p. 469 | THE CHURCH by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Jul 23, 1901

THE CHURCH.

By John Norton Loughborough

Caution to the Church.

ELDER J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2 Cor. 11:3.

Greenfield, in his Lexicon, says that the Greek word aplotetos, here rendered simplicity, means sincerity and purity. It is used in Rom. 12:8 with reference to giving to aid the needy, and for the support of the cause. In 2 Cor. 1:12 the same term applies to conversation, which word anâstrophe is defined “mode of life, conduct, deportment.”

The Lord marked out the “mode of life” for Adam and Eve, but Satan objected to that, and beguiled Eve with what he claimed to be a better plan. In Paul's time Satan still sought slyly to introduce his ways in opposition to those given by the Saviour. He came out more boldly when using Elymas, the sorcerer, whom the apostle rebuked in these words: “O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” Acts 13:10.

The scheming of Satan is just the same now as in olden time. He is watching for his opportunity to pervert the Lord's work, and make confusion in the Church. The Lord warned His people of this as early as 1853, in these words: “In these last days, while God is bringing His children into the unity of the faith, there is more real need of order than ever before; for, as God unites His children, Satan and his evil angels are very busy to prevent this unity and destroy it.”

In 1868 it was said, “Never, never, will these heavenly messengers place their indorsement upon irregularity, disorganization, and disorder. All these evils are the result of Satan's efforts to weaken our forces, to destroy courage, and prevent successful action.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. I, page 650.

In 1882 this message was given: “Union is strength. . . . Satan well understands this. Never was he more determined than now to make of none effect the truth of God, by causing bitterness and dissension among the Lord's people. . . . If there was ever a time when the people of God should press together, it is now.”—Id., No. 31, page 232.

In “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. I, page 210, it is stated: “Order must be observed, and there must be union in maintaining order, or Satan will take the advantage.”

In 1889 this instruction was given: “One point will have to be guarded, and that is individual independence. As soldiers in Christ's army, there should be concert of action in the various departments of the work.”—Id., No. 33, page 62.

In “Christian Education” (1894) we read: “I am sure that the Lord has wrought in the organization that has been perfected, and the fact that there are discouraging features in the work should not be thought a sufficient reason for disorganization.”—Pages 134–136.

Again in the same book we read: “Evil does not result because of organization, but because of making organization everything, and vital godliness of little moment.”

This mode of Satan's scheming was seen anciently. When the Lord had given the people sacrifices to keep fresh in their minds the offering of Christ that was to be made for them, Satan led them to “trust in the sacrifices and ordinances themselves, instead of resting upon Him to whom they pointed.” We read in “Christian Education,” page 134, “When form and machinery take the pre-eminence, and a laborious task is made of carrying on the work that should be done with simplicity, evil will result, and little will be accomplished in proportion to the effort put forth. The object of organization is just the reverse of this; and should we disorganize, it would be like tearing down that which we have built up. Evil results have been seen, both in the Sabbath-school work and in the missionary society, because of making much of machinery, while vital experience was lost sight of.”

Once more we quote from “Christian Education:” “O, how Satan would rejoice to get in among this people, and disorganize the work at a time when thorough organization is essential, and will be the greatest power to keep out spurious uprisings, and to refute claims not endorsed by the word of God! We want to hold the lines evenly, that there shall be no breaking down of the system of regulation and order. . . . We are living in a time when order, system, and unity of action are most essential.”

Not a line is found in the Testimonies objecting to the plan and system of order and organization that God has established among Seventh-day Adventists; but we have found it plainly stated that “God has led” in the establishment of the system. In 1894 it was spoken of as “a plan that has been perfected.” One that “is to stand, strengthened and established.”

In view of these plain statements, we inquire, What has led individuals to the conclusion that the present mode of working, so well established, was now to be relaxed? We answer, It must be a misunderstanding of the cautions given to this people. The following was given in 1881, in “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. IV, page 535:—

“The steady progress of our work, and our increased facilities, are filling the hearts and minds of many of our people with satisfaction and pride, which we fear will take the place of the love of God in the soul. Busy activity in the mechanical part of the work of God may so occupy the mind that prayer will be neglected, and self-importance and self-sufficiency, so ready to urge their way, will take the place of true goodness, meekness, and lowliness of heart. The zealous cry may be heard, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are these!’ ‘Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.’ But where are the burden bearers? Where are the fathers and mothers in Israel? Where are those

who carry upon the heart the burden for souls, and who come in close sympathy with their fellow men, ready to place themselves in any position to save them from eternal ruin?”

Not long after this caution was given, one who has since left our ranks, in giving instruction to young ministers, told them they should get before the people an idea of our great institutions and the magnitude of our work, as a means of creating an interest in their minds. May the Lord forgive us who may have followed that instruction.

In the volume of Testimonies from which the last quotation was taken, we read of another danger: “Our brethren should be guarded, lest they become stereotyped in their plans and labors. They may spend time and money in preparing an exact channel, that the work must be done in just such a way or it is not done right. There is danger of being too particular. . . .

“There is a great work to be done in the day of God's preparation, in devising and executing plans for the advancement of His cause. Our publications should have a wide circulation; for they are doing a great work. There is much missionary work to be done. But I have been shown that there is danger of having this work too mechanical, so intricate and complicated that less will be accomplished than if it were more simple, direct, plain, and decided. We have neither time nor means to keep all parts of this machinery in harmonious action. . . .

“By obtaining a most thorough education in all the minutiae, and leaving vital principles out of the question, we become dry and formal workers. The hearts that God has made willing by the operations of His grace, are fitted for the work. . . .

“Less dwelling upon set forms, less of the mechanical, and more of the power of godliness, are essential in this solemn, fearful day of responsibilities.”—Pages 600, 601.

In the REVIEW of Aug. 7, 1894, we read: “The people of God have lost much by not maintaining the simplicity of the truth as it is in Jesus. This simplicity has been crowded out, and forms and ceremonies and a round of busy activities in mechanical work have taken its place. Pride and lukewarmness have made the professed people of God an offense in His sight.”

Some of the foregoing statements refer especially to rules adopted by the tract and missionary societies, which had made the work of the society “a laborious task.” Especially was this the case with the devoted, earnest souls who did effective work, but had not the ability to make the required reports, or perchance had obtained their tracts without following all the round specified in the rules of the society. The writer has seen persons plead with tears for tracts for some soul who was anxious to read, but the careful librarian refused them because they failed to keep an exact account of the number of pages they gave away, and did not report as specified in the mechanical rule.

In an unpublished Testimony of 1894 attention is again called to these things, but to avoid the difficulty the missionary society is not to be abolished, neither is order to be abandoned, as is seen by what follows:—

“I learn that it is proposed by some of our brethren to do away with the organization of some at least of the branches of our work. No doubt what has led them to propose this step is that in some of our organizations the machinery has been made so complicated as really to hinder the work. This, however, is not an argument against organization, but against the perversion of it.”