A LETTER by J. A. Wilcox

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 28, 1858

A LETTER.

By J. A. Wilcox

Bro. Smith: The following is very nearly the copy of a letter which I wrote a day or two since, to some old friends of mine where I lived a number of years in my boyhood days.

Dear Friends: I have been thinking for some time past of writing to you, and as an opportunity presents itself, I cheerfully embrace it for that purpose. When I look back to the days of my childhood, I can never forget your kindness to me in my younger days. Although I then thought I had a hard time and saw much trouble, as children are apt to think, I now assure you I had no good reason for thinking so; but since I have grown up, I can truly say I know what trouble and afflictions are. However, I believe they have worked for my eternal good. I feel that I can say indeed as did David of old, "It has been good for me that I have been afflicted; for before, I went astray." These light afflictions as Paul calls them, have had a tendency to wean my affections from the fading toys of earth, and led me to feel the need of Jesus the Saviour of sinners, as my friend, and to place my affections upon him, and a more enduring substance in the world to come. Yes dear friends, mortality is written in bold characters upon all things of an earthly nature, and they are rapidly passing away like the morning dew before the rising sun. Death is taking one here and another there, and we know not how soon it may be our turn. But suppose our lives should be lengthened out one hundred years, what is this when compared to a long eternity? but I do not expect this will be the case. For there is abundant evidence that the second coming of Christ is very near, even at the doors. Yes, I firmly believe still, he will soon appear in all the glory of the Father and all the holy angels with him. O, what a glorious and sublime scene that will be to those who are prepared for it; but awfully solemn and fearful to the wicked. But some will say, how is it that you, a few poor, deluded Millerites know more than everybody else? If what you believe is truth, why don't our great and learned men understand these things so? There are some well-authenticated facts which firmly establish sound reasons why they do not. Let the mind be carried back to the days before the flood. Do we find the truth applicable to that generation, popular? no indeed; so unpopular was it, that we find only good old Noah and family warning the world of its approaching doom by the flood. Methinks I hear the scoffers of that day conversing among themselves, and denouncing Noah as a poor deluded fanatic. "And don't you think," says one, "the old fool is building an ark on dry ground, and says a flood is coming that will destroy all that will not believe in his stuff." Perchance they meet with Noah occasionally while he is building the

ark, thus making his faith perfect by his works and showing to the world that he believes what he had been and still is preaching, and no doubt they ask him the following questions, or much the same: Do you suppose you know more than everybody else? Talk about a flood! what nonsense; why don't our great and learned men preach it if it is truth? Why, there is Rev. Mr. A. and Dr. B., you well know them, and everybody calls them great and good men; they don't believe and preach any such doctrine as you talk about. I cannot believe that you and your family know more than all the world besides. Well, did their scoffs and jeers prove that what he preached was not truth? and did they daunt the moral courage of Noah? No, indeed. He walks right along in the path of duty, fearing God more than man, doing his duty cheerfully in warning his fellow men as God had enjoined upon him, and in due time commences to prepare the ark. After it is finished, God tells him and family to go into it, and they are shut in by him and are safe.

What became of that generation in consequence of their unbelief? They passed along carelessly, neglecting the merciful warning which God sent them by Noah, and their minds were wholly engrossed with the cares and pleasures of the world, buying and selling, planting and building, marrying, &c., so that they had but little or no time to think of God and serious things until the flood came and swept them all away.

For the present we leave this sad picture, and pass down the stream of time till we come to the days of our Saviour. Do we find that the then present truths concerning the Messiah, were popular with the high priests, doctors, lawyers, &c., and the masses generally? Certainly not, but right the reverse; for we find that Jesus himself was found from time to time disputing with, and reproving them for their unbelief; so that we learn from the New Testament that the doctrines the Saviour taught were very unpopular, and that but few dared to confess him, especially among the great and learned ones. It was the common people that heard him gladly, [Mark xii, 37,] and but few comparatively of them.

The testimony of Christ and the apostle Paul, firmly establishes these facts. "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. For God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." 1 Cor. i, 26, 27. See John x, 24-27. "Then came the Jews round about him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? if thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and ye believed not. The works that I do in my Father's name they bear witness of me. But ye believed not because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me." Nor was this unbelief confined exclusively to those who made no profession of religion; we find that many of the Pharisees and Sadducees (which were religious sects of the day as we may learn by reading Acts v, 17; xv, 5; xxiv, 5; xxvi, 5) did not believe on him. Mark viii, 31. And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. See also John vii, 46, 47. The officers answered, "Never man spake like this man." Then answered them the Pharisees, "Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?" Many of those that did believe on Christ dare not confess him. John xii, 42, 43. "Nevertheless among the chief rulers many of them believed on him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; (here follows one reason;) for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." There were but few that had moral courage enough to separate from those popular churches and be the despised followers of the meek and lowly Jesus, through evil as well as good report. Learning and learned men are both good in their proper place, but one great sin is, that learning is often perverted and made a wrong use of and much abused. If learning served men no better purpose on other subjects than it does in matters of religion, as a general thing, it would be of but very little use.

