Mission to Prussia by John Nevins Andrews

California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists · Oakland, Cal. · Mar 25, 1875

Mission to Prussia.

By John Nevins Andrews

LAST week we gave, as copied from the Advent Review, No. 10, a most cheering account of Elder Andrew's visit to the Sabbath-keepers in Prussia. No. 11, of that paper brings further statements from Bro Andrews of his labors in Prussia. We copy as follows that part of the report which relates chiefly to the doctrine of election, and reserve a portion of the lengthy report which pertains to a private discussion of the Sabbath question with two pastors of the established church for next week. Bro. Andrews says :—

We have now been in the vicinity of Elberfeld about twelve days. We have had meetings nearly every day since our arrival, and some of the time have had two meetings a day. These have all been lengthy meetings, owing to the fact that two languages had to be used, the English and the German, for each sentence that was spoken. But every meeting has been solemn and interesting, and it has been evident that the Spirit of God has been specially present to make the hearts of the people tender, and to set home the truth with power upon each heart. I have made each discourse partly doctrinal and partly practical. The practical part I have made as close and as searching as by the help of the Spirit of God it was possible for me to make it. I desired to see how such preaching would be relished. But, instead of causing offense, this has given us the hearts and the confidence of this people to the fullest extent.

On sixth-day last we went to Gladbach, near the frontier of Holland, where quite a number of these Sabbath-keepers reside. As we returned on first-day at noon to fill an advertised appointment in a public hall, we could only have four meetings in G., but these were very interesting though very lengthy. In my first two discourses, I spoke so earnestly upon the necessity of faithful obedience to all that God has commanded, and of the danger of apostasy from God, and of final ruin as the result, that some first-day Baptist friends who were present, and who were strong Calvinists, came to me before the third discourse and said that they were believers in the doctrine that God elected his people before the foundation of the world, and that the elect would never fall away; and that my doctrine concerning the necessity of strict obedience to God could not be true. They wished to know what I had to say on the subject. It was time for meeting to commence again, and so I told them that I would speak on the subject. God gave me great freedom in speaking. I took as my text the passage on which they placed the greatest reliance, viz., Eph. 1:4-6. I stated that the Bible does certainly speak of election before the foundation of the world, and that I was disposed to admit every principle of truth involved in this subject, and disposed to deny only the erroneous inferences drawn from these principles.

I stated that without doubt God foresaw the fall of Adam when he purposed to create him, and that he formed a purpose as to what he would do in that event, so that the fall of Adam did not take him by surprise, or find him unprepared for the event; that he would gladly have made the first Adam and his family the everlasting possessors of the earth had they remained in innocence; but, that foreseeing the fall of Adam, he formed the following fixed purpose :— 1. That there should be a second Adam to take the place of the first, and that to this second Adam and his family he would give the earth. 2. That this second Adam should be God's own Son, clothed with humanity. 3. That he should die to redeem sinful man. 4. And that those who were finally possessors of the inheritance through the second Adam "should be holy and without blame before him in love." Thus much God fixed without condition and without uncertainty. He appointed

the way of salvation through the second Adam, and chose him and his family in place of Adam the first and his natural descendants. 5. Another thing which he fixed in his purpose was that the offer of adoption into the family of the second Adam should be made to all mankind. 6. But now comes the point which God did not fix. He did not decree that a part should receive this salvation, and shut out the remainder from the possibility of sharing it. He offered it to every man, and extends to each grace to accept, but he compels none. And this offer he holds open from age to age till the number necessary to his purpose have accepted. God has provided the way of salvation without man's asking it, and of his own sovereign will has determined what character the saved shall bear, but he has left each man to choose whether he will have a part in this great salvation. I also quoted some of the words of warning found in the Bible with regard to the apostasy of the righteous. Finally, I showed that the day of Judgment is to decide the case of all men according to their works—a plain proof that not God's decree, but their own conduct, determines the fate of men; and that a day of Judgment is absolutely inconsistent with the idea that God selected or rejected each individual before the foundation of the world. The meeting closed with a very solemn impression upon all present.

During the night, my mind was much exercised on the subject of election, and I determined that if those Calvinist friends came again I would speak further on the subject from Rom. 9:15, 16. I was not disappointed; for they came, and certain others with them, so that we had quite a number of persons present who were not Sabbath-keepers. I gave first a general view of the doctrine of election in the chapter, showing that it relates here not to the salvation nor to the damnation of men, but to God's choice among men of those who shall fill certain important places in his work, and that this choice, while placing a heavy responsibility upon the man chosen, does not make it certain that he will be saved; while the men not chosen and not thus highly honored have nevertheless the full privilege of receiving salvation through Christ if they will. I illustrated this by God's choice of Abraham, which seems to be the starting point of Paul's statement concerning election in this chapter. Thus, at the very time when God chose Abraham as the father of the family of the faithful there lived a greater than Abraham, Melchesidec, whom he saw fit to pass by or reprobate. I showed secondly that it is God's just prerogative to fix the terms on which he will pardon sinful man, and that man cannot complain that God has never consulted him on the point or asked his opinion of the justice of the conditions. God's sovereignty is here seen, and must be here acknowledged. Thirdly, I showed what conditions God has fixed. "I have mercy on whom I have mercy." Now upon whom will the great King have mercy? He answers it himself: "Let the wicked man forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Isa. 55:7. I also showed, out of Hebrews 3:12, 13, how men harden their hearts by sin, and that God hardens men's hearts only by withdrawing his tender Spirit when they persist in grieving it. Such a man as this was Pharaoh, and because Egypt was very wicked, and Pharaoh fixed in sinfulness, God opened the way for this extremely wicked man to take the throne, and to contend with the Almighty.

When the meeting closed, the chief speaker among these Calvinists came forward, and expressed his thanks for what had been said, and stated that he believed I had spoken the truth. My first discourse here in Prussia was addressed to the brethren from 2 Pet. 3. It was a very solemn season, and the word made so much impression upon them that they asked me if I would repeat it to the public in case they would hire a hall for first-day last, and would advertise the meeting and the subject. I said, Certainly I will, so they advertised that I would speak in English, and that Bro. Ertzenberger would interpret in German. Doubtless the novelty of the announcement helped to call out the people. We returned from Gladbach direct to this meeting, and on entering the hall found it filled with an intelligent-looking, well-dressed audience. As the hall was insufficiently seated, more than half of those present had to stand up. It was not without some misgivings that we entered upon this service, but God helped us both. We began at once, and the Spirit of God soon raised us above the embarrassment of the situation. God gave a good degree of liberty in speaking, and I think the subject must have been of interest to the people. Though the discourse was of necessity quite lengthy, and though the position of many was not one of rest, every person present paid strict attention from beginning to end.