world, for this would be imposing an unreasonable tax upon believers; hence the expression must be limited to the subject of prophecyings. Despise not prophesyings, but prove them, and separate the genuine from the counterfeit coin of the Devil, and that which is good, which is from the Spirit of God, which will stand the test, hold fast. We will here give three rules by which true and false prophecyings may be known:
1. Matt. vii, 15-20. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
2. Isa. viii, 19, 20. "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."
3. False prophets speak smooth things, prophesy lies, and cry peace to the wicked, which has ever been pleasing to the carnal mind, hence the love of the peace and safety in the delusion of Spiritualism.
Jer. xiv, 14. "Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart."
Chap. xxiii, 16, 17. "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you."
Chap. viii, 10, 11. "For every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness. From the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace."
Isa. xxx, 8-11. Now go, write it before them in a93table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come forever and ever: that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us."
On the other hand the prophets of God have faithfully reproved sin, and borne a testimony which has called down upon their heads the wrath of the self-righteous deceived.
(To be Continued.)
DEBATE IN MILLERSBURG, IOWA.
By B. F. Snook
THE SABBATH QUESTION.
PROPOSITION: The Bible teaches that the seventh-day Sabbath should be kept by all men in all time.
1. My first argument was founded on the institution of the Sabbath. Gen. ii, 2. "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his works which he had made."
I showed, 1. That God wrought, or labored, six days. 2. That he rested on the seventh day. 3. That as the word rest is here defined by good authorities (Buck and others) to sabbatize, God hence sabbatized on the seventh day, and thus made it his Sabbath, or rest-day. His act of resting was the cause, and the effect was, the seventh day became his Sabbath, or rest-day. The great fact of his resting on the seventh day made it his Sabbath. I showed that this fact yet exists, and hence the institution based on the fact also exists; for as the cause exists, the effect of necessity must follow it. Eld. Springer was compelled to admit this argument, though in his book he denies it.
2. The sanctification of the Sabbath. "And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his works which God created and made." Gen. ii, 3. Webster defines the word sanctify, to consecrate, or set apart to a holy or religious use. God did sanctify or set apart to a religious use his Sabbath or rest-day. Did he ever unsanctify it? Did he ever take his blessing off from it? Eld. Springer could not show that he ever did; hence it remains the same sanctified and holy time.
3. We next proved that the Sabbath is God's sign. "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed." Ex. xxxi, 17. The facts here stated are the following: 1. The Sabbath is God's sign forever. 2. The reason why it is his sign is that God made heaven and earth in six days, and rested on the seventh day. A sign "is a token, or memorial, something by which another thing is made known; a monument to preserve the memory of a thing." Web. The reasons for this memorial yet exist; for it is yet true that God made heaven and earth in six days, and rested on the seventh; and hence the memorial based on these reasons yet exists. To this argument no reply was made.
4. We proved that Christ regarded the Sabbath as a divine institution, and treated it as such. Matt. xii, 1-7.
5. We next proved that the Sabbath was Christ's day of worship. Luke iv, 16.
6. We showed that Christ regarded the Sabbath as far down in the Christian dispensation as A. D. 70. Matt. xxiv, 20. "Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath-day." To this no reply was made.
7. We showed from the following scriptures that the apostles treated the Sabbath as an existing institution. Acts xiii, 43, 44; xvii, 2.
8. We showed that the Lord's disciples kept the Sabbath according to the commandment this side of his death. Luke xxiii, 56.
9. We showed from Isa. lvi that the Sabbath would be kept down in the Christian dispensation near the coming of the Lord when salvation is near. Heb. ix, 29; 1 Pet. i, 3, 4; Col. i, 4. That it would be kept by the Gentiles especially. Verse 6.
10. We next showed that it will be kept in the new earth. Isa. lxvi, 22, 23. "For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." This carries the Sabbath from Paradise lost to Paradise restored. To this the Eld. could make no reply.
11. Our next argument was founded on the perpetuity of the ten commandments. This we proved from the following testimony: 1. That the law will not fail while heaven and earth stand. So says Jesus. Matt. v, 17. 2. Christ taught that obedience to the ten commandments is necessary to eternal life. Matt. xix, 16; Rev. xxii, 14. 3. Christ obeyed the law as our example. John xv, 10; 1 Pet. ii, 21, 22; 1 John ii, 6. 4. Christ magnified the law, and perpetuated its claims by dying for the transgressor. Isa. xlii, 21; Matt. i, 21; xxvi, 28; 1 Cor. xv, 1-4. 5. By this law is the knowledge of sin. Rom. ii, 20. "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
On this text we remark, 1. That by this law to the sinner there is no justification. 2. For by it is the knowledge of sin. 3. The reason why it brings to all the knowledge of sin is this: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Verse 23. Query. How could an abolished law be that by which knowledge of sin is given? Eld. S. replied that it is the law of Christ by which is the knowledge of sin. I then proved that according to Paul there is no justification in that law, for he says by that law by which is the knowledge of sin there is no justification. Hence if S. is correct, that by the gospel is the knowledge of sin, then it follows that by the gospel there is no justification or salvation. Hence the Eld.'s system, instead of being one of mercy and salvation, is one of vengeance and universal damnation. From this difficulty he could not possibly extricate his theory. 6. The character of the law. "Wherefore the law is (not was, as Eld. S. said) holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." Rom. vii, 12. For we know that the law is spiritual. Verse 14. 7. Paul expressly declares that the law is not abolished through the faith or gospel. "Do we then make void (katargeo, abolish) the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law." 8. James treats the law as an existing institution in his time. James ii, 8-11. 9. John's testimony is to the point. "This is the love of God that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous." Chap. v, 3. 10. Christ seals the question in his testimony to John. "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Rev. xiv, 12. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. xxii, 14.
