Healdsburg, Cal by W. M. Healey

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 7, 1882

Healdsburg, Cal.

By W. M. Healey

We have just closed a discussion here with an "age-to-come" minister, having spent four evenings upon the Sabbath question, and three upon the restoration of Israel.

The position of our opponent upon the Sabbath was that of the abolition of the law. He had the ten commandments abolished at the cross, and claimed that the new code came into effect on the day of Pentecost, and that during this period of about fifty days there was no law and no salvation; so any who died in that period must be lost. But the question arises, Why lost? since any acts they might do could not be sinful if there was no law, for "by the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. 3:20; 1 John 3:4; Rom. 4:15. This theory gives a sinless period for the world, and we would think that all would be saved who die in a sinless period. It was claimed that all of the commandments except the Sabbath were regiven in the New Testament. We showed that all of the ten are indorsed repeatedly, but that it would be folly to abolish and then regive the law. We pressed him to find the place in the New Testament where the law is given as a new code, and claimed that he could not prove image worship to be a sin only by reference to the Old Testament. That the New Testament is not a book of law, but points to a law already in existence.

The next evening after being urged to find an express command in the New Testament against image worship, only as reference is made to the Old Testament law, he said: "I have found it, and it is lucky, for it has been strongly talked around town that I could not do it, and therefore must go under." We were then told that Acts 17:22-24 contained the new command. But woe to the position, for Paul is not making a law, but is reproving that people for not worshiping the true God, and defines him as the one who made the heavens and the earth,—a fact not admitted in their worship, but one which, according to Paul, should be the foundation of faith; and the Sabbath is to show forth this great truth, and thus acknowledge the true God.

Considerable interest was manifested in the debate by the citizens of the place. Two persons were convinced of the truth, and are now keeping the commandments. Others are convinced, and we think will obey. The cause has lost nothing in any way by the discussion, but gained in many respects.

Our church is not large enough to accommodate our present congregations, which are constantly increasing. We have been obliged to go to the college chapel for our meetings till we can make other arrangements. W. M. Healey.

December 1, 1882.