Discussion in Memphis, Tenn.
By J. S. WASHBURN
FORTY-FOUR have now signed the covenant to “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Nearly all have been true. Quite a large per cent of the new Sabbath-keepers were members of the Christian, or Disciple, Church. We were most earnestly requested by the leading members of one of the Christian churches in Memphis to hold a discussion with one of their leading ministers. I had not taken part in a debate since December, 1889, nearly twenty years ago. The situation was such that the leading brethren here thought it would not be best to refuse the request of the Christian Church to debate the principal doctrines of the message with their representative, Elder Joe S. Warlick, of Dallas, Tex., a debater of extensive experience. He stated that he had held more public discussions than any man now living or than any man who had ever lived. The propositions were as follows:— 1. The Scriptures teach that the Sabbath of the ten commandments is now in force and is binding on all men: J. S. Washburn affirms; Joe S. Warlick denies. Four nights, March 23-26. 2. The Scriptures teach that the first day of the week is the Lord’s day, and should be observed as such by Christians; Joe S. Warlick affirms; J. S. Washburn denies. Two nights, March 27, 28. 3. The Scriptures teach that man is wholly mortal and unconscious between death and the resurrection: J. S. Washburn affirms; Joe S. Warlick denies. Two nights, March 29, 30. 4. The Scriptures teach that Christ has already set up his final and eternal kingdom: Joe S. Warlick affirms; J. S. Washburn denies. Two nights, March 31 and April 1. On the question of the Sabbath, Mr. Warlick took the usual position, that the ten commandments were the old covenant taken out of the way and nailed to the cross; that the Sabbath was no more to be observed by any but literal Jews than is Emancipation day by any but the colored people of the United States. To this argument the reply was given that “the Sabbath was made for man,” for all men, and that the doctrine that Christ nailed the ten commandments to the cross was the doctrine of anarchy and lawlessness. The recent terrible increase of crime and lawlessness was held up before the people as a danger-signal and a warning of the fearful reaping that must follow the sowing of the seeds of hatred and contempt for the great foundation law of the universe and of all government and order. The leading paper of Memphis, and one of the leading papers of the South, is the Commercial Appeal. Following the murder of Senator Carmack, on the streets of Nashville, the night-rider cases, and numerous lynchings and murders, the editor of the Commercial Appeal has written powerful appeals for law and order. Some most striking statements have been made by him. I will quote a few. In the issue of November 20 appeared the following: “The law is the boundary-line between civilization and barbarism. On one side stand peace, protection, prosperity, and progress; on the other are lined up, always in sullen battle array, murder, arson, and all the other ills that make for individual and community degradation.” In the issue of November 25: “We can not excuse one crime though it is caused by another crime. We can not accept the philosophy of Christ to-day and the promptings of the devil to-morrow. If we cast aside the rule that comes from heaven when it suits us, and substitute the law of hell, it will be only a short time until we shall have a hell on earth.” “If we do not make the law the dominant force, we shall be lost in the wreck of our own civilization.” These words of terrible truth were read during the discussion, and the fearful situation as outlined in Isaiah 59, was shown to follow the refusal to make up the Sabbath breach in the ten commandments. Isa. 58:11-14. The people of God are seeking to build up the breach in the law of God, to bring back and restore the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, those who refuse to do this being in the condition of anarchy and lawlessness so vividly pictured in the fifty-ninth chapter of Isaiah. “Judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity can not enter.” “Your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity,” etc. A divine and terrible retribution follows closely on the wicked teaching that20Christ abolished the ten commandments. In November, 1908, I was present at a discussion on the Sabbath question in Nashville, and heard the opponent of the Sabbath assert again and again that Christ nailed the whole law to the cross. Within three days after the close of the discussion, Senator Carmack, the most widely known member of this minister’s church, was murdered on the streets of Nashville. The man who preached the doctrine that the law was abolished had no thought of the fearful logic of his teaching, nor did he intend to give license to murder, but God often permits fearful illustrations of the inexorable law of sowing and reaping to startle us. Sow lawlessness, and reap anarchy and murder, sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” These terrible truths fell with crushing force upon Mr. Warlick. The report in the Commercial Appeal stated that he came up from the attack somewhat ‘groggy.’ I stated that murder and other violations of law would surely come as the result of the teaching of Mr. Warlick that Christ abolished the law; and it is a strange and startling fact that within two weeks after the close of the discussion a young man was shot dead on the very ground where the discussion was held, and that he was closely related to the leading members of the church who had been largely instrumental in bringing about the discussion. We do not believe these are chance happenings, but that they are a divine protest against, and judgment upon, the satanic doctrine that Christ abolished the ten commandments. The Commercial Appeal gave quite fair, though somewhat sensational, reports of the discussion each day. These fair reports greatly disturbed Mr. Warlick and his friends, who directly, publicly, and by letter to the editor, charged that while Seventh-day Adventists were a weak and ignorant sect, yet somehow they had secured control of the great Commercial Appeal, and were writing or coloring all the reports. The editor replied in a strong editorial, showing the unreasonableness and falsity of that charge. In that editorial were these words: ‘If everybody would preach the ten commandments every day for one month, throw them into people’s faces, there surely would be a better state of morals.’ This striking rebuke by a political editor to a professed minister of the gospel had great weight. I have never seen the doctrine that Christ destroyed the law so unpopular as here after the discussion closed. I have never heard so weak, so sophistical, an argument made to prove Sunday to be the Lord’s day. Outside of history, and the Fathers, on whom was laid the great burden of proof, the principal argument used was John 8: 56: ‘Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.’ Abraham started to offer Isaac, and expected him to rise from the dead. He saw the resurrection of Isaac, a type of the resurrection of Christ, therefore he saw the day of Christ’s resurrection—Sunday! Therefore Sunday is the Lord’s day. On the immortality question he used the usual arguments, but made a complete failure to convince his audience. He stated that Elijah and Moses had both been dead many hundreds of years. When it was proved that Elijah never died, he said that John the Baptist was the Elijah there indicated. On the kingdom question, we had an excellent opportunity to present the great prophecies of Daniel and The Revelation, and the signs of the coming of the kingdom of glory. ‘When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.’ I have never heard a more bitter or venomous attack made on the spirit of prophecy, yet this reacted upon his own head. People were disgusted and indignant, and there are those to-day studying the truth of the spirit of prophecy as the result of the bitter attack made by Mr. Warlick. His complete failure to meet the Scripture argument was strikingly apparent on each proposition, and many are studying the truth as the result of the discussion, and several decided definitely that the Sabbath is binding to-day, and some took a definite stand, among them a lady of the Christian Church. We thank God for a marked and decided victory for the truth; and that the cause of present truth in Memphis, financially and in every way, is in a more cheering and hopeful condition to-day than ever before. J. S. WASHBURN.