OUR EXAMPLES by R. F. C.

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 2, 1857

“OUR EXAMPLES.”

By Editor

[The following article from Bro. Cottrell was published in Review, No. 22, Vol. VII. We have been requested to insert it again, with which we are happy to comply.]

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Rom. xv, 4.

It is evident from this and other passages which speak of them, that the Holy Scriptures are all profitable—all written for our learning, and therefore are all necessary for our instruction and perfection in the truth. No Christian will dispute that this is equally true of the Scriptures of the New Testament, though these inspired declarations refer to those of the Old, and are a most pointed rebuke to those professed Christians who imagine they have no further need of the Old Testament, and say that they would know their duty equally as well were it struck out of existence. Such declarations would never have been made, but for the purpose of evading a portion of the perfect, immutable, and universal law of Jehovah, of which, the Old Testament alone contains an entire copy.

“Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning. We may learn important lessons from the accounts of the flood and the destruction of the cities of the plain by fire.” These are types or examples of the destruction of the wicked and the salvation of the righteous at the second advent. All the wicked were destroyed and all the righteous saved. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. These words of our Saviour clearly prove the importance of our having a knowledge of those scriptures which contain a record of these events. Without this knowledge, how could the last generation “remember Lot's wife?”

We can also learn from these examples that our kind Father always gives a timely warning before bringing any great judgments upon the people; that the righteous believe the warning, obey its requirements and are saved, while the wicked disbelieve and disregard it, and are lost. After being faithfully warned, they are lost for lack of knowledge. Jerusalem was laid even with the ground because she knew not the time of her visitation. Luke xix, 44. And, speaking of the time of the end, the angel assures Daniel that the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. Dan. xii, 10.

The deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and the incidents of their journey through the desert to the promised land, are written for our learning. Their frequent murmurings, rebellions and idolatries, and the punishments by which they fell in the wilderness, are recorded for our admonition. Says Paul, in speaking of these very things, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; (margin, types;) and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Cor. x, 11. These examples are recounted by David in Ps. lxxviii, and cvi, in which it may be seen that the root of their provocations was their unbelief. Accordingly Paul exhorts us, in his letter to the Hebrews, saying, “Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Heb. iv, 11. God was doing a special work for them, yet they doubted his goodness, distrusted his ability to save, after having seen his wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea, were discouraged because of the way, and spake against God and against those whom he had chosen to lead the people. “They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord.” They gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them; wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord? Num. xvi, 3. “The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.” Judgment was immediately executed upon them in order to make them examples to all following generations. And though, at the present time, judgment against an evil work is not speedily executed, and therefore the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil, yet we may be sure that such as do wickedly will finally share a punishment as dreadful as those.

If it is a fact, as we fully believe it is, that the Third Message of Rev. xiv is now being given, the Lord is now doing a special work, equal, at least, to that of leading the Israelites through the desert to the land of Canaan. This Message will consummate the work of preparing the remnant of God's people for translation, a people in whose mouth will be found no guile, being without fault before the throne. The importance of the work, and the fact that the Director of it is “excellent in working,” are a sufficient guaranty that it will be accomplished as harmoniously as any in which he anciently engaged. Poor, fallible, human instruments may fail. A Moses or an Aaron may be tempted to speak unadvisedly with his lips, and die on this side of Jordan. In such case the garments of Aaron will be put upon Eleazar, [Num. xx, 26,] and Moses will lay his hands upon Joshua, [Deut. xxxiv, 9,] and thus the work move on harmoniously; but the sons of Korah will perish in their gainsaying. Num. xvi; Jude 11.

