Your ShelfYour Projects

Untitled article

3%

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, July 16, 1867

FromReview and Herald, Vol. XXX, No. 5

Read the full edition

DEFENSE OF THE TRUTH IN SAGINAW CO., MICH.

By M. E. Cornell; R. J. Lawrence

We do not remember ever witnessing a more desperate effort to put down the truth, than the one just made in this section. One Eld. Levington (Methodist) of Monroe City, was sent for to come and put down Adventism. He came and gave three discourses in three different places, his speech being nearly the same in each place. We heard two of the discourses, and reviewed them. At the last meeting an effort was made to cut off our privilege to reply before the same audience. To prepare the way for our defense two hundred copies of the following circular were distributed.
“HEAR,” THEN JUDGE.
Whereas, in a lecture given at the Court House last Friday evening, the religious views and character of Adventists were most shamefully misrepresented, and stigmatized as, “Fanatics, Deceivers, grossly ignorant,” and “worse than Mormons, Mahometans, or any other class of false teachers,” and,
Whereas, an effort was made to prevent free speech in Midland City, by exciting prejudice against a humble, yet honest and respectable minority, advising the people to not give them even a hearing, and attempting to put in extra appointments, so as to prevent their making their defense, thus taking away the rights belonging to a free American citizen, therefore:
Resolved, that it becomes our duty to enter our solemn protest against such a spirit, as unbecoming a gentleman or Christian, and contrary to the spirit of free investigation, and the genius of American liberty.
By the liberality of those who are for granting equal rights to all law-abiding citizens, we have the privilege of announcing for our defense—Sunday Afternoon at 5 o’clock, at the Court House.
Fellow Citizens, will you do us the Justice to hear our defense, and public Confession, of just what we do believe? We promise to speak candidly with due regard for the feelings of those who may differ from us.
Respectfully Submitted, M. E. CORNELL, R. J. LAWRENCE.
The result was that a large audience was assembled, much prejudice removed, and our cause is now standing higher than ever before in this vicinity.
Mr. Levington is regarded here by his people as a man of superior ability, both natural and acquired. That he takes the same view of himself is evident to all who see or hear him. Holding up his book on Baptism before the people, he advertised it thus:
“This book, of which I am the author, is recommended by the most learned theologians of the day as the best work ever written on baptism. It is their opinion that no more need be written on the subject. In this work you will find reference made to the Adventists, and false theories tested by the same rules I have used this evening.”
The Methodist preacher stationed here seconded this puff, and quoted the opinion of the celebrated Dr. Duffield as a specimen of how great men regarded this book. It was amusing to see how he was taken back when we informed him that Duffield was one of those time-setting fanatics; that his time for the end was 1866. Mr. Levington had falsely charged us with being timeists, and represented that such were the worst of fanatics.
We will now give from our notes some of his positions with the substance of our replies.
Levington. The religious system of Adventists denies that man has a soul. This little book (Which? Mortal or Immortal?) teaches that men and beasts are just alike, and compares them to snakes and toads.
Reply. These statements are utterly false, as we will now show from the book he quotes. On page 17. “We readily grant man all the properties and all the attributes which the Bible gives him. We are simply unwilling to grant him more. And hence the imputation of no-soulism to our belief is a burning disgrace upon all those who will thus condescend to expose their ignorance or their malice. Be it understood then, that there is no issue here. We admit that man has a soul. All Bible students, so far as we know, admit this, &c.
In regard to the statement that we make man no better than a snake, we will read again on pp. 36, 37. “Not that he (Solomon, Eccl. iii, 18–20) intended that man is in no respect superior to a beast; for he is, in many respects; in his organization, in his reasoning faculties, and infinitely so in his future prospects, if righteous.”
We will mark this, false statement No. 2.
Levington. This book teaches that angels are gross beings like unto beasts, and no better, because it makes them literal and material.
Reply. This is false statement No. 3. On page 20. “The whole history of angels shows that they are literal beings, vastly superior, of course, in their organization, to mortals composed of flesh and blood, but none the less personal on that account.”
Levington. The Adventist’s Heaven is as gross as that of Mahomet or Swedenborg. They believe that beasts will be saved. How ridiculous the idea that brutes will be exalted to a place in the kingdom!
Reply. Every Methodist preacher knows, or ought to know, that John Wesley believed that beasts would be in the kingdom. Dr. Adam Clarke believed the same. See Commentary on Ps. civ. Is it more absurd for us to believe in the restitution of beasts than it was for Clarke and Wesley? Was the garden of Eden gross? If beasts were in Paradise lost, will they not also exist in Paradise restored?