Not one of these arguments received a fair reply, and I am sure they never will. Eld. S. said the law was abolished at the cross at the death of Christ. I admitted his position for argument's sake, and then deduced the following conclusions: 1. That from that time to the re-enactment of the law, there was no sin; for where no law is, there is no transgression. 2. The law was never re-enacted, and hence after that time there is no sin in the world, and universal peace and righteousness reign amid idolatry, profanity, Sabbath-breaking, dishonor to parents, murder, theft, adultery, false witness, and covetousness.
He replied that a new law went forth on the day of Pentecost which contained all the righteousness contained in the decalogue. This we negatived, and defied him to prove, 1. That any new law ever went forth from old Jerusalem before or after Pentecost. Here he failed. 2. We challenged him to show that any law or command went forth in his new law on Pentecost that had not existed before. Here he was completely overthrown. There were but two commandments given on Pentecost—repentance, which dates far back in the previous dispensation, and baptism, which began with John. What now becomes of his boasted new law? It is like Rachel's children—it is not; and he may search for it in mourning, but will remain comfortless; for it is not! His next move was to make it appear that nine of the commandments had in some way got into the Epistles. I demanded the
how of this. But here, as usual, he was minus. I showed that they were referred to, on one of the following bases. Either, 1. They were re-enacted, or, 2. They were lifeless, not binding, or, 3. They had passed the cross without being abolished. He, however, thought they were re-enacted. I then met him with his own testimony as follows: "It had occurred to me that it would not comport well with infinite wisdom to abolish a law, or part of a law, which it would be necessary soon to re-enact again." We clipped the above from an inquiry of Eld. S. to one of his brethren who wrote in favor of the abolition and re-enactment of the law. But now he comes out in debate and according to his own charge makes God act foolishly. But he failed to prove the re-enactment of the law.
We now come to one of two conclusions: either the apostles urged obedience to the law as an institution of existing authority, or as abolished, and without authority. Which shall we take? Would they urge obedience to an abolished law? They would not. Hence the conclusion is unavoidable that the law passes down to us without a stroke from our Saviour, and with the sanction of the apostles to its obligations. We urged him to deliver his theory from the no-law difficulty. His only chance was to get up a new law, and failing in this, his theory had to sail forth without the law of God. And as there is no sin where there is no law, and as the object of the gospel is to save from sin, its object is destroyed by the abolition of the law, and hence there is no need of the gospel; for there is nothing to be saved from. Therefore his theory is one of no law, no gospel, no God, no Christ.
The foregoing is a brief synopsis of five days' debate. The interest to hear was good throughout. The discussion generally was pleasant and agreeable. The evidence in favor of truth was so clear that among the unprejudiced and non-professors there was a general impression that S. did not maintain his ground, and that we had sustained ourselves triumphantly. Eld. S. condescended to some things harsh and vulgar, but knowing that he was hard pressed we overlooked them, and tried to realize that while it is human to do wrong, it is divine to forgive. May God add his blessing upon our efforts to do good and advance his truth.
QUESTIONS.
By John Harvey Waggoner
ELD. WAGGONER: Will you please answer the following through the Review and Herald, or by letter, and oblige the undersigned?
1. If the righteous are to be translated to heaven at the second coming of Christ, what does Prov. x, 30 mean, which says the righteous shall never be removed?
2. How can Isa. lxv, 20, be harmonized with Rev. xxi, 4? One says that death shall exist in the new earth, the other says it shall not.
3. When is it that Christ is to be a priest upon his throne, as declared in Zech. vi, 13?
Remark. I ask these questions in candor, wishing to know the truth. I am not satisfied with guess-work, as I must be if left to my own judgment in the matter. I am not a member of any religious society, though I have strong Adventist proclivities. I have read your book entitled "The Kingdom of God," but I do not find the above texts treated of, therefore my inquiry.
Yours respectfully.
C. N. GILES.
Harvard, Ills.
REPLY.
1. I cannot think that Prov. x, 30, indicates that the righteous must be stationary, as a post, as some have inferred. The contrary is directly declared by Paul to the Thessalonians, where he says they shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. I think I have proved in the work to which you allude that when they are caught up they are taken to the mansions on high, where our Saviour is gone, according to his promise John xiii, xiv.
David says, "They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever." Ps. cxxv, 1. This is evidently the idea of the proverb, and denotes their stability on the sure foundation of God's word. The expression, "cannot be removed," can have no more reference to a physical94fact, than the expression, "The Lord is our rock."
2. I am as much at a loss on Isa. lxv, 20, as those who have written on it. In a careful examination of this passage some years since in Wisconsin, with D. P. Hall, who had quoted it in favor of the Age to Come, he frankly said that as it stood in the common version he could not use it for any purpose whatever. I have seen other versions which seem to remove the obscurity, one of which is quoted by Bro. Loughborough in the "Saints' Inheritance," pp. 84, 85, but I am not able to say whether it is reliable or not. In such cases I choose to rest my views on texts that are obvious and undeniable in their import and application.
3. You are mistaken on this point. If you look again you will find that I have treated on Zech. vi, 12, 13, in my work on the kingdom, in the objection examined on pages 59-66. I trust it is made sufficiently clear there, without any additional remark.
I hope that the Spirit of God may be your aid and guide into all truth.
J. H. WAGGONER.