p. 55 | Unwarranted Modesty by Ellet Joseph Waggoner

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Feb 1, 1883

Unwarranted Modesty.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

THE Sunday-school Times very justly says that it "requires character as well as courage to admit that one does not know what he is supposed to know—or what he supposes he is supposed to know." It then gives some instances illustrative of this trait of character, and says:—

"Yet, so rare is the courage and so rare is the character which prompts and justifies such answers as these, that it is too often a surprise when a man admits his ignorance on a point concerning which his opinion is sought. Just now there is widespread comment on President Woolsey's frequent confessions of inability to understand all the mysteries, or to solve all the perplexities, in the Bible text on which he is commenting week by week, in the Sunday-school Times; and it is admitted on all sides that these frank confessions are a proof of his superiority. Never be afraid to say that you do not know—when you do not know."

With the last sentence we heartily agree. But with all respect to President Woolsey's superior ability—which is unquestioned—we deny that proof of his superiority is found in his confession of inability to understand certain portions of Scripture. We refer especially to one that was made in the Times of Sept. 2, 1882, where, in commenting on Mark 13:30 he said, "This passage is surrounded with very grave difficulties, which the Sunday-school expositor had better look boldly in the face and then pass on." The 28th and 29th verses of this chapter read thus: "Now learn a parable of the fig-tree; when her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it [Christ's coming] is nigh, even at the doors." Then follows the troublesome text: "Verily I say unto you, that this generation [the generation that should witness the fulfillment of the signs] shall not pass till all these things be done." Now we hold that the preceding verse is a clear command for us to know in regard to these things; and to claim ignorance under these circumstances is not a mark of superiority. It is a sin.

It is always well to be humble; but willing ignorance is not proof of humility. What would be thought of a Professor of mathematics who should say, "It is claimed by some that two and three are five, yet there are grave difficulties in regard to it, which the student should look boldly in the face, and then dodge; we must not be dogmatic." Everybody would say that he was unfit for his position. When a thing is plain, it is only an act of simple manliness to speak decidedly in regard to it. So in the case under consideration. Christ's language throughout the chapter is clear and plain. He briefly maps out the history of the world till the close of time, and gives certain signs which will immediately precede his coming. Then he says we may know that his coming is at hand. To say, then, that we do know that it is near, is no assumption of superior wisdom, nor mark of egotism in those making the claim, but simple obedience to our Saviour's command.

The man in the parable, when asked why he had not on a wedding garment, was speechless. We would not care to meet our Lord with no other excuse for not being there than that we could not understand his directions. We very much fear that he would say, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee." In a case of this kind, it is not safe to make experiments.

But there is another side. These same individuals who are so fearful of appearing dogmatic on the subject of Christ's coming, seem never to be troubled with that fear in regard to another subject—the immortality of the soul. There is no doubt in their minds on that point. That the soul of man is immortal is held to be so certain that it is useless to argue it. Disbelief in that is considered synonymous with disbelief in the Bible and Christianity. And what is the ground of this positiveness? Simple inference. Nowhere in the Bible is the statement made that man is immortal, i. e., undying, excepting in Gen. 3:4; and as that statement was made by Satan, the father of lies, it must be discounted about one hundred per cent. The Bible plainly states that "God only hath immortality," that if man obtains it he must "seek" for it; that it is the "gift of God" "through Jesus Christ our Lord," and that it will be bestowed only on the righteous, and at the coming of Christ. Yet in the face of all this, those who are not ashamed to confess their ignorance of a thing which Christ has commanded us to know, have no hesitancy in affirming that man is naturally immortal.

There is another point on which we would like to have our friends follow their own advice,—"Never be afraid to say that you do not know, when you do not know." It is in respect to the Sunday. Our "orthodox" friends feel very confident that the first day of the week is the Sabbath—so confident that they want to force everybody to observe it, at least outwardly. Yet nowhere in the Bible is it stated that Sunday is the Sabbath. Nowhere is Sunday called by any other name than simply "the first day of the week." Nowhere is it stated that Christ or his apostles or anybody else ever observed that day. On the contrary it is expressly stated that the "seventh day is the Sabbath;" that that day must be kept holy, but that the other six, including the Sunday, are "working days;" that God did the greatest part of his creative work on the first day; the disciples of Jesus did work on that day, which they would not do on the Sabbath; and that Paul used it as an ordinary traveling day. Now as it is an impossibility for one to know that which is not true, would it not be the part of modesty, to say the least, for our friends to admit that they do not know that Sunday is the Sabbath?

We will not press the matter further. We admit that we do teach the doctrine of the soon coming of the Lord with great confidence, but since the Bible alone is the ground of our confidence, we think we do well to be confident. To those who are dare not speak with confidence on this point, but are very certain of the other points which we have mentioned, we quote the words of Paul: "Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth."