Part 2

Ye, says Christ, "are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." In order to answer this question fully, we must, in the first place, answer one that comes before it--one that is primary, viz: Do we love God with all our hearts, and our neighbour as ourselves? Do we live up to all the commands of God? Are we conformed to His moral image? Is it the business of our lives to do all that God has commanded? Are we believing all the truth, and living up to all the light we have? If so, WE ARE Christ's; and being Christ's, WE ARE "Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." It is not strange that the nominal Church should lose her identity. But when we hear Adventists inquire, _Who we are_, it comes with an ill grace. It sounds so silly. What! have we been engaged in this glorious cause fourteen or fifteen years, and never learnt, _Who we are_? What does all this mean? Why this effort on the part of some to organize, and bring in all the Advent bands, and unite them in a compact? Does this look like a confident, unwavering faith in the speedy coming of Christ? Did we not deny, years ago, this miserable work of forming ourselves into a sect? Hear the _Advent Shield and Review_, for Jan., 1845, vol. I. number 2, page 198. It speaks the language, I will venture to say, of the great majority of Adventists. Here it is:

"BUT ADVENTISTS HAVE NO WISH, NO INTENTION, NO NEED OF CONSTITUTING THEMSELVES INTO A DISTINCT BODY."

How is the foregoing to be reconciled with the efforts of some at the present time, unless there has been a mighty change? It may be remarked, that circumstances have driven us to adopt this course. But what are the circumstances? Is it because of impostors, or heresy? And do we expect to be free from these by associating ourselves together in this way? We did not feel the need of any thing of this kind in forty-two and three: Our hearts were united in the bonds of love; and if this bond has been severed, instead of fixing up something as a substitute--something that is contrary to the word of God--we should, by preaching the simple truth, remove the cause, and "nature" (Grace) "would work its own cure." But no; we must have our creeds, our organizations, our conferences, and our delegates to those conferences. And then, having ascertained, WHO WE ARE, we are prepared to act. But act how? Why, we can "shear off the troublesome thinkers."

But it will be remarked that this is not the design, and that it is wrong to judge our brethren in this way. But we may remark that it is so already--the mystery of iniquity doth already work. The very design of organizations, in the common acceptation of that term, and also of creeds, is to proscribe individual liberty; they are opposed to free action. It will not do for a man to act in accordance with the commission, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." No, he must preach to our party--to our people. To illustrate this principle, we quote the following from the life of Lorenzo Dow:

"A Preacher from America, whose name is Lorenzo Dow, travelled lately in Ireland, without any official recommendation from the American Conferences, or any of the rulers in that connection, and yet professing himself a friend of the Methodists. What judgment is it expedient for this conference to pass concerning the conduct of that man?" "_Ans._ WE ARE MOST SINCERE FRIENDS TO RELIGIOUS LIBERTY; but we consider ourselves called upon to inform the public, that Mr. Dow has no connexion with us, nor did he receive the least permission or encouragement from the conference to travel through Ireland as one of our body, or as one of our friends; and we are determined, that if he returns to this country, none of our preaching-houses shall be opened to him on any account." Again, "letters of falsehood and lies, to set the government to sacrifice an individual on the altar of tyranny, because he goes so independent of the BISHOP'S POWER; and others will" (do) "hatch from the same nest, &c. &c."... "Better one suffer than many. If he is innocent, we must use POWER, and make an example of him. What for? As a warning to others not to dispute our power, which, if right, _we_ have by Divine delegation, to enforce, 'MORAL DISCIPLINE!'"

The question is not, what does Christ require?--but, what says the bishop? Now, we would say nothing, but for the fact, that the same principle is developing itself in our own ranks. This _miserable_ creed system is now exerting upon Adventists an unsuspected, but tremendous power against the liberty of the gospel.

