Faith and Works by Uriah Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 15, 1874

Faith and Works.

By Uriah Smith

THE apostle says that faith is manifested by works. It is a modern anomaly that works are a denial of faith. The world has for a long time been troubled about our works. They could get along very well with our faith, if we would only allow it to remain a dead faith unseconded by works, or if we would in some way deny it.

Nothing would suit them better than to have us deny our faith; for then they could set their consciences at rest. And they are so anxious for this that they seem to be blessed with more than a microscopic eyesight for discovering inconsistencies in our course, and even take our works to be a denial of that faith, of which the apostle says that they are the only valid evidence.

When the first small wooden building, with its three limited rooms, was erected in this place, for our printing office, it excited not much notice or comment.

When that was moved back, and upon its site was erected the first brick building with its seven capacious rooms, the cry began to be raised that we could not believe the end to be very near, or we should not put up such a building as that.

A substantial and comfortable church building was erected. Oh! you can't believe the end is very near. You are expecting to stay here some time yet.

A Health Institute was established. Certainly you would not undertake such enterprises as that if you believed what you preach.

Two more office buildings, of the same capacity as the first brick building, were completed. Surely, now you are making calculation to stay in this world a long time. This does not look much like the end coming very soon.

And now a large and thoroughly-built school building is erected. This puts the climax upon all our denials of faith. Certainly you are making calculations for many years, and cannot believe that the end is anywhere near at hand.

These ideas seem to pass very current with the world as correct reasoning and sound conclusions; and even some of the brethren are troubled by them. It may be well therefore to inquire what our faith is, and what course of action would be in accordance therewith.

We profess to believe that the burden of the work of proclaiming to the world the last message of mercy is committed to our hands. How much is involved in this? This world, though small in comparison with other worlds, is nevertheless to human beings quite a large place. Though three-fourths of it are under water, there is still a vast expanse of territory left. Its inhabitants are numbered by the hundreds of millions. How much labor will it take to convey instruction on the present truth to all of these who are entitled to receive it? How many men will be wanted? What kind of men? The world's talent will be arrayed against the truth. Somebody must be prepared to meet it. How many books will be required? How many thousand tons of periodicals? How much means to carry on the work? Can it be done without concerted action? without organized effort? Can it be accomplished by individual or short-sighted labors that are calculated only for the day?

The demands for men and matter and means now everywhere arising and pressing upon us, begin to show a little of what will be needed. But let us suppose that no provision had been made sufficient for even the present demand. Suppose that for fear of denying our faith, we had been content to remain in the small wooden office, with only a hand press, capable of turning off, of both books and papers, five or six thousand impressions per week, instead of a hundred thousand as now, where should we have been? and what would have been the prospect before us? Then might the objector have had good grounds to accuse us of denying our faith; for if we believed we had a great work to accomplish, we should have made some provisions for it.

It has been often explained that the advantages of the school are not to be confined to a course of study of two, three, or four years before we begin to see the fruits. In three, six, nine months, or a year, its effects will begin to be cheeringly apparent, or we greatly misjudge. That this provision for good is so far accomplished is a matter of joy. This preparation of the needed facilities in education, in health reform, and in the work of publishing, are the most faith-inspiring features this cause has ever been able to show.

What more will be needed, we perhaps do not now clearly see. We only know that this work is the cause of God, and it will be accomplished. It cannot go back. The omnipotent hand of the God and Christ of our blessed hope is behind it. We know that that cause which represents in the earth the closing truths of the word of God, and the finishing of the work of salvation among men, is no sham and slip-shod affair, and will not be done in a corner. There are thousands of localities to be lightened with its presence, which do not yet so much as know of its existence. There are thousands of men to be raised up for the work of the harvest. There are tons of books to be produced. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars to be expended. Perhaps our present facilities must be doubled or quadrupled. Of all the causes in all the earth, that which demands the best of first-class facilities, and the most thorough and well-appointed means, is the cause of God. And it must and will have them. Let us not suffer our hands to be crippled with the unnatural impression that we are denying our faith by adopting the only available means of carrying it out. U. S.