CREEPING IN by Uriah Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 11, 1878

CREEPING IN.

By Uriah Smith

The redeeming feature of the revival work accomplished by some of the popular traveling evangelists of the present day is that they make reference frequently to the second coming of Christ, and are directing public thought to consider it an event at hand. But the watch-dogs of error scent the heresy and raise a howl of alarm. The following we clip from The Watchman, of March 27, 1878:—

“Zion’s Advocate, Portland, makes the following observation, which seems to us every way just, important, and timely:—

“‘If Mr. Pentecost, in his preaching and Bible reading at Hartford, Conn., were to make frequent references to immersion as scriptural baptism, he would be called sectarian, and some one would be found to let him know that in a series of union meetings such words were entirely out of place. But let an evangelist like Moody, or Needham, or Moorhouse make frequent references to the speedy coming of Christ, and the other peculiar views which these men hold in connection with the Second Advent,—views which, to say the least, the great body of evangelical Christians regard as unscriptural,—and men hesitate to express their dissent. We think this is wrong. These errors are creeping into our churches, and it is time, it seems to us, it were understood that in a union meeting millenarian views have no place. If the evangelists cannot keep their views on this subject to themselves, let us know it, and our churches will understand what they are to expect if they open their doors to them.’” U. S.