It is stealthily creeping upon us. May God unscale our eyes, before we get entangled in the meshes of the net of the Devil! "It is true, each denomination says, we inflict no penalty; we only decline to receive into our ranks one who does not agree with us. And this is so specious, it sounds so reasonable, that it might deceive the very elect. But it is the most consummate stroke of infernal craft, and doubly distilled Jesuitism. It is like Rome handing over the victims of the Inquisition to the civil arm, charging it to do them no harm, and then piously lauding her own lamb-like disposition. It is true, the denominations do not do the candidate any harm; they only leave him to his inevitable fate." But it may be remarked, that it is of no use to say any thing about it; and should the individual lift his warning voice against it, he is accused of having a hard spirit--of opposing somebody. But we wish it distinctly understood, that we are not at war with persons, but principles; not with men, but measures. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against _spiritual wickedness in high places_. We are opposed to these religious combinations, because we believe they are opposed to God and His cause.

To give this idea more perfectly, we submit the following extract from the pen of Br. J. V. H. (_Advent Herald_, September 18, 1844,) headed, "APOSTOLIC EXAMPLE FOR OUR COURSE."

"And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when _divers_ were _hardened_ and BELIEVED NOT, BUT SPAKE EVIL OF THAT WAY BEFORE THE MULTITUDE, he departed from them, and SEPARATED the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.--_Acts_ xix. 8, 9. "It was not until _divers were hardened_, and spake evil of _that way_ (the Lord's coming) _before the multitude_, that the brethren were moved to come out, and separate from the Churches. They could not endure this "evil speaking" of the "evil servant." "_And the Churches that could pursue this course of oppression_" and "evil speaking" "towards those who were looking for the blessed hope, were to them none other than the DAUGHTERS of MYSTIC BABYLON. THEY SO PROCLAIMED THEM, AND CAME INTO THE LIBERTY OF THE GOSPEL. And though we may not be all agreed as to what constitutes Babylon, _we are agreed in the_ INSTANT _and_ FINAL SEPARATION _from all who oppose the doctrine of the coming and kingdom of God at hand. We believe it to be a case of_ LIFE and DEATH. It is DEATH _to remain connected with those bodies_ that speak lightly of, or oppose, the coming of the Lord. _It is_ LIFE _to come out from_ ALL HUMAN TRADITION, _and stand upon the word of God, and look daily for the appearance of the Lord. We therefore now say to_ ALL _who are in_ ANY WAY _entangled in the yoke of bondage_," "Come out from among them, and be ye _separate_, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."--2 Cor. vi. 17, 18.

AMEN and AMEN.

2d, These "creeds" and compacts are opposed to free speech. One great object of creeds is a union of sentiment. Hence, when a man joins any one of the various denominations, the creed is presented, or the question asked, do you believe so and so? Should he dissent in some particulars, yet being an influential or wealthy person, he may join by promising he will not agitate the points of difference. But let us look at another case. Here is a minister--and, by the way, there has been many of them--who embraces the truth of the Lord's speedy coming; it is as fire shut up in his bones; he comes with the joyful intelligence before his congregation, and in the fulness of his soul he preaches that truth, which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; and in less than one week he is waited upon by the bishop, or the committee, or peradventure, he receives a line through the office, informing him he must desist, for it is contrary to the _standards_ of the Church, and as such, we ("Elders," "Bishops" and "Deacons") are pledged to banish it away. If he persists, he must be admonished. If he continues to act the part of a man and a Christian, turn him out--"yes, shear off the troublesome thinkers, and sing stagnant hallelujahs."

But we may come nearer home. How often we hear it remarked, "Don't say any thing about the sonship of Christ--the sleep of the dead--the destruction of the wicked; for, if you do, you will hurt somebody's feelings!" Yes; we have men among us who have declared, that these questions shall not be preached in their pulpits. But the question may be asked, "Have we not a right to say what shall, and what shall not, be preached in our pulpits? and shall we not use our utmost endeavors to keep the Church pure?" Well, now, this looks very reasonable, and were it not for the history of the past, we might regard it as being very innocent. But we look to the "council of bishops," who met A.D. 325: they acted from a conviction, that it was their prerogative to say what should be preached: and by this act, though honest and sincere, they were the unconscious tools, in the hands of the devil, of begetting a child, which ultimately proved itself to be, the "MOTHER of HARLOTS and abomination of the earth." May the Lord help us to be free, and preach our sentiments! "For he's a freeman whom the truth makes free, and all are slaves beside." But,

