p. 8 | The Growth of the Cause in Early Years

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 18, 1916

The Growth of the Cause in Early Years

By George I. Butler

GEO. I BUTLER

The increase of believers in the third angel's message in its early history was small in its aggregate number, yet in its ratio, or percentage, it was quite large. Any candid, fair investigator can readily see that this is so. The number of laborers was very small. There were few persons of means in those early days. Most of them had given so freely in the first message that they had little left. But they were a liberal, sacrificing people.

Because of the great unpopularity of the advent doctrine after the passing of the time, it was impossible for its advocates to get the attention of the masses. This was especially so in the eastern portions of the country, where the advent message had been largely proclaimed. The main efforts, yea, the only efforts for a time, to bring new believers into the third angel's message were made among the advent believers themselves.

Consider the actual conditions at the time,—just a little handful of earnest, devout believers who had studied their Bibles and obtained the clear light on the third angel's message, the sanctuary question, the binding obligation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment of the decalogue, and a few other points of equal unpopularity; with little means; with little literature and no colporteurs; with not a single church building of their own, and not an organized church among them; and with no interest whatever among the general public to hear what they believed. Could anything look more hopeless than a world-wide propaganda

under such conditions? I have often wondered how, from a human standpoint, these leaders could have indulged in a particle of hope.

Yet this feeble little flock had full faith to move out in what they believed was a world-wide message which was to stir the world, and test it, and prepare a people for Christ's second coming. Being conversant with what was going on at that time, and quite skeptical by nature, I wondered with a great wonder at the strong faith these few people had.

The history of the work has fully justified the faith of these earliest pioneers. Apparently the work went very slowly at first; yet with all its seeming weakness there has never been a year in its more than seventy years' history but there has been an increase, until now the church has a membership of more than one hundred thousand strong, and its influence is felt in all the world.

It was no doubt in the order of God's providence that the work should begin feeble and small in the public eye, its increase almost wholly coming from the old advent believers. These were the stanchest believers in the great advent movement of the past. Large numbers of professed believers had given up quickly their faith in the advent movement. Many who still nominally believed in it had become formal and worldly, thinking little of the Lord's soon coming, and cared mostly for worldly gain.

But there were here and there devout, earnest, spiritual Christians, seeking God daily for light, who could not understand for the time being why the disappointment came. Yet as Christians of long experience they knew in their souls that they had been greatly blessed in believing in their Lord's soon coming. The evidences that his coming was near were still in their Bibles the same as before. How could they cast aside their whole religious experience, and go back to the world, or to a formal church that hated this whole religious movement and the very idea that Christ's coming was near? They could not do it. But yet there was the mystery of the great disappointment.

But when Father Bates or Elder and Mrs. White or other noble men and women came to them with the third angel's message right there in their Bibles, and explained to them the sanctuary subject, their hearts leaped for joy. The new light was absorbed with great gladness and rejoicing. They now understood that which had been dark just as clearly as the blessed disciples of Christ understood, after Christ's death and resurrection, that he had to die to fulfil the Scriptures. The advent believers were not to expect, as the Jews had believed, that Messiah would become a temporal king and reign over the Jews in this sin-cursed world; but the glorious gospel, the glad tidings of great joy to all nations, was to be preached to gather precious souls for the coming of that more glorious second advent, when Jesus and all the holy angels will appear, to welcome and gather all his people to the glorious reward of eternal life.

So these disappointed advent believers held fast the precious doctrine that Christ's second coming was near. But they saw that there was a third angel's message to be proclaimed to all the world, that every vestige of the great apostasy must be discarded, and every ray of light accepted; that the keeping of all of God's commandments, the seventh-day Sabbath included, was taught throughout the Bible. This was a convincing, soul-satisfying reformation, and they held fast the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, returning to the full faith of the apostolic church, and casting aside every false doctrine of the Papacy.

There is one scripture especially which was a great comfort to these true disciples after their great disappointment: "Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed." Isa. 66: 5. How wonderfully these words apply to their situation! These devout souls had fully believed that the appearing of their Saviour was near, even at the door. They had rejoiced in this glorious hope, but they had been disappointed in his not coming at the time they expected him.

The formal, nominal churches had hated this doctrine, and cast these loving disciples out of their communion, saying, "Let the Lord be glorified." Apparently, the formal believers had triumphed. "But," says the prophet of the Lord, beholding the scene prophetically, "he [Christ] shall appear" to the joy of the true believer, but the nominal professor shall be ashamed. Oh, how terribly ashamed he will be when the Lord appears in his glory!

These true believers who clung fast to that precious doctrine formed the nucleus of the early believers in this grand message. It is said of them, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." They have the truths of the Old and New Testaments. They are looking for, believing in, and longing to see the blessed Saviour.

Bowling Green, Fla.