Couldn't Do Better by Uriah Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Sep 28, 1882

Couldn't Do Better.

By Uriah Smith

AFTER examining at some length the efforts of learned divines to give a definition of the antithetical and opposite terms, "life" and "death," as used in the Scriptures, J. H. Pettingill, in his "Life Everlasting," p. 198, makes a generous recognition of the earnestness, sincerity, and ability, of their efforts in this direction, as quoted below. The difficulty under which these divines labor, is that they are under the necessity of making terms which are essentially opposites, mean substantially the same thing, in order to harmonize them with the current theology to the defense of which they are committed. Life to the righteous of course means continued existence, with the inseparable accompaniment of everything which would contribute to the highest degree of happiness. But death to the wicked, which should be just the opposite in everything, not excepting the idea of existence itself, must be made to denote also continued existence, only with different accompaniments. How to accomplish this is the problem with which they wrestle, some in one way, some in another but all of them betraying the embarrassment of their cause, and the weakness in which they find themselves involved. The latest stretch of agony in the line of definition is from Prof. C. M. Mead, who says: "Life means 'vitalizedness,' and Death is a state of 'unvitalizedness' or rather 'devitalizedness!'" On which Mr. P. says:-

"We certainly have a great deal of pity for the distress these good Christian brethren labor under in getting at some definition of these two words—Life and Death—that will make them mean pretty much the same for both classes—that is, that will allow the dead sinner to live forever as well as the saint. No doubt they are very worthy brethren, and learned, and able, and are doing the very best they can. The fault is in the cause they are trying to maintain. Nobody could do better at it. The Old Serpent himself could not prove what he said in the same line." U. S.