p. 40 | To Correspondents

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 25, 1878

To Correspondents.

W. E. Clark: The recent article by Bro. Canright, “Why not Found out Before?” is one of a series of tent tracts written by him and can be had in tract form.

Is it consistent with our faith to belong to a lodge of Good Templars? C. S.

Ans. We have no “faith” in any secret organization whatever; and we do not think it consistent for any Christian to belong to any such order, whatever may be its name or professed object. No good work needs to hide behind the cover of secrecy.

1. Is it wrong to shave? 2. If so, where is the Bible proof?

Ans. 1. No. 2. Nowhere. Some claim that there are strong physiological reasons against cutting the beard. On that ground there may be valid objections against the practice.

Please explain Hebrews 4:8. G. F. B.

Ans. All the difficulty lies in the use of the name Jesus for Joshua, the person referred to in the text. A paraphrase will make it plain. Thus: For if Jesus [Joshua] had [when he led Israel into Canaan] given them rest [the rest God had promised,] then would not he [God] afterward have spoken of another day [or period in which the invitation was still given to enter into God’s rest, as he did by David, after they had entered Canaan]. The rest is the Heavenly rest of which Canaan was a type. Nothing could be more absurd than to refer the language to a day of the week, and make it refer to the weekly Sabbath.

E. Lanphear: It strikes us that Sabbath-keepers who oppose the Bible view of the nature and destiny of man are guilty of the same inconsistencies, and the same fallacious reasoning in reference to that subject that Sunday-keepers are guilty of in reference to the Sabbath.

Answered by Letter: G. W. Colcord, E. P. Mansell, J. H. Waggoner, W. H. Littlejohn, E. Walworth, H. W. Jackman, H. W. Decker, R. Conradi, W. W. Jones, W. Dock, G. W. Rogers, S. W. Randall, Mrs. I. F. Howell, C. H. Maxwell, D. A. Robinson, G. C. O’Connor.