The Advent Doctrine Known by its Fruit.
By D. T. Bourdeau
A TREE is known by the fruit it bears; so a doctrine is known by the fruit that those bring forth who live it out. And certainly the fruit and tendency of the Advent doctrine can be none other than good. The Advent doctrine is highly practical. If the shortness of human life and the certainty of death are strong incentives to repentance, are not the near coming of Christ, the close of human probation, and the unmingled wrath of God preceding it, still greater motives to lead men to turn away from their sins and give their hearts to God? If the doctrine of Christ's first coming led John the Baptist to strongly call upon men to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, should not the belief of his speedy second coming have at least a similar effect on those who entertain it? John the Baptist preached the coming of the Lamb of God who was to take away the sins of the world and open to the world the fullness of gospel blessings, yet he laid the axe at the root of the tree. We believe in the advent of Christ as King of kings to punish the ungodly and reward the saints, and that before Christ comes, mercy will cease to be offered, and there will be no hope of pardon to the sinner. How doubly compelling is this doctrine in leading to repentance and holiness of life. Again, some who have not gone too far in presumptuous sins may possibly find mercy on a dying bed. They have a merciful High Priest and advocate who may then be prevailed upon to plead in their behalf the merits of his death as they confess their sins to him. But not so with the presumptuous sinner who lives till the coming of the Lord. He will then have no Mediator, no High Priest, to plead his case. The atonement will then be past. The filthy must his filth retain and receive the just but awful wrath of God. How important then it is to improve the few lingering, merciful moments as they pass. Accordingly, as we might expect, those who heartily receive the Advent doctrine, whether they have been professors or not, to feel the importance of repenting, and leading more devoted lives in the service of God. They see they are unprepared for the time of trouble, and for the day of God. They see errors in their past lives, sins to be confessed and overcome, to stand the scrutinizing test and fiery ordeal of the Judgment, and be without spot and blameless at Christ's appearing. But some will refer to the crooked course of those who profess the Advent doctrine, or who have given it up as the legitimate fruits of Adventism. This is very unfair. As well might they charge to Moses the unbelief and fall of the Jews in the wilderness, and to the Saviour the infidelity of the Jews at his first advent, and even their great wickedness in slaying him. It is not because the Israelites received the testimony of Moses that they fell in the wilderness; but their fall was the result of their rejecting his testimony—the result of their unbelief. So in regard to the fall of the Jews at Christ's first advent; and so in regard to the bad fruit of some who profess the Advent faith and do not live it out, or of some who have given up the Advent doctrine. The proper way to judge of the nature of a doctrine is to look at the fruit of those who live it out. And even the fall and crooked course of those who reject the truth verifies the truthfulness of the saying of Paul, that the gospel is as much a savor of death unto death unto those who reject it, as it is a savor of life unto life to those who truly receive it and carry it out in their lives.