Letter from Bro. Day by J. C. Day

Publishing Committee · Rochester, N. Y. · Aug 28, 1853

Letter from Bro. Day.

By J. C. Day

DEAR BRO. WHITE :—I have before me the Watchman for March 30th, 1853, in which I find a letter from L. Boutell, written from Dartmouth, wherein he attempts to give a history of the state of the cause in that place; as also a representation of the Sabbath-keepers, their teachings, &c. Now I wish to notice some of his statements, and compare them with truth. And in doing this, perhaps we shall discover why he labors with such untiring zeal to show that the law of God does not exist; for it is an old adage, that "a drowning man will catch at a straw," especially, if there is no other way for his salvation. Now as B's influence is very extensively felt, and his points are gained more from sympathy than argument, I felt it my duty to expose his inconsistent and wicked course; for such I considered it to be. As he travels from place to place, and can find a Sabbath-keeper who has any sympathy with him, he will misrepresent and hold the Sabbath-keepers in such a light as to turn them if he can; and at the same time pretend so much love, that some even think that the Lord blesses him for exhibiting so much hatred against His own righteous law; but of such teachers, John says, if they come bringing any other doctrine, receive them not into your house neither bid them God speed. 2 John 10. I know some will think this hard, and will want us to have a great deal of charity; but if we receive such, we should receive them as enemies of God and his truth, and not servants of Jesus Christ.

I will now examine some of his statements. He begins by informing the brethren of the Watchman that the church in that place is standing on the Old Jerusalem platform. With this statement, I fully agree, since Old Jerusalem is in bondage with her children, and that bondage came through disobedience to the law of God. I must believe that most of them have had sufficient light to place them upon that platform; for since the law of God is a law of prohibition and not a law of works, only those who offend it, can be said to be under it, or condemned by it. Rom. iii, 19-23. Hence, the man who violates the law of God, is condemned by it, so long as he is found in its violation. The idea that a man is under grace, who is living daily in open rebellion against the law, is as idle as any thing can be; as it takes a preparation of heart by the ministration of Jesus Christ, and the law written there by the Spirit of the living God, to constitute them under grace, or place them on the new-covenant platform. The mere idea that Jesus Christ came into this world, suffered and died, does not avail us any thing; but it is when we repent of our sins, and for his sake get a free pardon of them, that we are benefited. And we remain justified or benefited, no longer than we refrain from violating the law; but the moment we transgress, we are no longer under grace, but under the law.

He next informs them that the old enemy has been that way with his chaff-basket, bringing in it that destructive heresy, the seventh-day Sabbath theory.—He says there has been quite an effort on the part of some few here, to draw away young disciples after them, while at the same time they do not believe any can be saved since 1844, as they teach that the door of mercy was then shut, that Jesus since then is not the way, but that Moses with the law of the Sabbath is the only way. And then exclaims, O! reckless rejectors of Christ and the atonement! unless they repent they will lose their own souls and destroy others. Now this statement needs no comment; for there is not an individual in Dartmouth but knows, if they know anything about the preaching there, that there is not the least semblance of truth in it. I was at the meeting to which he alludes, and heard Bro. Barr, while he clearly and forcibly set forth the reasons of our hope, and very minutely dwelt upon every point, and especially our view of the shut door.—Says B. God always blesses me in getting all I can out of it, and when I put up with them and stop over their Sabbath, I generally get them to work before night. This is part of my work. A very mean employment, indeed! God knows I wish he was about a more honorable work; and although he makes high pretensions to being a servant of God, and after the seed of Abraham, I fear he will find his descent is from another source; for while the Jews came to Christ and claimed to be the seed of Abraham, he reminded them that their works did not agree with their profession. Thus he determined their ancestry by their works. John viii, 44.

He again exclaims, The third angel's message:—Only think of it!! The third angel down here, (after the other two angels, in Rev. xiv,) bearing a message laid aside more than 1800 years ago! That is a little too far apart—too much out of joint, to give life! It is a message 1800 years behind present truth. Now this presents some of the inconsistencies which characterize the preaching of that party. In the first place, more than 1800 years ago would be some forty or fifty years before John saw this in vision, A. D. 96, which would appear very strange indeed when compared with the first verse of this book. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John. But if Eld. B. had lived in those days, with the same spirit that he now manifests, he would have said to John as he does to us, that his message was some forty or fifty years behind present truth. And this is not the only inconsistency in his preaching; for while he teaches that the message, The hour of God's judgment come, [Rev. xiv, 6, 7,] ceased more than 1800 years ago, he is very zealously contending that the year 1854 is the time when Christ will come to judge the world: but more than 1800 years ago would be in the apostles' days; and we do not find an instance of their preaching the hour of God's judgment come, but that he had appointed a day in the which he would judge the world in righteousness. Acts xvii, 31.

B. continues: With these teachers, Jesus Christ's words, or the words of the apostles' weigh nothing when their theory is at stake. Now, either Paul did not tell the truth, or they do not. He said he had not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God, and he never intimated the keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath, but contrariwise, that some esteem all days alike, and simply says, let every one be fully persuaded in his own mind. So I say, only do not trample on the blood of Christ, by keeping the law. They always grasp at this 14th chapter of Romans as though it was a strong argument in favor of their position; but to say nothing of the inconsistency of their charge, that we are fallen from grace by keeping the seventh day when they say that Paul gives us that privilege, it is no argument in their favor; for there can be but one consistent view taken of the language. If Paul was talking of feast-days on which the Jews eat certain meats, with bitter herbs, then his meaning is plain: they were not essential to salvation at all, no more than circumcision, and Paul says, circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping the commandments of God. 1 Cor. vii, 19. Although none were bound to keep them, yet some did observe them, while others did not; yet they were not to judge each other in this matter. Now if any thing more than this is meant, then it equally proves, that part of the people did not eat in those days, as those who eat were not to judge those who eat not, &c. But B. talks a great deal about the old and new covenants, applying the term old covenant invariably to the ten commandments, and the new, to the gospel dispensation. And here is where many stumble, while they do not see the inconsistency in it; for he makes the old covenant mean the law, and while the new covenant takes the place of the old, he makes it mean the ministration. Thus he entirely overlooks the fact that both covenants are ministrations upon the same law. Under the old covenant, the law was written upon tables of stone; under the new, upon tables of the heart. Heb. viii, 10.—New mark: Moses the ministrator, or mediator of the old covenant, prepared the tables after the first were broken, on which the law was written. Deut. x, 1, 2. God himself was the writer, the ten commandments the matter written. Under the new covenant, it is through the blood of Christ that the heart is prepared. God is to be the writer, while his law is the matter written. But I will refer to one more inconsistency, and then close for the present. While they are strenuously contending that the law is done away, and has no claims upon us, they are continually harping upon the penalty—death. Poor souls, they have preached death until I fear many of them have nothing but death. But I am very thankful that there are some coming over on the side of this life-giving truth—the third angel's message. We live where there are but a few who sympathize with us in our views; and know but little what is going on in the world, except what we learn through the Review, and we do most sincerely hope it will soon be made a weekly visitor, and if the Lord will, we shall send our proportion of the means to make it each soon.

J. C. DAY.

Rock Bottom, Mass., Aug. 1st, 1853.