p. 84 | Untitled article by Dudley Marvin Canright

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, January 21, 1868

CONVERSATIONS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. NO. 1.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

BY ELD. D. M. CANRIGHT.

The following is the substance of many conversations that I have had with different persons, with regard to the visions, health reform, &c. I give it hoping that it may help those in whose minds objections against these things still exist.

Minister. Well, brethren, I hear that you have been in somewhat of a trial about some parts of the third angel's message. Perhaps if we talk these things over freely we may get some light on them, and have our minds helped. Now speak out plainly whatever you have on your minds that troubles you.

Bro. A. Well, I confess that I have had doubts about some things which you call a part of the message. I want to believe all that is from God, all that I can find taught in the Bible, but nothing more.

Min. Very well, name the point that troubles you, and we will examine it.

Bro. A. Well, there are the visions of sister White; I can not seem to believe them as you do.

Min. What is the trouble with them? Why do you not believe them?

Bro. A. Well, I can't believe that she may not make mistakes as well as any one else. It looks to me like leaving the Bible, and being led by something else. I am willing to follow the Bible.

Min. Your trouble then is that you cannot believe that God has shown these things to sister W., as she says he has?

Bro. A. Yes, that is about the way it looks to me.

Min. Has not God revealed things to his people in the past, through different persons?

Bro. A. Oh, yes! of course.

Min. Is he not able to do the same now?

Bro. A. Certainly; I don't deny that.

Min. Well, do we not need a revelation from God now as much as we ever did? See the numerous sects, and divisions, and confusions that exists to-day. See the corruption and wickedness that is in the land. When did we ever need direction from the Lord if not now?

Bro. A. Yes, we need something very much, I know, probably more than ever before. It seems as though we did not know what to believe any more.

Min. Well, then, do you not think that God cares for his people as much now as he has in the past? Is he not as willing to send them warning and counsel now as ever?

Bro. A. Yes.

Min. If, then, God has sent his prophets in the past to lead his people, if he is still able to do so again, if we need it now as much or more than ever, and if he cares for his people now, why object to having a prophet among God's people to-day?

Bro. B. The trouble is, we should not know whether he was from the Lord or not. So we should not know whether to believe and obey what he taught or not.

Sister C. Oh! I know that I would believe him if I should see a prophet.

Min. Do you believe sister White?

Sr. C. Why, well, no, not exactly; I am not satisfied that her visions are of God.

Min. I fear Sr. C. that you would be just as unbelieving if God had chosen any one else.

Bro. A. But it seems to me that there is enough in the Bible for us if we will obey it. Paul says that the Scriptures were able to thoroughly furnish us unto all good works.

Min. But, Bro. A., he said this of the Old Testament Scriptures, did he not? as it was those Scriptures only which Timothy knew from a child; for the

New Testament was not written then. 2 Tim. iii, 14–17.

Bro. A. I had not thought of that.

Min. If this be so, then, according to your argument, we do not need the New Testament. We will throw that away! Of course you see that this will not do. But how and when were the different books of the Bible given? Of course you know that they were not all given at the same time nor by the same person. First, we have the first five books of the Bible given by Moses, and written nearly 1500 years before Christ. God there gave his people much general instruction with regard to how to serve him. Besides this, he warns them of the particular sins and dangers to which they were liable then. All succeeding generations had this to read, and to be instructed by. Yet it was not long before God sent them other prophets, such as Samuel, Nathan, Isaiah, Daniel, &c. Did any of these contradict what had been written before? Not at all. Then why was it necessary for them to come? Why did not God on the start write out and give to his people all the instruction which was finally contained in the whole Bible? Why would not this have been just as well as to give it a piece at a time, and by different persons, or even better? The reason is very manifest. As the people of God were from time to time placed in different circumstances, different things came up upon which they were compelled to act; or they were inclined to run into wicked things which had not come up before, and against which there was no direct warning, because the thing had not existed before. This made it necessary for an additional revelation from God, touching this particular thing. Thus you will notice that each prophet generally had some particular sin or wrong against which he directed the burden of his testimony. Now did those prophets who came last throw away what had been written before? Certainly not. They only confirmed and explained them, and showed how they applied them at their time. Now, that another time has come when we need additional instruction from God, I think is very clear. You believe with me that the seventh day is the Sabbath, that man is mortal, that Jesus is soon coming, that slavery is wrong, that the use of tobacco, tea, coffee, &c., is wrong, and contrary to the Bible.

Bro. A. Yes, I firmly believe all that.

Min. Well, you know, Bro. A., that you may bring as plain Scripture proof on these points as you can, and yet men will evade them. For instance, they say that the Bible does not condemn tobacco using, because it is not directly mentioned by name.

Bro. A. That is no argument at all; because tobacco was not used when the Bible was written, and, hence, of course it would not be mentioned. Other things of the same nature are named and condemned.

Min. In this I think that you can see that there is a necessity for the Lord to speak directly upon these points so that we shall be without excuse. This would not be adding to the Bible or taking from it any more than one prophet added to or took from the others, would it?

Bro. A. No; I can not see that it would.

Min. Then this objection is removed from your mind is it?

Bro. A. Oh, yes! I did not place much stress on that any way; but I can't see why one should not have these revelations or visions as well as another.

Min. Very good, we will look at that point. Then why may not Sr. White be that one? You cannot see why one can not have them as well as another. Do you think that every person is fit to receive and communicate revelations from God? Are all righteous? Have all the proper qualifications? Can not God choose best in this matter? If God had chosen you, or some one in whom you have confidence, would not thousands of others have brought the same objections against you or your friend that you now bring against the one he has chosen.

Bro. A. I had not thought of that particularly. But it seems to me that there ought to be more than one who has these visions, if they are of God.

Min. Why more than one? Can not God give through one all the instructions that are necessary for us to have? Has not this generally been the case in the Bible time, that there was only one prophet at a time? I see no need of more than one at a time.

Bro. A. If there were two or more who had these visions, and they both agreed, it would show that they were correct.

Min. Well, then, suppose that for the second one God had chosen Bro. White; would that have satisfied you any better? I see you laugh at that idea. Now, my good brother, do you not see that unless you could choose this second person, you would not believe two nor a dozen, any sooner than you would one?

Bro. A. I guess that is about so, come to look at it carefully.

Min. It is now meeting time. We will talk more on this to-morrow.