W. COTTRELL by W. Cottrell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 9, 1869

W. COTTRELL

By W. Cottrell

From Bro. Cottrell.

BRO. SMITH: Two evenings since, I went to listen to a minister of the M. E. church, on the second advent of Christ. Text, Acts i, 11. The main question upon which he dwelt was, When will Christ come? Ans., “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but my Father only.” Matt. xxiv, 36. He emphasized considerably, “No man knoweth;” he forgot to tell us that the true rendering of the text that I have quoted above, would be, No man maketh known, neither the angels of Heaven, but my Father only.” That was, I believe, the only passage of Scripture that he used to disprove the idea of men's knowing anything in reference to the coming of Christ. He forgot to tell us that Jesus says, in the same discourse, verses 32–34, “Now learn a parable of the fig-tree: When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”

Here it is expressly stated by the blessed Saviour that when the signs in the sun, moon, and stars, shall take place, we shall know that his coming is near, even at the doors. And the generation that witnesses the last of these signs shall not pass until the Son of Man come.

God warned the old world, through Noah, and our Heavenly Father always has given the necessary notice to all people of coming danger. It is a noticeable fact, that God has always given warning to the generation that was in danger. See Luke xvii, 26–30. Matt. xxiv, 37–39. God designed that man should be left without excuse. Rom. i, 20. Why the oft-repeated admonition to watch, unless we know when to watch?

There are those that will be looking for Jesus when he does come. See Heb. ix, 28: “And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” The day of the Lord will come as a thief, says the objector; but on whom will it come as a thief? On them that are in darkness. “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” I Thess. v, 1–9. But the minister said, “We don’t know anything about when he will come. He may come to-night, or he may come in a week, or a month, or a year, or a century, or he may not come for a thousand years; we don’t know anything about it. ‘You old people remember,’ said he, ‘a few years ago, when this country was flooded with Millerism, how the people put on their white robes and climbed up to the tops of trees to see Christ come,’ &c. It so happened that I had one of those tracts, ‘Ascension Robes,’ which I sent to him, and it produced quite a sensation. The truth is not in danger from such attacks. May the Lord help us to watch, and be ready to meet him, and stand at last with the remnant upon Mt. Zion.

Yours in hope of a blessed immortality,

W. COTTRELL

Green Co., Ohio.