Is Satan divided against Himself?
By Editor
"The lamp of science has cast a broad, clear light: ghosts and goblins, fairies and mermaids, loving darkness rather than light, have receded before its beams. But we find the ejected legion ensconced in a dark room under a table, not under a bed or bushel. From this table come responses, raps, voices, revelations, communications, demonstrations, &c. Pluto uncaps his Hades and spirits no longer in prison come forth testifying to their existence, knowledge and power. They annihilate the doctrine, 'Death an eternal sleep,' and veto the dogma of the Millerite creed that the soul dies with the body. Satan is divided against himself—Spiritualism versus Millerism." The above is copied by the Advent Herald from the Hartford Religious Herald of May 15th, to which it replies that it is not true that Mr. Miller ever entertained the view above imputed to him, and that no one who holds to "Millerism" in all things, entertains it, and no one holds it who does not dissent from Mr. Miller and Millerism in that particular. We would inquire of the Advent Herald who at the present time entertains the views of Wm. Miller "in all things?" Does the Herald profess to? We can show from its own testimony, that it has from time to time given up and denied some of the fundamental principles on which Mr. Miller's theory was based. But Mr. Miller entertained no peculiar views in regard to the state of the dead. His belief on this point was the general belief of the day; and therefore to correct an erroneous belief here, is not half so great a departure from Millerism as to yield some of the main points on which his system was based. Again, we do not understand the genius of Millerism, if by it we are to be confined to the views of Wm. Miller on all minor points, and in every particular, or if we are to be excluded by it from the reception of any newly developed truth, so that the path of the just may not be as "a shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." We claim to be the true adherents to the principles of interpretation set forth by Wm. Miller. Further experience, and more study has thrown new light upon our pathway and brought out new treasures for us from the great storehouse of wisdom; but we surrender no truth of the past. The Herald has thrown no new light upon our present position, or the events of the future, but has been giving up the past. Who here has departed most from "Millerism"?85It is not to be wondered at that the world should connect the belief of unconsciousness in death with Adventists; since so large a majority of those who profess to be such, entertain it; and the Herald must be aware that a portion at least of its own readers are firm in this belief. It seems difficult for people to understand, or at least to correctly represent, our position. They can hardly speak of us without branding us with that motto which was adopted some more than a half a century ago in the cemeteries of Infidel France—"Death an Eternal Sleep." We entertain no sympathy for such a theory. The Religious Herald admits that the agencies now at work in raps and revelations, emanate from Satan. It is the professed object of these spirits to convince the skeptic of the immortality of the soul. Now do the Religious and Advent Heralds realize that they are being taught this doctrine from the very lips of Satan and his legions? and are they willing to receive instruction from such a source? If the doctrine of the mortality of man, is to be called, Millerism, the matter stands most emphatically, Spiritualism vs. Millerism. But it is admitted that Spiritualism is of the Devil; therefore Millerism cannot be; for Satan is not divided against himself. It is no evidence that a doctrine is erroneous, because it is contradicted by the Devil.