HUMAN INTERPOLATION by Cornelia Rice

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 16, 1860

HUMAN INTERPOLATION.

By Cornelia Rice

Two days since I heard a zealous teacher discoursing on the text "The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord;" and to avoid the conclusion that the sentence will ever be literally executed upon the wicked, he said, "It does not read shall be death but 'is death.' Shall be death is 'human interpolation.'" He then went on to tell us what "death" was. Adam died that death the very moment he partook of the forbidden fruit [no interpolation here], he was banished from the presence of God who no more conversed with him in the "cool of the day." Now my Bible reads that this was the very time in which God came and spake to him, after he had eaten the forbidden fruit;

and it also reads that Adam lived some nine hundred years and then died. That he became the subject of death the day he ate I believe.

Again let us try this "human interpolation" on other texts. "To us a child is born," said the prophet some seven hundred years before the event took place. Read Isaiah, chap. liii and believe it to be "human interpolation" to refer it to the future and what sense would it make? Had Christ already come? Had he been numbered with the transgressors? Had he made his grave with the wicked and rich in his death? How easy to put darkness for light and light for darkness. Deeply is my heart pained as I see the people listen to such teaching as the truth of God.

Again we were told it was death to holiness and godliness here and would finaly result in death to happiness and glory hereafter, which was the second death. But not dead yet; they live on in eternal misery; for said he, Would you be honest and investigate the Scriptures you would find more proof for the continuance of the misery of the wicked than you can for the happiness of the righteous. Those who did not believe it were branded as atheists.

Said the preacher, You take from underneath God's glorious throne one of the foundation stones and may as well take the rest. I had some secret thoughts about our glorious union being cemented by the blood of the slave; but it is a faint comparison to the throne of God being built on the miseries of the damned.

But why should I repeat the fabulous teaching of the day? I bless God that I have the Bible to read. I bless his holy name that I ever listened to the third angel's message. How true it is that those that have listened to it see a glorious light shine out upon all the Bible, while all others with whom I am conversant call it a dark book.

Again I thank the Lord that we have the Review. It comes a welcome messenger; but I often wish I could hear through its columns from dear brethren and sisters whom I know to be more capable of writing than myself. My apology is, I seldom meet with those to whom I can speak out the feelings of my heart. Pardon me then for speaking through the Review, should I speak oftner than some others. I rejoice to hear that we may expect the labors of Brn. Andrews and Loughborough in N. Y. May they come in the name and spirit of the Master we will constantly pray; and that we may be co-workers with them in sustaining them is also my desire.

May God speed on his work and his kingdom.

CORNELIA RICE.

Folsomdale, N. Y.