God has not sent the Third Angel's Message into the world without choosing the means and instruments by which to send it. Men, as instruments, are liable to err, or even to fall away from the truth. Even the apostle Paul, who had not only a special, but a miraculous call to preach the gospel to the nations, was still obliged to keep his body under, and bring it into subjection, lest when he had preached the gospel to others, he himself should be a cast-away. But the operations of God cannot be subverted. He is not divided in these operations against himself. He does not fail in the first attempt and have to begin again. There is no such precedent upon record—no

such failure written aforetime for our learning; but all the reverse. Therefore we may confidently come to this conclusion: that if the same God that led Israel through the desert has set his hand to fulfill the prophetic Message of the Third Angel—the last merciful warning to the world, before the coming of the Son of man—he never will be driven to the necessity of perfecting the work by means of a rebellion in the camp, taking sides with the rebels and thus destroy the harmony of his own work. But God will overrule such factions for the good of his children, as Paul wrote aforetime for our learning, saying, There must be also heresies (sects, margin,) among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest. 1 Cor. xi, 19.

I have been learning from the things written aforetime, since receiving the present Message. I was then so foolish as to think, that as the Third Message was the gospel in its primitive purity, none would be so humble as to embrace it, but the true hearted. But sad experience has caused me to learn a lesson, which I might have before learned from the word of God. Certainly the apostles preached the gospel in its purity, with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. But there were those, that, amid all these mighty works, could lie to the Holy Spirit to save their worldly wealth, and have the name of giving it all. Others could leave the holy calling of preaching the gospel for the sake of worldly pleasures and enjoyments. Says Paul, Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. 2 Tim. iv, 10. How many Demases will profess faith in the present truth, the Judgment only will determine.

As already noticed, factions existed in primitive days. Accordingly we have the following apostolic direction: “A factious man, after a first and second admonition, reject; knowing that such a person is perverted, and sins, being self-condemned.” Titus iii, 10, 11. Campbell's Translation. Some such were bold enough to withdraw fellowship even from the apostles, through whom the word of God came to them. Says John, I wrote unto the church; but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the pre-eminence among them, receiveth us not. 3 John 9. We are not informed what reasons Diotrephes had for withdrawing fellowship from the beloved disciple. Perhaps he accused him of sectarian exclusiveness; for he was a very plain preacher, and had said, on one occasion, We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And he sometimes called those that talked one thing and acted another, liars. 1 John, iv, 20.

If such things took place in the apostles' days, we should not think that some strange thing has happened to us, should the lovers of pre-eminence take the same course now. These examples were written for our learning; and we may expect that many a Diotrephes will willingly receive the Third Angel's Message provided he can correct its errors, and give it the finishing touch by adding some favorite notions of his own. Such would co-operate with the Review, could they, in the first place, make it a “free paper,” that is, have it give up to their dictation, either to publish their views, known to be in opposition to those of the body, without reply; or to array brother against brother in its columns.

Brethren in the Third Message have never entered the arena of the Review as combatants; and I trust they never will. God has called us to another work—the work of proclaiming the last notes of warning to the world. We are willing to answer the objections of every candid opponent, to our present position. But I trust in God that the writers in the Review will continue to “speak the same thing,” and that all the members of the Diotrephesian family will seek some other medium of communication where they may exhibit a rare combination of confusion.

In conclusion I would admonish and exhort every honest soul, who loves the truth and the unity of the Spirit more than the pre-eminence, and yet have partaken of the factious spirit, to consider well those examples of old, which were recorded for our admonition, and by timely repentance and renunciation of your past errors, seek the favor of God. Take a decided stand with the remnant of God's people; and counteract, by every possible means, the influence you have exerted against the present truth. Get as far as possible from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; for just so certain as the unbelieving and rebellious of ancient time fell in the wilderness, and all these things, as Paul says, are our examples, so sure it is that those who commit the same sins now, will also perish in their gainsaying.

You profess to believe that the third angel is now fulfilling his fearful mission; but, while you favor a faction, you give the lie to that profession, and bring the greatest reproach you possibly can upon the cause of God. It would have been much better for you to have remained in open hostility to the truth, than professedly to embrace it, and then pursue a course best calculated to bring it into disrepute. The cause is wounded in the house of its friends. It was not in the power of an open enemy to inflict so deep a wound. But we needed it to humble us and teach us to trust in God alone. It will work for the good of those that love God; and it will serve to manifest those that are approved of him.

The plan of God will not be frustrated—the work of the third angel will move onward. But let none of us, who expect to be sealed by this message for mount Zion, be found out of harmony with the work.