3d, _The few act for the whole_.--Look to the history of the Christian Church--the Council of Nice, Chalcedon, &c. Who acted in these conferences? _Ans._ A few bishops. They got together; resolved that they were the Church, or its representatives; made creeds, and then imposed them on the flock. This has been the policy of Rome; for hundreds of years her Popes and Cardinals, Bishops and Priests, have been humbugging the people, hurling their anathemas at a Luther and a Cranmer. Why is this? _Ans._ Because they dared to dissent from the decrees of those councils. But we do not stop here; that spirit, or desire to lord it over God's heritage, which characterized the councils of Rome, has been transferred to the various synods of our time. It is often the case, that a few persons get together, take into consideration the _wants of the cause_, as they call it, reduce them to one or more propositions, and then bring them before the meeting. Perhaps one of this number makes a motion, and another of them seconds it; it is accepted, then adopted by the votes of ten or a dozen, more or less; half of whom are the very persons who concocted it. It is then blazoned abroad, and O! what a bluster! When the merits of the case are known, it reminds one of the fable, "The mountain laboured, and brought forth a mouse."

4th, _It evinces a want of faith and confidence in God_.--Creeds are never talked of, until persons begin to grow cold in their minds. "The Church, during the whole of the first century, had no creed but the Bible;" but when she departed from the simplicity of the Bible, and lost her faith in God, then she began to legislate.--They (the church) felt, as many express themselves at the present time, that we must keep the Church together. Yes, and here was, and still is, the very trouble: WE MUST DO IT. This is not our work; it belongs to the Great Head of the Church; and if we had faith and confidence in God, and in His word, we should be willing to let Christ do His own work. Every effort to keep the Church together by making creeds, is an innovation.--There were divisions in the apostles' day, and there have been divisions in every age since that time. Every effort on our part to steady the Ark, when such effort has not been put forth in accordance with the plan of God, has been frowned upon by the Almighty. It is often the case that those who seem to have so much anxiety, and manifest so much zeal to hold and to "build up the cause," as they are pleased to term it, are, when the truth is known, trying to build up themselves. While it is our duty to do all we can, under the blessing of Heaven, to promote the welfare of the cause with which we are associated, we must be careful not to indulge a thought that its prosperity depends upon our feeble efforts: for _it_ will live, whether we do or not. Christ stands at the helm, and, if we abide in the ship, we shall be safe. But the creed-power, or "organizations," in the common acceptation of the term, are not only opposed to free action--free speech--But,

Lastly, _It is the most effective means to destroy souls of any thing that was ever brought into existence_. The professed church to-day stands just where the Jews did eighteen hundred years ago; and the language of Christ, as addressed to the Pharisees, is applicable to the various denominations: "But woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of Heaven against men: for ye neither go in _yourselves_, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." Fine meeting-houses, costly pulpits, and a ministry that will please itching ears, are the things with the great mass. They are guilty of turning the Lord out of doors, for they have rejected His truth. "Ichabod" is written on these pleasant palaces. The great majority of the ministry are dumb dogs, lying down, loving to slumber; yea, _they are_ greedy dogs, _which_ can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: "they all look to their own way, every one for his gain from his quarter." They are turned unto fables. "They love the praise of man more than the praise of God."

The great mass have corrupted their way; but yet there are a few who are honest, and would believe if they could hear, and they could hear, if it were not for these SECTARIAN PENS. They (the few) are famishing; they die for lack of knowledge.

Well, now, to take one step towards adopting a system, the perfection of which leads to such _damnable results_, must be a _departure_ from the simplicity of the truth--a recreancy to the cause which, in the end, will be more _baneful_ than beneficial.

