Minnesota and the S. D. Baptists.
By GEO. J. BUTLER.
Our meeting at Medford, Minn., Jan. 24 and 25, was well attended by the friends of the cause in the State. One load came from Hutchinson, with a team, over one hundred miles; and quite a number came fifty miles. I was encouraged to see the readiness of the friends to turn out. Our meetings were all held in the Congregationalist church, through the courtesy of its officers. They only reserved the use of the house Sunday forenoon for their own society; and Mr. Brown, the pastor, invited me to fill the pulpit and preach to his own congregation at that time, which I did. These courtesies were very uncommon, to say the least. There seems to be a very friendly feeling toward us in Medford and vicinity, caused partly, at least, by the good influence of the camp-meetings. This was a general quarterly meeting of the Tract and Missionary Society. There seems to be a laudable interest in this important society on the part of many of the members. Minnesota was one of the first Conferences which had her quota of names sent in for trial volume of Review. There are numerous openings for labor in various parts of the State, many of which seem promising. When the brethren and sisters generally get that interest in the work that they should, then many will be seen embracing the truth within her limits. There was not as much spiritual life and zeal manifested in the meetings as I desired to see. I judge the lack of this is felt by many. As I was coming through the State toward Iowa, I made it in my way to call upon Bro. D. P. Curtis, of the Seventh-day Baptist church, with whom I formed a very pleasant acquaintance at the last camp-meeting at Medford. I enjoyed a very pleasant visit with him and his family for nearly two days. Bro. Curtis holds views more in common with us, perhaps, than most of his brethren in his own church, but still holds his connection with the church as an S. D. Baptist minister, though mainly laboring upon his farm. His church at Alden, Minn., are very much scattered, many having moved away to other parts. We should have had an evening meeting, but the weather became quite stormy, which hindered us. Bro. Curtis feels a great interest in the work of Sabbath reform now going forward among S. D. Adventists, and manifests a truly brotherly feeling. May God make him truly useful in turning souls to the light of truth which shines upon God's holy law. He has ability which can be better exercised than in working upon his farm. I cannot well refrain, in this connection, from speaking of my experience during the past year in forming acquaintances with S. D. Baptists in various parts of the country. This experience has been very pleasant on my part. And I truly rejoice that the coldness which existed years in the past, is being broken down, so that a better state of feeling has been growing between the two denominations. Why should this not be so? While the Sabbath of the moral law is held by us in common, and other denominations trample it under foot, why should not there exist a feeling of love and respect for each other? The law of God contains the great principles of God's moral government. The transgression of it constitutes sin. Obedience to it is one of the great essentials of true religion. A common sentiment upon this great code should certainly constitute an important link of sympathy between the two denominations. We do not suppose it would be practicable or profitable to undertake to unite these two churches. Conflicting views on other points forbid this. Our different methods of working, and differences in organization, would make this impracticable. But if each works in its own way, with zeal and energy, for the upholding of God's law in all its requirements, sympathy and respect should certainly exist between them. I am well satisfied that our people, especially those who stand in influential positions, share in these sentiments, and will try to act in harmony with them. Such will try to avoid any unpleasant issues on minor points of difference which would have a tendency to weaken the bond of sympathy between us. And, in the meantime, we shall go forward with the work committed to our hands, using those means and agencies which experience has taught us are best calculated to accomplish the work we have to do, and cheerfully leaving our S. D. Baptist friends to work in their own way. In this way, both can work to exalt the law of God before the world. My acquaintance with the S. D. Baptists during the past season has been a pleasant one, and not calculated, I trust, to widen the breach between us. Our meeting at Milton Junction, Wis., I shall long remember with pleasure. My acquaintance with Eld. Varnum Hull was also very pleasant. His visit to the Osceola meeting, I shall not soon forget. In reading his report of labor in Iowa, in the Sabbath Recorder, of Dec. 25, 1873, some weeks since, I noticed several points that may properly be considered, concerning our people and myself. I shall notice them with no fault-finding spirit, but with a desire to promote a better understanding between us. He speaks of his visit to Marion, Iowa, and of the existence of “two branches” there, the “Visionists and Anti-Visionists.” He says, “The last-mentioned class are increasing in numbers. They lack executive and pecuniary ability, or they would soon be the stronger body. Unhappily, they are striving among themselves, and are thus weakened.” I suppose him to mean by this that that class who have come out from the body of Seventh-day Adventists, through the country, because of their opposition to the visions of Mrs. White, are increasing, and would exceed in numbers the S. D. Adventist people soon, had they executive and financial strength; and that this statement was not to be confined to Marion itself; for there the “Anti-Visionists” have ever been in the majority. I confess to some surprise at this statement, and fear Bro. Hull is misled as to the facts. While S. D. Adventists have thirteen organized Conferences, regularly supporting about fifty ministers constantly in the field, and are enlarging their field of operations in all directions, I am very certain those of whom he speaks have not an organization in a single State where one regular minister is supported as a laborer. I know there are several individuals among them who speak their sentiments to the people occasionally. But the truthfulness of my statement in this respect is incontestible. There is no general agreement of sentiment among them which could constitute them one people to labor for a common object. And while S. D. Adventists hold camp-meetings in many States, with many hundreds and even thousands in attendance, as Bro. Hull knows from