Which Is Denying the Faith?
By R. F. Cottrell
Our faith is that the time is come for the last message of the gospel to be proclaimed; that this message is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, that is, it is not to be “done in a corner,” but the sound must go into all the earth, or, at least, to “many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings,” so that it shall be a fair warning and final test to mankind. This work had a very small beginning, about a quarter of a century ago, as did the beginning of the gospel of the Son of God, when a few humble fishermen of Galilee were sent out to proclaim it. And though faith was strong that God would, in some way, accomplish the work, few realized the magnitude of the work which he would accomplish through ordinary instrumentalities and human agency. Probationary time was justly viewed as being very short; but the conclusion drawn from this premise by different individuals was quite unlike. One reasoned like this: Time is short; therefore anything that looks like permanency, as the building of meeting-houses or offices of publication and the purchasing of steam presses, is a denial of the faith. Others reasoned thus: Time is short; the work of warning the world is before us; therefore investing our means to push forward this work, instead of hoarding them to be consumed on our hands without doing any good, is the best testimony to the world that we believe what we say we do. Now which is the right conclusion? and which is a denial of the faith? Time is short. The salvation of a single soul is of inestimable value. Other souls are as dear to God and to themselves as myself. Jesus says, “Ye are the light of the world.” Shall we spare our labors and withhold our means? or shall we hold up the light? Noah did not deny the faith by investing his thousands in the building of the ark; but by it he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Action is the best proof of the sincerity of our faith. There have been those who have murmured and held back at every advance in the work, and frequently the objection is that the move is a denial of our faith. Time, say they, is too short to engage in this work. This class have had time and opportunity to correct their error. But still, with them, their objection holds good, and is presented anew at every step of progress. About the time that we were building our first brick publishing office, a good brother in Pennsylvania told me he thought that time was too short to engage in such a work. My reply was that we had a great work to do to publish the last message to the world, and time was too short to do it without additional facilities. He had a good share of this world's goods; but time was too short to invest it in publishing the truth to save souls; while he was not alarmed for fear it would perish unused on the hands of a slothful servant, who, viewing men on the brink of ruin, withheld the means to warn them of their danger. The logic of these persons is unequaled by any example I have met with save one. About 1855, I visited a certain doctor in Buffalo, N. Y., who was a leading man among the timeists, and has since been an editor of a paper devoted to publishing definite time for the advent. I presented the true Sabbath to him and convinced him of his duty to keep it; and he kept it for about three weeks, as he afterwards told me. But he had given it up, and why? The Lord, he said, was coming within a year, and consequently time was too short to undertake to make the change! still admitting that the seventh-day Sabbath is binding. Brethren, if our position is true—if the Lord is at hand and we have the last message of mercy to mankind—which no believing student of prophecy and observer of the signs of the times can deny, let us act as if we believe it. We have a great work to do, by the help of God, and but little time in which to do it. Let us with renewed consecration to God take hold of the work as we have not heretofore, and press forward with earnestness and zeal corresponding to the importance of the issues before us. May God help us to work in his cause till the work is done. R. F. Cottrell.