TO CORRESPONDENTS

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 1, 1878

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

1. A church having both an elder and a deacon, who leads the meeting in the absence of the elder? 2. Has the church a right to choose a leader, with the consent and advice of the elder, to lead in his absence? F. D.

ANS. 1. No other provision being made, it is considered the place of the deacon to lead in the absence of the elder. 2. Yes.

1. Has the sanctuary in Heaven always been the place of God's habitation? 2. Is the mercy-seat his throne? 3. Has the “testimony,” the ten commandments, always been beneath it in the ark? 4. Has the Sabbath commandment always been a part of the testimony? 5. If so, who kept it prior to the creation of man? A. H. V.

ANS. 1. There was no need of a sanctuary before the plan of redemption was instituted. How long after this it was that that tabernacle was erected “which the Lord pitched and not man,” we are not informed. So long as it has existed, we understand it has been that of which the prophets have spoken, as God's “holy habitation.” 2. No. See chapter 22, “Between the Cherubim,” of the late work on the sanctuary. 3. The Heavenly ark and its mercy-seat came into existence, of course, with the Heavenly sanctuary. And ever since this ark was made, we understand that the law of God has been placed in it. 4. Yes. 5. The angels. See Biblical Institute, p. 145.

What does Paul mean by saying, “One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike”? Rom. 14:5. M. E. W.

ANS. Paul refers to days that were set apart by ceremonial observances. Some were inclined to retain the shadowy ritual, and still pay respect to its days. Paul does not abruptly forbid this, but says, “Let every one be fully persuaded in his own mind.” That it is these ceremonial days to which he refers we know, because the first and second verses show that this is his subject. To illustrate: A man writes a dissertation upon the moon. In the course of his essay, he says, “It shines with borrowed light.” What shines with borrowed light? The sun, says one. No, we reply, the man does not say that; for he is not writing about the sun, but about the moon. The moon is his subject; and when he says, “It shines with borrowed light,” he means the moon. Every one would acknowledge this to be a legitimate conclusion. Just so with Rom. 14:5. The ceremonial law is Paul's subject; and when he speaks of days, he means the days which were made special days by that law, and no others. That the term “every day” does not include the Sabbath of the Lord, is shown by Ex. 16:4.

1. Is it right to hive bees on the Sabbath? 2. If hay is down on Friday, is it right to let it out to be secured on the Sabbath? A. L. B.

ANS. 1. The fact that the question is asked shows that some doubt exists in the mind on the question, and that should bees be hived on the Sabbath, the unpleasant consciousness would remain that possibly the Sabbath law was violated in so doing. Now we know of Sabbath-keepers who would not for any consideration hive bees on the Sabbath; they are not troubled with any such doubt or perplexity; and we think they take the wiser course. 2. To the second question we should say, No.

ANSWERED BY LETTER. G. W. Rogers, H. W. Decker, J. H. Waggoner, H. T. Brush, G. H. Murphy, W. S. Salisbury, Sherwood and Co., N. Orcutt, M. L. Williams, W. G. Smith, C. H. Gurney, D. Morrison, M. B. Duffie, H. S. Gurney, C. W. Stone, A. J. Cudney, L. J. Caldwell, R. M. Kilgore.

Correspondents are requested to confine themselves to questions which will be of interest to the readers of the REVIEW in general, and not to themselves alone. Do not ask too many questions in the same letter. Two or three, at most, are enough. We have now on hand three hundred and sixty letters containing questions which we have not yet found time to answer. The accumulation has become so great that we cannot now promise to answer them all, but shall select such as we deem will be of most interest, to be answered, as other duties may permit, from time to time.