Stumbling Stones by R. F. Cottrell

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Oct 24, 1878

Stumbling Stones.

By R. F. Cottrell

A BROTHER writes: "With shame and sorrow I have to report no progress in divine life. Still stumbling over 'visions' and 'health reform.'"

The very thing which should prove a help is a stumbling stone. Christ came as the prophets had foretold. Everything connected with his advent should have caused them to believe. These things were the evidences of the truth of the predictions of the prophets, and of the claims of Jesus as being the promised Christ. Prophets had spoken, their words were fulfilled; and the only logical conclusion was faith in Jesus. But they stumbled and fell, because of unbelief. God laid this stumbling stone in Zion; but not for the purpose of causing men to stumble, but for the very purpose of producing faith. Hence it was said, "He that believeth on him shall not be confounded."

It is just so at the present time. God has promised the spirit of prophecy as a characteristic of the remnant of the true church, the people that, under the proclamation of the last message, keep the commandments of God. Rev. 12:17, and 19:10. The exercise of the gift of prophecy, in connection with the proclamation of the warning of the third angel (Rev. 14:9-12), is one of the strongest evidences of the divinity of the work, or, in other words, that the hand of God is truly set to fulfill this all-important warning to mankind. But that which was designed to produce faith, and is the best calculated to have this effect, to unbelief becomes a cause of stumbling. By the preaching of the Heaven-sent message, men are convinced of the perpetuity and immutability of the law of God. Then they fancy that they would engage in keeping the commandments entire, were not the message encumbered with the faith that God is verily in the work. In other words, if the message was wanting in some things that were promised, they could believe and embrace it heartily. This is the logic of unbelief. Faith believes what has been promised when it comes.

And is there not need enough of health reform? and is it too small a matter for God to care for? Those who believe that the body is an essential, as well as material, part of man, should not be slow to believe that a proper care for it has a great moral and spiritual value. We believe, as a Methodist minister of my acquaintance expressed it, that if we save our souls, we shall save our bodies also. And the Scriptures also are full of this doctrine. "Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost." "Therefore glorify God in your body." "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord."

God gave the Israelites in the desert lessons in health reform, and has set them forth as our examples, or as warnings to us, 1 Cor. 10, and is it not evident that in these degenerate days he should teach us to care for our bodies, enfeebled by disobedience of physical laws, and to do what we can for them, before he gives them the finishing touch of immortality by a translation without death? It is true, he might do everything for us, which he saw fit; but did he not intend that we shall do what we can for ourselves? He might give us the products of the earth without our labor, but he has seen best that we should labor for them; and this is for our health.

Those who believe present truth in full are the ones that we should expect would make progress in the divine life. And such we see to be the fact. Those who receive the truth and act upon it without reserve, are those who are ever found at the post of duty.