Report from Bro. Cornell.
By Bro. Cornell
The church at Memphis, Michigan, are receiving some tokens of God’s favor. We have labored with them in public and from house to house, and prayer and inquiry meetings have been held, with good results. Some that had been almost discouraged have taken hold again with new zeal, and several are seeking the Lord. If those who have a mind to work will persevere, no doubt a greater work will yet be accomplished here. Success does not now depend upon preaching, so much as upon the united effort of the church. That the Lord may greatly revive his work here, should now be the constant and earnest prayer of every one here who loves Zion. Last week, by request, I went to Holly, on account of a special effort to be made against our cause by an able opponent. The cause at Holly being young, and the speaker being reputed to be a man of more than common ability, it was deemed best to notice the effort. Notice was given that Mr. Melligan would lecture at the M. E. church on “Adventism.” The first evening, he discoursed about two hours, to a full house, on the soul question. The second evening, about the same length of time was spent on the Sabbath question and Second Advent. This effort, like most others of the kind, abounded with misrepresentations and unworthy insinuations against a people of whom he knew but very little. The Adventists of the place were generally out to hear what could be said against their faith, and they endured the abuse in a patient and worthy manner. But every one of them, so far as we could learn, was confirmed in the truth. Several of the citizens became disgusted with the speaker’s unfairness. Some, who have been halting, are now decided to go with this people and endure the reproach of present truth. On the whole, we feel satisfied that our cause in Holly stands higher than ever before. So it turned out, as saith the scripture, “We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” Praise the Lord. As a matter of interest, or curiosity, I will give some of Mr. Melligan’s positions, with our replies. Melligan. Mark those who change the form of sound words, &c. Reply. Thou art the man. Your frequent use of “Immortal Soul,” “Jewish Sabbath,” “Christian Sabbath,” &c., renders you guilty of the very charge you have falsely made against others. M. It is difficult to tell what the soul is. I sympathize with Solomon, when he says, “Who knoweth the spirit,” &c. Reply. If it is so difficult to tell what the soul of man is, how can the speaker know it to be immortal? But he was so anxious to make out that man is in possession of immortality, that he applied it to man’s nature, to his soul, to his spirit, and to his mind, as if determined to make it stick somewhere. M. Found his text in Webster’s Dictionary: “SOUL. The spiritual, rational, and immortal substance in man, which distinguishes him from brutes,” &c. Reply. Any man of common sense would know that, in order to give importance to his subject, he must take his text in a book of the highest authority. Finding no text in the Bible, he seizes upon the Dictionary, and finds, in Webster’s theological definition, language expressive of immortality in man. Of course Webster would give the popular definition of soul. But if the soul is immortal, inspiration could express it in as plain language as Noah Webster. If Webster did not get his position from the Bible, it may not be true; but if he found it in the Bible, we can find it there also. M. To the question, Why do we not find the term immortality connected with soul in the Bible, we answer, Because, until lately, there were no such fools as those who try to make out that God is like unto sinful man, or four-footed beasts, &c. Reply. Two false statements in the above. It is not true, as insinuated, that Adventists believe that God is like unto man or beast. We believe that man is in the image of his Maker, not of his prerogatives and attributes, but only of his person. Man may be in the