Some of those who want a record of names would shudder at the idea of being connected with such a system as that referred to above; and yet, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, this is the result where the first step is taken. We say, therefore, to all, "Beware of the first step! Do not give your influence in favor of such a wicked system, lest you be taken in a snare! If you are in any of these sectarian pens, leave them at once; for they, like Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, are soon to sink into the pit. Those that are being formed by Adventists, are no better than other denominations. In some respects they are worse."

There are men among us, preaching brethren, whose moral and religious characters are unimpeachable--men of sterling worth, and of marked ability; yet, because they view matters somewhat different from some others, or because they will not be restricted to preach wholly to our party, they are disfellowshipped; they are whispered to be _unsafe_, _unsound_, _heretical_! But some may say, that it is of no use to expose our brethren;--ah, to hold our peace would be to follow in the same track--to adopt the same policy of an apostate church. We wish our brethren to know, both far and near, that this is the policy of some at the present time. We have nothing to say against men, but against their courses and their measures. Let every Adventist, who wants to be free, beware of this _human machinery--these sectarian pens_--this last effort of Satan to destroy souls. We cannot help but exclaim, in the language of a "celebrated writer:" "Oh, woful day! Oh, unhappy Church of Christ! Fast rushing round the fatal circle of absorbing ruin! Thou sayest, 'I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing;' and _knowest_ not that thou art poor, and miserable, and _blind_, and naked!" We have said, and we repeat it again, there is no need of any creed but the Bible: we have learned that it is a sufficient rule of faith and practice: it is the best discipline we can have: and I will venture to say that, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, all difficulties can be settled, if we follow out the rules given by Christ and His apostles. Let us hear the Saviour speak: "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."--Matt. v. 23, 24. Again, we read, "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."--Mark xi. 24. "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 an heathen man and a publican."--Matt. xviii. 15-17. The apostle says, "And if any obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed; yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.--2 Thes. iii. 14, 15.

The above, together with many more scriptures that might be quoted, involves the principle on which brethren are to settle their difficulties. And when the professed Church of God, instead of urging the necessity of abiding by the above principle, departs from the Lord, by appointing committees to settle the differences between brethren, they are guilty of the most audacious folly. If difficulties cannot be settled by this rule, nothing will settle them but the final judgment.

We say, then, in the language of Beecher, "Away with false policy! Rally around this central principle, look to the Lord, and you are impregnable." The waves of the coming conflict, which is to convulse Christendom to her centre, are beginning to be felt.

The deep roarings begin to swell beneath us. All the old signs fail. God answers no more by Urim and Thummim, nor by dream, nor by prophet. Men's hearts are failing them for fear, and for looking after those things that are coming on the earth. Thunders mutter in the distance; winds moan across the raging bosom of the deep; all things betide the rising of that final storm of Divine indignation, which shall sweep away the vain refuges of lies. When the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and shall show the lightning down His arm, with the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of devouring fire; with scattering, and tempest, and hail-stones; in that day, what shall save us? For judgment will begin at the house of God. What shall be our defence? Put your trust in Him whose eyes are as a flame of fire--on whose head are many crowns--who is clothed with a vesture dipped in blood--whose name is called "THE WORD OF GOD!" He who is to come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth, trampling His enemies in the dust, destroying the works of Satan, breaking up all these compacts which are opposed to His truth, establishing his everlasting kingdom, which is not to be left to another people, but which is to break in pieces all other kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Even so, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!--AMEN.

F. H. B.

"THE pure testimony put forth in the spirit, Cuts like a sharp two-edged sword, And hypocrites now are most sorely tormented, Because they're condemned by the word. The pure testimony discovers the dross, While wicked professors make light of the cross, And Babylon trembles for fear of her loss.

"A battle is coming between the two kingdoms, The armies are gathering round; The kings of the earth and the lamb that was slain, Will come to close contest ere long; Then gird on your armor ye saints of the Lord, And he will direct you by his living word, The pure testimony will cut like a sword."

Transcriber's Notes:

Missing or obscured punctuation was corrected.

Typographical errors were silently corrected.

Spelling and hyphenation were made consistent when a predominant form was found in this book; otherwise it was not changed.

Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).