Untitled article by M. E. Cornell

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, February 4, 1868

FromAdvent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. XXXI, No. 8

REVIEW OF ELDER GREEN.

By M. E. Cornell

While at Midland City, the Methodist minister of the place gave two discourses, founded on 2 Kings iv, 38-40. These discourses were evidently aimed at Adventists and their views. He said that Atheism, Deism, Spiritualism, &c., were “Wild Gourds,” “Death in the pot,” but when he came to Adventism, he waxed warm, and put it down as “DEATH IN THE POT!” Being a man of talent and having considerable influence, he presumed much, and in his excitement made statements which served to open the eyes of some of his own people.

The great pot, he said, represented human society, and the wild gourds were elements of weakness and death in human society. I will give the substance of some of his points, and of our replies in dialogue form.

Green. Discord in the church is an element of weakness, and anything which tends to cause discord is to be avoided.

Reply. Human creeds are so many partition walls, the principal effect of which is to keep up divisions in society. They are elements of weakness, wild gourds in the pot, and as such they ought to be avoided. Will Eld. G. set us an example by throwing away his discipline?!

Green. While the Presbyterians number four hundred thousand, and the Baptists, nine hundred thousand, the Methodists now number THREE MILLIONS, the largest Protestant denomination in America, or the world!

Reply. The Elder has here made a mistake of nearly two millions! According to their own statistical records, they number a little over one million. Now if he is so wide of the mark in regard to his own denomination, what shall we expect, when he speaks of those he is so bitterly prejudiced against! But why boast of numbers?

“Vast numbers are no proof that we shall right be found; For in the ark, but eight were saved, and many millions drowned.”

The Catholics or Spiritualists can boast of numbers, for they do outnumber the Methodists several times over. Once the Methodists gloried in the holiness and humility of their people, but now these are gone they have no confidence to boast except in their numbers.

We are here reminded of the words of the king of Babylon: “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty!” Dan. iv, 30.

Green. (Sneeringly.) I will pass by the pork and bloomer questions. [Laughter.]

Reply. We wish it distinctly understood that we are not ashamed of our theory or practice in regard to the diet or dress reforms. It is true, that we abstain from using the scrofulous swine. Many of different sects now avoid it on account of trichina affection. It is argued by some that there is no danger from the trichina, or pork worm, if it is so thoroughly boiled or fried as to be sure to kill them all, but we ask to be excused. Let those eat fried worms who can relish them! But if the Elder wants to ridicule those opposed to the use of swine’s flesh, let him commence with the great Methodist commentator, Dr. Adam Clarke. It is reported of Dr. Clarke that when asked to say grace over a roast pig, he began as follows: “O Lord, if thou canst bless in this dispensation what thou didst curse in the old, do bless this pig?”

At another time, he said that if he was going to offer a burnt offering to Satan, he would stuff a bag with tobacco and set it on fire. So says Dr. Clarke, and so say we.

As to the bloomer style of dress, we have about as much fellowship for it as we have for the trailing dresses and other extravagances worn by many Methodists and others in fashionable society. We do not fellowship the bloomer style. The dress now being adopted by our people, we regard as the most modest, healthful, and convenient in the world, for it does, in every respect, answer the object of dress. As sensible men and women, we hold up our heads and rejoice in the dress reform.

Green. Any effort to introduce more than one day, is to cause discord. It is death in the pot.

Reply. Admitted. But who made the first effort to introduce another day? Elder G. says it was Christ and his apostles. We deny the charge. It is a slander upon our Lord. But if, as he says, the new day was introduced by Christ and his apostles, the Jews would have had good ground to protest against it as tending to discord, and death in the pot. The charge that Christ established a new day for the Sabbath, we repudiate, and lay it at the door of Constantine and the Romish church, where it belongs. The introduction of a new day (the Pagan Sunday) in the third century, was the cause of discord; for many then, as now, refused to endorse the man-made institution. Sunday-keeping was then, and still is, “death in the pot.”

Green. Who ever saw the introduction to a book longer than the book itself? or the porch to a house larger than the house? The first four thousand years was only the introduction to the scheme of redemption, and we have only eighteen hundred years, as yet of the book. The wilderness will yet be settled up, and dotted all over with school-houses and churches.

Reply. The Old Testament, then, would represent the Elder’s introduction, while the New Testament represents the book or scheme of redemption. Is not the Old Testament larger than the New? But the Elder has made a serious mistake here. The introduction of the book was the first state of probation up to the fall of man. The longest computation of the length of time before the fall is about six and a half months. The scheme of redemption, or book, began there with the second probation of Adam. They looked forward to Christ through the types, while we look back through the memorials.

According to the average length of book introductions, and the comparative difference between them and the books themselves, we have (according to the Elder’s rule) over five thousand years yet of probation before the Lord comes. Those who teach such things are advertised in the Scriptures. They cry “peace and safety,” and “put far away the evil day,” saying, “My Lord delayeth his coming.” “Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, behold they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of times afar off.” Eze. xii, 26, 27. The apostle Peter declares that in the last days scoffers shall arise, saying, Where is the promise of his coming? We fear that Eld. G. has proved himself one of them, and helped to add another sign of the end near.

The objection that the wilderness is not all settled up yet, would have been much stronger if urged against the flood in the days of Noah. Perhaps some of the wise ones of that time used the same argument against Noah’s message. Wonder if he was tempted by it to get fruit trees and set them out around his ark! The flood came, and the world was confounded and perished. Even thus will it be with the scoffers of the present time. The day rolls on, and soon the refuge of lies will be swept away.

Green. The tendency of Adventism is to carry people to the insane asylum. One near this place was made insane by the doctrine, and has been lately carried to the asylum. It was found by the records there that two-thirds of the inmates of the asylum became insane by the doctrines of Spiritualism and Adventism.

Reply. We pronounce the above statements totally false. Since the statement was made last evening, preparatory to our reply, we have obtained the testimony of several who knew the person referred to, and were knowing to the circumstances, and they unhesitatingly declare the statement false. We could not, by the most diligent inquiry, ascertain that this person had ever heard an Advent sermon, or read an Advent book, but she had been to Methodist meetings, and was religiously insane. The public can draw their own conclusions. In regard to the tendency of the doctrine, we see nothing calculated to cause insanity. We have never known a person made insane by believing the Advent doctrine, but of several who were made so by opposing it.

Many have been made insane by the doctrine of endless torment, and the excitement of camp meetings, but does that prove anything against the doctrine? The New York Tribune gives an account of a girl’s being made insane by the excitement of a Methodist revival meeting. She was sent away raving mad. See Tribune for Apr. 7, 1860. We should be ashamed to offer this as argument against Methodist doctrine. What shall we think of the cause of a man who finds it necessary to sustain it by such glaring misstatements. They cannot prove these things. They are put in for effect.

This effort has done nothing against the truth, but for it. The truth shines brighter than before, and its friends are confirmed.

M. E. CORNELL.

Byron, Mich., Jan. 21, 1868.