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IN WHAT WAY?

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Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · May 12, 1881

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 7, No. 18.

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IN WHAT WAY?

By Editor

A CERTAIN preacher, writing to a certain (professedly) religious journal, speaking of the Seventh-day Adventists, says:—
"Thus this seventh-day system spreads infidelity."
Webster defines infidelity thus: "Disbelief of the inspiration of the Scriptures, or the divine origin of Christianity." We could safely challenge the world to show a single individual who was ever caused to doubt the inspiration of the Scriptures, or the divine origin of Christianity by the seventh-day system, either in the teaching or the practice of its adherents. We know of scores of infidels who have accepted the Bible as the word of God, and entered upon lives of prayerful obedience to him, under the preaching of Seventh-day Adventists. Some of these had lived many years under the influence of other denominations, whose systems had failed to lead them away from infidelity.
Again, if the seventh-day system leads to infidelity, we should expect to see infidels accepting its teachings and keeping the seventh day, as infidels. But was an instance ever known of an infidel keeping the seventh day because he was an infidel? It is not a rare thing to hear infidels, who remain infidels, say that the seventh day is the right day to keep, if the Bible is true. All that prevents their accepting the seventh day in practice is their infidelity.
Was it ever known that an infidel was converted to a belief of the Bible by the teaching of the observance of "the venerable day of the sun?" No; they are converted on other grounds, and in spite of this relic of sun worship.
But there is no need to follow up such unreasonable talk. It betrays not only prejudice, but recklessness in statement on the part of the writer. If goodness of character is measured by obedience to God's commandments, and we know of no other correct rule of measurement, then such writers fulfill Paul's prediction where he speaks of the last days—they are "despisers of them that are good," as they are certainly "false accusers." 2 Tim. 3:1-5.