We trace the history of the man of sorrows down to the time of his crucifixion, and we find as a general thing he is despised and rejected of men, which is in harmony with the words of the Prophet respecting him. Isa. liii, 3. "He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." When he was on trial before Pilate we find the voices of the high priests, scribes, &c., just as clamorous for his death as any; for we find that the voices of them and the chief priests prevailed. Luke xxiii, 23. In consequence of their unbelief and rejection of him, they are led on step by step till they lay violent hands on the Son of God and put him to a most cruel and shameful death. In consequence of their rejection and condemnation of the Messiah, mark what dreadful calamities befall them at the destruction of Jerusalem, as recorded by Josephus. They were finally destroyed as a nation. So we may learn that in all ages of the world, Bible truths, or truths relative to man's eternal good have been the most slighted; yea, the most solemn and precious truths have been trodden down as it were in the dust, by the great majority of mankind.

The signs in the sun, moon and stars, together with the present moral and political condition of the world, proclaim to us in language too plain to be mistaken, that the coming of the Just One is near, even at the doors. Yes, the signs which our Saviour predicted should immediately precede his second, personal appearing, have very nearly all transpired. There are solemn, yet glorious truths; but they are and will be scoffed at, and trampled under foot, not only by those who make no profession of religion, but by many that profess to be the followers of the meek and lowly Jesus. "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be, for as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. xxiv, 37, 38, 39. Why did they not know? Was it because they had not timely warning? No; it was because they believed not the preaching of Noah, the man of God. Therefore they passed along heedless, their whole attention absorbed with the cares and pleasures of the world, and made not their peace with God, that they might escape the flood. Well, just so it is and will be in these last days. The great majority will scoff at the present truths, which are solemn, and indeed very important, relative to that awfully solemn scene when the seven last plagues will be poured out, and the second advent, which are just before us. See Rev. xiv, 9, 10; xv, 1; also chap. xvi. Hear what Peter said. "Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." 2 Pet. iii, 3, 4. Please read the whole chapter.

But before witnessing the glorious appearing of Christ, the nations are to experience a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. Dan. xii, 1; Jer. xxv; Eze. vii; Rev. xvi. That solemn time is just before us. There are sound scriptural reasons for believing so. The special signs in the sun, moon and stars, which our Saviour gave to show when his coming would be near, even at the doors, have been fulfilled in perfect harmony with his, and the Revelator's predictions, [Matt. xxiv, 28; Rev. vi, 13.] as history plainly shows.

The first and second angels' messages of Rev. xiv, which were based upon the prophecies of Daniel and John, and the signs of the last days, have been proclaimed to this generation by God's messengers. And now God is also warning the world by the Third Angel's Message, the last solemn invitation of mercy that the world will ever hear. See verses 9-12. When the world is sufficiently warned and pointed to the only way of escape, (which is by keeping the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus,) this message will close up, and mercy take its flight forever from the wicked. Then the wrath of God (which is the seven last plagues, Rev. xv, 1) will be poured out without mixture (of mercy) as threatened by the third and last message, upon those who do not heed its merciful warning. Rev. xvi describes that awfully solemn scene, and the withering effect it will have upon the wicked when the wrath of an offended God will fall grievously upon their guilty heads. When this is accomplished the next great and glorious event in this chain of prophecy is the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, coming to reap the harvest of the earth. See Rev. xiv, 15-17.

What will become of God's dear people in that time of trouble such as never was, to which we are rapidly approaching? Will the plagues hurt them? O no; for the promise of God is, "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." Ps. xci, 4, 10. The Third Angel's Message brings to light the truth, which David of old says is God's law, or ten commandments, and among them that long down-trodden fourth commandment, respecting the true Sabbath, [Ex. xx,] and that it is the duty of mankind to keep them all, the fourth not excepted. Rev. xxii, 14.

And now dear friends, in conclusion let me kindly entreat you to search the infallible scriptures and see whether these things are so, for we shall certainly need all the present truth to shelter us in the coming storm of wrath, and finally secure us an entrance through the gates into the city. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Why I have written thus is, I feel an ardent desire that all who have the least desire to love and serve God, may "escape all these things that shall come to pass and stand before the Son of man." Luke xxi, 36. I want also to clear my skirts of the blood of all men, and finally secure a happy, eternal home in God's everlasting kingdom.

From your sincere friend hoping for eternal life. J. A. Wilcox