Sound Speech by J. H. W.

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 16, 1872

“Sound Speech.”

THE following is an extract from an article published in the Christian Standard, Cincinnati, of March 2, 1872, from a correspondent, concerning the Christian Quarterly. This extract contains a concise, pointed, and truthful rebuke of the tendency to heathen philosophy of the theology of the present day. There is enough plain truth in these few sentences to expose the fallacy of the whole Platonic system, and open the eyes of misguided theologians, if they would heed them. But to some, popular error is much preferable to unpopular truth, and the Bible is made to bow before tradition even though it be of heathen origin. Yet it seems as if such an article as this must open some eyes, and lead some to the truth if they will but reflect upon it. How plain and beautiful is Bible truth compared with popular superstitions! May the Lord speed the right. J. H. W.

“The able writer on Conscience sets out with what I consider a radically false proposition, thus stated by him (p. 2): ‘Death was designed to be but the disengagement of these faculties from an earthly imprisonment, that they might seek their elysium with God, who gave the spirit; while that which is merely animal obeys its affinities, and returns to the dust from which it was taken, thus acknowledging its origin.’ This sentence is false, according to the Bible, according to sound philosophy, and, in point of fact, in general and in every particular, every proposition contained there, explicitly or implicitly, is false; and so long as the fundamental errors contained in this extract are made the basis of our theological thinking, no Biblical theology can be looked for; and I am, therefore, surprised that none of the notices of this number of the Quarterly that have appeared—at least none that I have seen—has taken exception to this position. But, to be particular, it is false: 1. “That death was intended.” Death was no part of the Creator’s plan with man—man was not to die at all—sin brought in death. Deny this position, and there is no truth in the Bible. 2. The body is no imprisonment of either soul, spirit, or of “these faculties.” The body is as much a constituent part, a necessary ingredient of man, as the spirit, one depending on the other for working out its destiny. 3. Neither man in toto, nor any part of him, is animal, the human body being no more an improvement of the gorilla body, than the human spirit is the development of the gorilla instinct.

“Our author has substituted Platonism, with a vengeance, for the Bible; and, however ably he handles his subject, what he gives us is poison—poison for religion, poison for science, poison for truth.”