Popular Fables by M. E. Cornell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 1, 1875

Popular Fables.

By M. E. Cornell

How they abound! How little pure Scripture truth is heard from the popular pulpits of the day! In 2 Tim. 4:3, 4, the apostle speaks of the time when they “will not endure sound doctrine,” but having teachers of their own choice, “they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

The Chicago Daily Tribune of Monday, Dec. 14, contains a sermon delivered the evening before “By the Rev. Dr. Thomas, of the First Methodist Church.” The reporter states that in spite of the rain-storm a very large audience assembled to hear on “Thoughts Concerning the Future of Our World.” The text was Heb. 13:8. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever.” The speaker proposed to leave the practical, “to go into the somewhat speculative, and even imaginative.” Such being his design, we think his discourse was a decided success. He referred to ages before Adam, in which the Mongolian and African species originated, and by the help of the “speculative” and “imaginative,” he could see that “the action of causes is so slow as to give to our race millions of years in which to work out its destiny.” Being very much at home in the mystical field, the doctor goes on and on, and becomes very bold and venturesome! He says:—

“Venturing a step further, we seem to be justified in the belief that man’s career upon earth is yet in its infancy, and that all the time past is as nothing compared to what is to come. The belief that our world is soon to come to an end seems to me to be without the shadow of a reason to support it. All the past, if it have a meaning at all, must have a meaning in being a preparation for something beyond, and for something better. According to all our standards of judgment, were our world to end now its existence must be accounted a failure in the administration of God. It has scarce reached a point yet where its existence can be regarded as productive of more good than evil. Giving, in thought then, our world long ages to come in which to solve the higher problem of its destiny, we ask, What is that destiny to be? We may suppose that the forces that have worked in the past, and that work now, will continue in the time to come, and that man’s future on the earth will be largely, as in the past, along the lines of a better material prosperity, a higher civilization, and a purer religion.”

What a fine specimen of the siren song of “Peace and safety,” and “My Lord delayeth his coming,” do we have in the above.

Who can doubt that we are now in the last days, and that sudden destruction is coming? Without the light of the “sure word of prophecy,” they grope their way in the dark as if they had no eyes, and are “blind leaders of the blind.”

But why do they trust to the “speculative” and “imaginative,” in reference to the future of our world? The light of prophecy shows us all about it. “Whoso readeth let him understand.” But there is no “peace, peace,” in the Bible view, so they turn from it to enjoy their fables. Those who are at ease in Zion, the formal and pleasure-loving are satisfied with such food, and will pay well for it. See Isa. 56:10–12; Micah 3:11; Jer. 5:27–31.

How awful will be their disappointment when the day of trouble shall come! Would God their eyes might be opened before it is too late. But while we pity those in such darkness, we cannot fail to see in this a sign of the times. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety: then sudden destruction cometh upon them, . . . and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” 1 Thess. 5:3, 4. M. E. CORNELL.