THE GREAT STIR IN NORWAY.
The capital of Norway is greatly stirred over the present truth. In this week's report from Bro. Matteson, reference is made to a little leaflet that has been published and scattered all over Christiana. Its design is especially to arouse the theologians and clergy of that city to take active measures against the work performed by Bro. Matteson. We have just received a copy of the leaflet, and as it shows how deep-rooted the work of truth is getting to be in Christiana, and how stirred up the people are in regard to it, we take pleasure in translating it for the readers of the REVIEW. The article starts out with the following question:— “Are nearly all the shepherds of the churches of Christiana asleep, or what should and ought one to expect of priests and theologians, when error of the worst kind is preached and disseminated publicly?” “It has caused and still causes great dissatisfaction with the priests and theologians of Christiana, that nothing as yet has been done to refute and answer the publications that have been scattered abroad, and the many aggravating, blasphemous, lectures held in this city by a missionary from the Seventh-day Adventists in America. When the pure doctrine of the State church has clearly been shown to be radically false, as has been done by publications and public lectures, then it is not enough that the priests simply warn their members not to attend the meetings and listen to the lectures; because hundreds will attend anyway. Those who with a little insight into the doctrine of justification by faith, have followed the thread of these many kinds of lectures, will see that no more subtle way of undermining the fundamental principles of theology has ever been introduced into this country, so far as can be remembered. The writer of these lines, who for many years has been engaged in the missionary work, and therefore has had more than common opportunities to become grounded in the truths of the gospel, would venture to say that much Bible knowledge and Christian experience is needed in order not to be led away by the errors of this doctrine, and that many are being led away is already a well-known fact. “Our common books of instruction for children, so far as some of the vital points are concerned, such as the question of the immortality of the soul and of endless torment, are not plain enough to even defend one's self with them; and when these points are subtly attacked by enemies of the truth, we can see with sorrow from the present case what the result will be; they do not spare anything of the existing doctrines, when their objects thereby can be attained. Many priests and theologians are always at hand with their domineering writings at the expense of the truth, as for instance when they take it in hand to tear down the work of a poor lay preacher, who, without pay and driven by the Spirit of God, devote themselves