personal observation, we much doubt if there is a single State where our Marion “Anti-Visionist” friends could summon together one hundred persons of their own faith at one meeting. Neither was it financial ability or numbers that was lacking when Elds. Snook and Brinkerhoof led our Marion friends away from the body of S. D. Adventists; for we have no question that they had ten times the wealth and numbers in their ranks that S. D. Adventists had when their paper started; and yet the numbers and strength of the latter have increased continually, while the former have come so low through weakness that their paper has been forced to stop for lack of support, and its acting editor, during the past summer, as I am informed, took the printing materials into his possession for lack of pay. We assure Bro. Hull that their lack of prosperity arose from other causes than lack of financial or executive ability. Bro. Hall speaks at length of our meeting at Osceola, Iowa, last fall, and of the pleasure he experienced in attending it. But he heard with “sorrow” “Eld. Butler urge with much earnestness the authority of Eld. White and the visions of Mrs. White,” &c., &c. “It had been told me before that they thus exalted Mr. and Mrs. White, but I had hoped that it might prove a mistake.” This sermon that I preached, which was such an unfortunate source of regret to Bro. Hall, was simply designed as a rebuke to that spirit of murmuring and fault-finding, which is the bane of every good cause. No cause has ever prospered where there was not union and cordial support of those whom experience had demonstrated were the safest and most judicious counselors. Believing, as S. D. Adventists do, that the work in which they are engaged was foretold in prophecy as a true and genuine work of reform, preparatory to Christ's coming, it is not strange that they should feel some interest that those should be held in reasonable respect as leaders, whom twenty-five years of experience had proved were safe and wise advisers. If we have found, by a sad experience in the past when a different course has been pursued, that such a course has been of great detriment to this cause, where is the wrong in setting such example before the minds of our people, and the principles which underlie it? I confidently believe the great danger of the American people is, not in cultivating union and respect for authority, but in self-assertion and leveling down all authority and rule. While I would claim the right of private judgment and conscience as strongly as any, I would not consider it wise to go to the extreme, and lose respect for that authority which the Bible plainly teaches. Bro. Hull thinks it strange that I should attach so much importance to the visions of Mrs. White. Would he think it more reasonable to attach no importance to that light which we believe God is communicating? While he calls S. D. Adventists “visionists,” does he think they ought to give no respect to visions? While some of us do really believe God is giving light in this generation, as all Christians believe he did in the past, we could not be consistent, of course, without paying some degree of respect to it. The first point to settle is whether the visions in question are genuine or not. The characteristics of true and false manifestations are given in the Bible. The “law and testimony” should settle this, as well as all other religious questions. We cordially invite Bro. Hull to an examination of it before deciding it to be spurious. Bro. Hull further says: “They seem to have fixed the time when the world will end within five years. They have raised money to build a college. It will take most of the time to build, and make a beginning in a course of study. They talk also of building a health institute and printing establishment on the Pacific coast. Another course and use of means would better accord with so brief a term for the world to stand.” I confess great surprise that Bro. Hull should state what he did about setting time. This is something S. D. Adventists have never done. They claim to be in “the waiting time,” after the expiration of the prophetic periods, and never expect the time of Christ's coming to be preached or understood. We think it is near, and that we are in the last days. But where he should have got authority for such a statement, I cannot guess. Our prayer is, “Come, Lord Jesus, and come quickly.” And we shall rejoice if the event does take place in five years. But we have never taught it, so far as I know. In regard to building a school-house, where our children may be taught, and our young men may receive instruction to fit them for the ministry, S. D. Adventists think it most consistent with their faith. Believing the world are to be warned of this great event, they think it reasonable to furnish the means to do it with; so a place is to be provided where young men can be instructed for this purpose, not by taking a five years' course in heathen classics or the ponderous commentaries of the schools, but in such branches as will give them a fair, practical education, and a knowledge of the simple, plain truths of God's word. This is not in many cases a work of years. We reason like this: If the coming of the Lord was not to take place for a century, we might take hold of this at our leisure. Were it to take place in fifty years, we should be constrained to be more energetic. If in twenty years, then we should have to go to work more earnestly. But if in five or ten years, then we should have to be greatly in earnest. We should have no time to lose. Is this not a fair way to reason? Certainly, Bro. Hull would not think it consistent for us to sit down and do nothing because the Lord was coming soon. The reason why S. D. Adventists are more in earnest than some others is because they feel that their work is drawing to a close. This seems to them to be the most consistent course they can pursue to prepare every agency in their power to forward this work. Means cannot be better employed. It will be far better than to have it burn up in the last-day fires. We fail to see in these strictures of Bro. Hull any cause of repentance on our part. I hope these remarks will cause no offense to any of our S. D. Baptist brethren. As a people, we desire to manifest a spirit of love and respect for them and that this shall increase. We are determined, if difficulties do arise between us, that they shall be caused by no action on our part. We shall labor for union of feeling and sympathy between the two bodies. If consistent with his sense of duty, will the editor of the Recorder publish that portion of this article concerning the S. D. Baptists? GEO. J. BUTLER.
Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Feb. 5, 1874.