p. 152 | Making Us a Name by James White

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 29, 1860

"Making Us a Name."

By James White

Bro. Smith: Review No. 18 has come to hand. We have read the remarks of Bro. R. F. C., and are not a little surprised. We now feel called upon to faithfully review this question, and give our views in full. This we will do, providence permitting, as soon as we return home. We hope the remarks of Bro. R. F. C. will not excite prejudice in any minds. We therefore request all to patiently wait till they hear us fully, before making a full decision. But we cannot leave this subject without a few remarks.

1. Babylon signifies confusion, and refers to the confusion of languages of the Babel-builders, and not to their making to themselves a name.

2. We say that the church should not look to the civil arm to be protected in the worship of God. But as our Lord's goods cannot be managed in this state of things only according to the laws of our country, we say it is vain to talk of church property, if the church is not in a position to hold it legally. And if wrong to hold church property legally, how can it be right for individual members to hold property legally?

3. To send out a few hundred dollars' worth of books would not obviate a twentieth part of the difficulty. If we should leave this matter with the Lord, as Bro. R. F. C. says, why not leave the books in his hands at the Office with the other property?

4. The church does not hold property by law as Bro. R. F. C. asserts, if he means the civil laws of our country. Hundreds of men and women have contributed to the Office until there is $6000 worth of property without one legal owner. Any one of them can by law shut up the Office until they collect the full amount of the donation. And the Devil is not dead.

5. "Leave this matter to the Lord." This is the plea. Well, if the Lord has not left the management of his goods to us, that with them we may spread the truth, then we can leave it with him. But we regard it dangerous to leave with the Lord what he has left with us, and thus sit down upon the stool of do little, or nothing.

Now it is perfectly right to leave the sun, moon and stars with the Lord; also the earth with its revolutions, the ebbing and flowing of the tides, the running of the rivers, the changing seasons, sunshine and rain, heat and cold—we say, "Let us leave these with the Lord." But if God in his everlasting word calls on us to act the part of faithful stewards of his goods, we had better attend to these matters in a legal manner—the only way we can handle real estate in this world.

Bro. R. F. C. would have been very glad of leaning on the civil arm when he was driven from that farm because of a poor title. Bro. Grant, of Roxbury, Vt., embraced the message with his house insured, which soon burned down, and Bro. G. collected the insurance money. Was that wrong? Will Bro. R. F. C. take up labor with Bro. Grant?

We are very sorry that Bro. R. F. C. should speak as he has. There is a class of minds which tend to fanaticism which may become so prejudiced by his remarks as to unfit them for a candid investigation of the subject. But we shall hope for the best.

The above are the thoughts of a moment—the first that came up on our way from Bro. Carver's to Dayton. Hope the matter may rest till we have time to give our views in full. J. W.