The Essex Camp-Meeting

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Sep 16, 1875

The Essex Camp-Meeting.

(Continued from last Week.)

SUNDAY MORNING—SERMON BY ELDER JAMES WHITE.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear."—1 Pet. 3:15.

The text suggests preparation of the heart. We should sanctify, or set apart, the Lord God in our hearts as the object of our worship and supreme love. It also suggests preparation of the mind by study. We should especially study the Sacred Scriptures in order to be ready ever to give a reason for our faith and hope, whether in the pulpit, by the fireside, or when we meet inquiring friends by the way.

The speaker proposed to answer the question, "Why are we Seventh-day Adventists?" He said he thought it even wrong to differ with others without good reasons to differ. He stated that it was not from national cast, or from denominational mould that we believe as we do; for we are gathered from nearly all the nations, and from all the denominations, and from the outside world.

The speaker called attention to the double name—Seventh-day Adventists—and stated that an Adventist was not necessarily a time-setter. The periods of the prophecy of Daniel have terminated. Wm. Millers mistake was not in the time, but in the event to occur at the close of the two thousand and three hundredth prophetic day of that book. The sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of those days was not the second coming of Christ and the burning day, as supposed by Mr. Miller, but the closing work of the ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. He stated that the word referred to the heavenly sanctuary, which was to be cleansed by the blood of Christ, as the earthly sanctuary was cleansed by the blood of goats. After speaking a few moments upon the personal coming of Christ, and the events connected with it, the speaker called especial attention to Matt. 24:23-27, which he affirmed set forth the false views of the second advent in contrast with the true.

He said that Christ in that prophetic chapter carries the mind down past the destruction of Jerusalem, past the persecutions of Pagan Rome, and the period of Papal dominion which ended in 1798, and that in the 23d verse he says, "Then (the speaker placed emphasis on the word then) if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not." In the 26th verse Christ says, "If they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth." The speaker thought that this was met in Mormonism which takes its converts to Salt Lake City to the desert, where they claim they have Christ.

He quoted the rest of the verse: "Behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not." He referred to the quite extensive belief that Christ comes at death—at the sick bed, in the sick chamber, at death. He showed the folly of placing the second coming of Christ at death. There can be but one second coming of Christ. He called attention to the manner of Christ's coming with all his holy angels, and quoted Matt. 24:27, and several other scriptures. He showed the folly of that mystical interpretation of the Scriptures which is so prevalent, which allows one to give just such a meaning to the words of the Bible as will suit the wishes of the individual.

He proceeded to tell "why we keep the seventh day." His first reason was, "Because we take the Bible just as it reads." He presented a chart containing the ten commandments. He presumed no one would object to any of them except the fourth. He noticed the argument that the ten commandments were abolished at the cross and nine of them re-enacted by the apostles. He called for the new copy, but said it could not be found. He said that the second commandment could not be found in any form in the New Testament; that only three of the ten can be found word for word in the New Testament. He claimed that the law of God is still binding, just as it reads; and for that reason we keep the seventh day. He said there is not a single text in the whole Bible for the observance of Sunday.

There was a large attendance; and, notwithstanding an unfortunate scare at the prospect of a shower, which did not come during the sermon, the audience, after retiring to the large canvass tent, listened with great interest and close attention.

SUNDAY EVENING.

Eld. Canright spoke on the Sabbath question. What does the New Testament say upon the Sabbath? The speaker would notice first the foundation of the Sabbath. Sabbath means rest. The Sabbath originated at the Creation. God worked six days and rested on the seventh. The seventh is the Lord's rest-day and cannot be changed any more than can the birthday of Washington. The Sabbath, then, is not a changeable institution.

The speaker said that it is supposed by many that a change of the Sabbath is found in the New Testament. He stated that if God did design to have a change in the Sabbath, he would have said so plainly; that every ordinance which was binding in the Old Testament, but abolished in the gospel dispensation is plainly said to have been done away in the New Testament; that no such statement was ever seen in relation to the Sabbath.

He said that the first day of the week is mentioned in the New Testament only eight times, that it is never called the Sabbath, never called the Lord's day, was never blessed nor sanctified. It is mentioned in the last chapter of Matthew, of Mark, of Luke, and the next to the last chapter of John. These books were written by apostles and disciples from ten to sixty-years after the crucifixion.

He spoke of Christ's appearing to the disciples as recorded in Mark 16:14, and he showed that the disciples were not celebrating the resurrection by keeping the first day of the week, for they did not believe that Christ had arisen. Christ upbraided them for their unbelief. He stated that only one religious meeting upon the first day of the week is recorded in the New Testament. According to John 20:26, after eight days from that first day of the week when Christ appeared unto the eleven, the disciples were within, that is, home, and Christ appeared unto them again. This is claimed by some as a religious meeting held upon the first day of the week; but by a moment's count it will be seen that "after eight days" places the latter gathering at least as late as Monday evening.

He mentioned the fact that ministers sometimes state that every meeting of Christ with his disciples after his resurrection was upon the first day of the week. He referred the audience to the time when Christ appeared to them when they were fishing. Christ did not tell them that it was wrong to fish on Sunday, but told them where to drop in to get a good haul. The speaker did not know whether it was upon the first day of the week or not—if not, it is plain that Christ did appear to his disciples on other days; if it was, then the disciples fished upon Sunday and Christ sanctioned it.

The meeting mentioned in Acts 20:7, is simply an evening meeting held at that time because Paul was to leave them on the morrow. It was not called the Sabbath, nor the Lord's day, nor a sacred day; but simply the first day of the week.

The speaker claimed that the Lord's day mentioned in Rev. 1:10, refers to the seventh, that being the only day the Lord ever claimed. See Ex. 20:10; Isa. 58:13.

He then took up some of the direct testimony for the Sabbath. He showed that it was Christ's custom to observe it; that Christ recognized the existence of the Sabbath as late as the year A. D. 70, when Jerusalem was destroyed, for he told his disciples to pray that their flight on that occasion should not occur on the Sabbath; Matt. 24:20; that the Spirit of God speaking by the inspired pen of Luke in the year A. D. 60, recognized as the Sabbath the same day on which the Jews had the synagogue. Acts 13:14.

The afternoon rain had ceased and a large number of the people of the town were present to hear with the most respectful attention.—Free Press.