ADVENTISM by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Apr 22, 1880

"ADVENTISM."

By Editor

THERE are two bodies of Christians who keep the seventh-day Sabbath—"the Sabbath of the Lord." These are the Seventh-day Baptists, and the Seventh-day Adventists. The first take their name from the fact that they, as the "Regular Baptists," hold that immersion, and it only, is baptism. In this respect they are genuine Baptists. And in almost everything else they believe as the Baptists do, except that they keep the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, which the Baptists do not. It is the seventh-day Sabbath, and this only, which distinguishes them from the Baptists. Without this they can have no existence as a distinct people.

The other body is that of Seventh-day Adventists. But these are also genuinely Baptists, holding strictly to immersion. Belief in the near coming of the Lord has given them the title of Adventists, and they have accepted it as their distinguishing name. Without the advent doctrine they could not be distinguished from the Seventh-day Baptists.

What is adventism? On the answer to this question there may not be ready and entire agreement. Most people think that the sole or special characteristic of Adventists, is a belief in the mortality of man. But this is not so; the oldest Adventist paper published in the United States—Messiah's Herald, formerly the Advent Herald—holds to the belief of the immortality of the soul. In this, however, Seventh-day Adventists do not agree with it. They hold that immortality is to be sought for. Rom. 2:7. That it is obtained only through Jesus and the resurrection, for it is in the resurrection that "this mortal shall put on immortality." 1 Cor. 15:51-54. This view greatly increases their love for the appearing of Jesus; see 2 Tim. 4:8; for the Saviour himself said we "shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:14; and that when he comes he will bring his reward with him. Rev. 22:12. And Paul said, "the dead in Christ shall rise," when "the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven." 1 Thess. 4:13-18. From these scriptures we learn that, 1. The just will not be raised till the Lord comes. 2. The reward, or recompense, will not be given until the Lord comes. 3. And, hence, if "the Lord himself" never comes again, the just will never be raised, and the reward will never be given. Thus, "the hope and resurrection of the dead," Acts 23:15, or "the glorious appearing" of Jesus, becomes to us, as it was to Paul, "that blessed hope." Titus 2:13. To this glorious theme our hearts turn with ever-increasing delight. For this we are willing, if need be, to be "everywhere spoken against." Acts 28:22.

From careful observation we know that the Seventh-day Baptists are kind and tender in their feelings toward the "Regular Baptists." While they firmly believe, and with the very reason, that they (the Baptists) are in error in regard to an important precept of Jehovah, they do not revile them, or meet them with a supercilious or haughty spirit. But this kind feeling is not duly appreciated, or properly reciprocated by the Baptists generally. Unreasoning prejudice against the seventh-day, leads them to look upon their seventh-day brethren as a superstitious sect, holding to antiquated notions, or Jewish traditions. We think this is very inconsistent, for their own standards recognize the just distinction between the decalogue—the law which Jehovah himself proclaimed,—and merely Jewish ceremonials.

The same feeling, which we think is caused by prejudice, exists with some Seventh-day Baptists toward the Seventh-day Adventists. We say, with some, for we are very happy to know that a large number of our Seventh-day Baptist brethren are free from these feelings. In this case we cheerfully extend to them all the same kind regard which they extend to the Baptists. We think they lose much by overlooking the (to us) evident importance of the advent doctrine. The fulfillment of prophecy, as presented in Rev. 14, and kindred scriptures, powerfully impresses us with the necessity of proclaiming "the commandments of God, [Sabbath, of course, included,] and the faith of Jesus." The near coming of the Lord, the shortness of time, impels us to act with decision and energy. We shall not now take the time to give at length the many reasons for accepting these messages as "present truth." To us they are weighty and powerful, and we would sooner sit down and rest at ease while our neighbor's house was burning, and he sleeping in the midst of the ruin, than to fail to give the warning which we can but regard as "meat in due season,"—a warning which the Scriptures abundantly show must be given before "the day of the Lord" shall come. Joel 2:1, and others.

In extending courtesy to the Seventh-day Baptists, and asking it from them, we do not ask them to surrender their convictions of truth and duty. We certainly do not propose to surrender ours. We are glad that this is appreciated by some of that denomination. The following remarks by Eld. Nathan Wardner we find in a late number of the Sabbath Recorder. Bro. Wardner is very firm in his conviction that we are in error; but this honest difference does not cause him to withdraw from us his Christian respect. We are frank to point out what he believes are our errors. We respect and love him for this Christian manliness. These remarks are in a preface to an article on "Life."

"Considerable has been said in the Sabbath Recorder, of late, against exchanging delegates with the Seventh-day Adventists, lest we seem to indorse doctrines which we disapprove. But do we indorse Sabbath breaking by exchanging pulpits with those who do not keep God's Sabbath, and joining them in conventions, and union revival meetings, in which almost every available opportunity is used to hold up the heathen Sunday as the Bible Sabbath, while they profess to speak as the oracles of God speak, knowing, at the same time, that the first day of the week is never represented as the Sabbath? It is said that Seventh-day Adventists differ from us more than first day denominations. There may be more points of difference, but are they such as should cause a wider separation? In regard to all truths which require sacrifice, and self-denial, the proofs of sincere loyalty to God, they have no equals among first-day denominations; while the latter are trampling a plain command of God under foot, and are also persecuting us, by fines and imprisonments, for presuming to obey God against their dictation."

"No one regrets more than I the unsound doctrine held by our Seventh-day Advent brethren; but while they show such a disposition to surrender every worldly interest to obey God, I must believe them to be honest truth-seekers, and therefore cannot help admiring and loving them; and instead of holding them off as reprobates, I feel like saying to them, 'Come, let us reason together,' and see if our differences may not be overcome."