A Resolution---Amendment Offered.
By R. F. Cottrell
"Resolved, That the favorable indications now manifest in the religious, moral, and political world, give promise of the great enlargement and purification of the Christian church, and speedy triumph of truth, and call loudly upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ, to consecrate themselves more heartily and entirely to the promotion of these beneficent ends." Thus reads the eighth resolution of the Seventh-day Baptist North-Western Association, passed at their meeting in June, 1866. On reading this resolution, the inquiry arises, What are these "favorable indications" which they see? In the religious world, extensive revivals and numerous conversions are reported. But what are men being converted to? Is the standard of Christian morality being elevated? Are churches and converts coming up to the standard of Bible morality and holiness? No; they can go to the baptismal basin, and from that to the theater, the same night. There is a form, the power is wanting. Real reformation is opposed by the churches. Any law of God that has become unfashionable, is a dead letter. They do not desire to learn and do the will of God. This is the rule; the inquiries after truth and duty are the exceptions—exceptions rare, extremely rare. In the moral world, wickedness and crime of the deepest dye, are fearfully on the increase; attesting the truth of the words of the apostle to the Gentiles, "In the last days perilous times shall come." And as to the political world, the nations are angry. War and violence are the order of the day. The mighty men are being awaked, war is preparing, and the last great conflict is at hand, when the wrath of God will be poured out in the seven last plagues. "The nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged." What then are the favorable indications alluded to in the resolution? Do you say, slavery in this country is abolished? Wait till the battle on this subject is ended. At a vast expense of blood and treasure, the slaveholder's rebellion has been subdued. But is not the country in imminent peril, that the noble work so bravely begun for the slave will be defeated? Had the above resolution been passed by a body of Christians, whose standard of morality was perfectly satisfied with the keeping of nine of the ten commandments of God, it would not be so surprising that they could see "favorable indications," in the great rush into the nominal churches of this degenerate age. But what there is in it to favor the "truth," as held by Seventh-day Baptists, is not so easily seen. Their position before the Christian world is that of reformers, like Luther and others in his day. They plead for reform in a vital and vastly important point—a point involving our moral duty to God, even the keeping of the commandments of his moral law. They teach that other churches are living in disobedience to the universal and perpetual law of God. Can it cheer them to see men running into these churches, and imagining themselves safe, because they are connected with those who are nominally Christians, and those who will not themselves heed the law of God and be reformed? Did they see men reforming,83coming up to the standard of moral and religious duty, as they view it, it would be natural that they should be encouraged. Supposing Luther, after laboring two hundred years in his work of reformation, as Seventh-day Baptists have in theirs, had seen multitudes rushing into the Roman church, as our modern reformers see them rushing into the Sunday-keeping and Sabbath-breaking churches of the present day, would he have regarded it as a favorable indication, and an omen of "the great enlargement and purification of the Christian church," and the "speedy triumph of truth?" I think not. Well, this is a fair comparison to represent the favorable indications in the religious and moral world, as viewed from the stand-point of Seventh-day Baptists. The Bible prophecies of the abounding wickedness and perils of the last days, are being fulfilled. The modern Babylon, holding the traditions of the "mother of harlots," spurns the fourth commandment of God, as written by the finger of the Almighty; but in her intoxication, is dreaming of "peace and safety," and the conversion of the world to her corrupted standard of morality and religion; and while our modern reformers behold her, in fulfillment of prophecy, becoming the "cage of every unclean and hateful bird," they seem to see favorable indications, which "give promise of the great enlargement and purification of the Christian church, and the speedy triumph of truth." This is truly marvelous. Now if the commandments of God are of no value, and it makes no difference whether men are converted to them, or to the doctrines and commandments of the church of Rome, why take the trouble to keep them? But if it is essential that men should be converted to the obvious truth of God's Ten Words, why not press the subject of reform on all who are in error and disobedience. The Sabbath reform is worth something, or it is not. If it is, why exult in the conversion of men to the fables and doctrines of men, as though they were converted to the truth? If the truth is so lightly esteemed by those who have held it in trust so long, as to be put upon a "dead level" with the opposing doctrines of Romanism, is it any thing strange that its guardianship should be taken from them and be given to a people bringing forth the fruit thereof? Said the Saviour, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." I offer the resolution amended thus: Resolved, That the unfavorable indications in the religious, moral, and political world, make the speedy separation and purification of God's people necessary, that they be not partakers of the sins, and receive not of the plagues of nominal Christianity, and that the cause of truth and righteousness calls loudly upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ, to consecrate themselves heartily and entirely to the work of sounding the alarm, and spreading the light of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, in order to save all they can from the awful and irretrievable ruin, into which the corrupt and the corrupters of God's word are about to sink.