Levington. The Adventist’s definition of soul or mind is blood, breath, appetite, &c. Now if this view is correct it will stand the test every time. Let us try by the process called, “experimentum crucis.” “If soul sin,” i. e., if the blood sin, according to Adventist’s definition! “I will write my law in their mind,” i. e. in their blood, or breath!
Reply. The original word, translated soul and mind, is also translated, person, blood, air, &c., &c. The connection must decide to what it refers in any given text. So then, all of absurdity Mr. L. has shown, falls on King James’s translation, instead of falling on what he supposes our definitions.
But we now propose to try Mr. L.’s definition of soul by his own rule. If it is right it will stand the test every time. Let it have the experimentum crucis, or test of the cross. He defines soul to be an immortal mind, or the intelligent part of man. Ps. lxxviii, 50. “He spared not their soul (immortal mind) from death.” Prov. xxv, 25, “Cold waters to a thirsty soul,” i. e., an immortal mind. Num. xi, 6. “Our soul is dried away,” i. e., immortal mind is dried away! Num. xxxi, 28. “One soul (immortal mind,) of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep!”
Levington. Tell a man to love God, and he knows what you mean, but of what use would it be to talk it to a dog or a horse? Man understands because he has an immortal soul.
Reply. Tell a dog it is time to get the cows or to watch the wagon, and he knows what you say; now talk the same to a snail! Has the dog an immortal soul?
Levington. The God of Adventists is a gross body of flesh and bones; they have even tried to paint him on charts.
Reply. This is false statement No. 4. We have never attempted to represent God upon canvas or paper. We have represented the earthly sanctuary with the typical priest before the ark, also the position of Christ, but with no idea that it was a representation of his features. But some Catholics, and some Protestants, have engraved and painted an imaginary likeness of Christ. Neither have we ever believed or taught that God was a gross body. The substance of the self-existent God may be so many million times more refined than man, that it is impossible for mortals to behold or comprehend it. The highest idea we can have of Deity may be fully met in one of the angels, if we could see them in all their brightness; and like John on Patmos, we would be ready to bow down and worship them as God.
Levington. What we call mind or soul cannot be affected with disease or death.
Reply. If it can be affected with disease, of course it can be by death, and hence it can not be immortal. There is nothing more evident than that disease of the body does affect the mind. The mind grows up with the body and goes down with it in old age to second childhood. Why is it that our friend so reduced with long sickness is so childish? You say his mind is so very weak he has no more judgment than a little child. Exactly so, his mind is affected with disease. Ofttimes the mind is affected to that extent that it goes crazy. Could an immortal mind go crazy?!
Levington. Adventists pretend that the sun rose on Adam in the garden, and on them here in Michigan the same moment. That they can keep the same absolute moments here and opposite us.
Now suppose a ship load of Adventists sail from Australia to New York. Five days before their arrival they keep their Sabbath, and when they land, they find their brethren in the city are keeping the Sabbath, and they are two days apart. A dispute arises and they are all in confusion.
Reply. We never thought the day began all around the world the same moment of time, but as the world revolves, it brings each day in its regular order to the people all around the earth. And Mr. L.’s imaginary difficulty is as much against keeping Sunday as it is against keeping the seventh day. Mr. L.’s illustration of the ship load of Adventists was quite amusing to many of the audience.
“They laughed, ’twas well, but the rule applied, Soon made them laugh on the other side.”
Now suppose a ship load of Methodists sail from Australia to New York, and five days before their arrival they keep their last Sunday, but on their arrival, lo, they find their brethren going to church. Here they are now two days apart. A dispute arises and they go all into confusion! Therefore it is all folly to try to keep the first day of the week on which the Saviour arose. But stop, we mistake! The spherical form of the earth does not affect Sunday because it is popular. The round world only affects the day which it is not popular to keep.
Levington. After reading this book (Which? Mortal or Immortal?) the question arose in my mind, How shall I put it down? The plan I have used to night was then suggested to my mind.
Reply. It seems the question was not, like that of the unprejudiced reader, May it not be true? but with a spirit of spite and desperation “How shall I put it down?” The plan suggested to his mind was that of misrepresentation and falsehood. What spirit could have suggested it? The plan illustrates one scripture, namely, “We have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.” Isa. xxviii, 15.
M. E. CORNELL. R. J. LAWRENCE. Midland City, Mich., July 2, 1867.