One-Idea Folks! by Uriah Smith

Publishing Committee · ROCHESTER, N. Y. · Jun 20, 1854

One-Idea Folks!

By Uriah Smith

This is a charge that is sometimes made against us. They say, "Why are you so limited in your views? Why are you continually harping upon one idea?" In this charge, allusion is evidently made to the Sabbath; and it is not difficult to perceive the motive which prompts it: it must be akin to that which the Jews felt in the days of Christ, when, "being convicted by their own conscience, they went out one by one." Being unable to defend their darling institutions and theories against the plain declarations of truth, being too proud to yield, and ashamed to be found standing on nothing, after their foundations are swept away, too many are ready to stifle their conscience by cries of, narrow-minded, contracted, one-idea-ed, and dismiss the subject by plunging into the cares of life.

Let us look at this a little farther. We admit that when we speak of the law of God we lay great stress on the fourth commandment, which the so-called Christian world, with few exceptions, are transgressing and trampling under foot; and we do this because this is the contested point. To use an illustration which has been frequently made, but which will bear repeating, Suppose we have an inclosure, and a portion of the fence is broken down; now if we should spend our time and strength in fortifying those places which were already strong and good, and at the same time pass by and neglect the breach, would not our folly be manifest to all men? Restore the portion which is broken down, says common sense, if you wish to protect your land from encroachment: make repairs where repairs are needed. Just so with the law of God. Let people consider that a breach has been made here. The man of sin has torn from it its seal of royalty by changing and corrupting the fourth commandment. To restore this breach and keep the law as God gave it, and designed it should be kept, is the object of all our efforts on this point. This we admit is one of our ideas; we consider it an important one; and we fear that the multitude will only see its importance too late when they find that by transgressing in one point they have become guilty of the whole. James ii, 10.

But we are not yet disposed to accept the charge. We claim the Bible as our standard, believing it sufficient to establish all truth and overthrow all error. If those disposed to prefer this charge against us, can show us any new truth clearly established by the Word of God, they will find no people more ready to receive it than ourselves: if they cannot produce it for us, how do they make their charge just? Are possessors of the whole truth to be stigmatized as one-idea folks? If so, we accept the charge. Be it one idea, or less, if we have the whole truth, the saving truth that will secure for us a passport through the gates into the city, we want no more. We are not willing to poison our belief with a multiplicity of errors for the sake of being in the world's eye liberal, or noble-minded.

But again we are met by another class, whose charge is quite the opposite. They seem to think the Sabbath quite plausible, but they cannot possibly go with us because we have so much else connected with it. If we had nothing but the Sabbath, apparently they would be quite ready to embrace and observe it with us; but we have so much else, it spoils it all. To such we can only say, Let them show us that this "so much else" is not in accordance with the teachings of the Scriptures and they will find us ready to abandon it at once; but if they cannot disprove it, let them beware how they reject it. In either case our only appeal is to the Word of God and that alone is our standard. U. S.