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THEOLOGICAL BLINDNESS

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Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 25, 1858

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 13, No. 1.

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THEOLOGICAL BLINDNESS.

By James White

Should an asylum be instituted for the cure of this disorder, we think its "catalogue" might easily be made to outweigh that of any existing institution. It is hardly possible to take up a religious book or paper without having the conviction pressed upon us that it is a disease, not only very prevalent, but increasing in malignity.
In the Ladies' Repository for the present month is an article headed "Immortality—Inferences," being a Baccalaureate discourse by E. Thomson, D. D., LL. D. He says, "In Genesis the mode in which man was created is given. The body was first formed of the dust of the ground. The soul had a different origin. God breathed into the nostrils of the human body, and man became a living soul. The character and relations of this soul are worthy of its origin. It is the image of God invested with dominion of the earth."
A still greater blindness to the use and import of the language of the Bible is manifested in speaking of the words of our Saviour to the Sadducees. He remarks:
"In Genesis we learn that Abraham, after he had given up the ghost, was gathered to his fathers. This does not mean burial, for he was interred remote from the graves of his ancestors—it means admission to the general assembly of the blessed, in speaking of whose chief God had said to Moses, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'—a sentence which our Saviour quotes to prove the separate existence of spirits."
Our Saviour in quoting the passage expressly declares the purpose of its use as follows, according to the different evangelists: "But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham," &c. Matt. xxii, 31, 32. "And as touching the dead that they rise, have ye not read," &c. Mark xii, 26. "Now that the dead are raised even Moses showed at the bush," &c. Luke xx, 37. If Bibles were under ban, greater ignorance of scripture than the above manifests, could not be expected.
In another place the "D. D., LL. D." remarks:
"Our Saviour said, 'He that liveth and believeth in me shall never die;' but faith does not preserve us from natural death; it must therefore insure uninterrupted life to somewhat different from the body."
And again:
"Our Saviour says of the righteous, 'Because I live ye shall live also.' Here the ground of the saint's immortality is his relation to Christ, and its measure the eternity of Christ."
But the author goes on next to speak of the like duration of the wicked, who appear, by some unknown process, to have "uninterrupted life" insured to them without faith, and have also immortality without any such relation to Christ, its measure being the same eternity.
It has been charged upon this doctrine, on both sides, that it is merely theoretical and not practical. But our author repels the charge by giving it a practical turn. To this we call particular attention. His first inference is as follows:
"1. This doctrine gives us exalted views of our fellow-men."
Yes, it was first preached for this very purpose, for allegiance to the Creator was thrown off to insure the exaltation of the creature. And thus it was said, "Ye shall not surely die. . . . Ye shall be as gods." This was its origin: its tendency is most clearly seen in the teachings of modern Spiritualists, who, in connection with the churches, are (as Bro. Cottrell would say) running daily trains on the same old track. One would think, to read some of their publications, that humility was the meanest trait that man could show. Yes, this doctrine gives us exalted views of man. Paul said that in the perils of the last days men would be high-minded. 2 Tim. iii. His exhortation is, "Be not high-minded." It is becoming daily more evident, that to produce humility, and stop the progress of this idolatrous system of man-worship, we must "tear up the track" by preaching no immortality out of Christ. "The wages of sin is death." "The soul that sinneth it shall die." J. H. W.