BOTH SIDES | AdventAI

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 4, 1862

BOTH SIDES.

LETTER FROM THE CONG. CHURCH AT MALONE, N. Y., TO S. B. WHITNEY.

(Concluded.)

A few words now in regard to the doctrines which you have recently embraced as substitutes for those you once adopted, but have now put away.

1. The doctrine of the Trinity you set aside as not a scripture doctrine. Our creed on this subject is, that there are three persons in one God, not three persons in one person, and that Christians are required to baptize in the name of these three, as constituting the only true God revealed in the Scriptures. The doctrine of the Trinity is a doctrine of faith, not of comprehension, nor could we solve the mysteries of this infinite, wonderful Being, if he were presented to us as existing in one person only. We must admit that God knows infinitely more of the manner of his own existence

than we, who are but finite, can know; and when he condescends kindly to instruct us in this great matter, does it not become us modestly to believe what he says? This we do; but this you refuse to do, launching out as you have done with Unitarians and Socinians to become wise above, and against, what God has written. Against this reckless and dangerous course we must solemnly warn you.

2. The doctrine of annihilation is another part of your new theory. You said to the church that you believed that both the righteous and wicked lose their consciousness of personality and responsibility, as moral agents, at death. If this doctrine is true, how could God consistently say to Moses, "I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob," when, as your doctrine implies, all those patriarchs, dead for centuries, had in reality no existence, the very absurdity which Christ proposed in the same case to the Sadducees: "God is not a God of the dead, but of the living."

God called Moses into the mount, not to translate him as he did Enoch and Elijah, but to die; he died, and the Lord buried him. And has Moses' spirit slept there with his body till this time? Michael, the archangel, and the Devil, once had a dispute about the body of Moses [see Jude 9], but not about his soul, as they both knew where that was; and James, Peter, and John, learned the destiny of that noble spirit when they had the honor of seeing him with Christ on the mount. See Matt. xvii, 1-4. Has Moses ceased to be conscious since that time?

Isaiah, in chap. lvii, 12, shows that the spirits of the righteous are conscious on their departure from the body. "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away (not annihilated, or put to sleep except their body) from the wrath to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness." Here is the manner in which God disposes of the whole compound man at death. The body rests in its bed, or grave, while the soul of the righteous enters into peace with kindred spirits, and walks in righteousness. The same doctrine of the consciousness of the soul on departing from the body, was taught by our Lord when he said to the dying thief by his side, "This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." This day, does not mean to-morrow, as some have pretended, or a day lasting to the resurrection. Christ did not insult the poor, anxious, dying thief in this manner. The legs of both thieves were broken, while Christ still hung on the cross, and probably both were dead before the day expired, and Christ's promise fulfilled to the penitent thief. We believe Christ in this matter in preference to any speculation.

The case of the rich man and Lazarus [see Luke xvi, 19-31] must satisfy everybody but scoffing infidels of the immediate consciousness of departed spirits, whether good or evil.

The following scriptures are evidently against the doctrine of the final annihilation of the wicked: Mark iii, 29; Jude 7; Matt. xxv, 46; Rev. xx, 10-15; Isa. lxvi, 24; Mark ix, 44, 46, 48; Matt. x, 15; xi, 24; Mark vi, 11; Luke x, 12, 14.

The advocates for final annihilation insist strongly on the language of the last chapter of Malachi, where a day is predicted as approaching that should "burn up the wicked, that it should leave them neither root nor branch."

The day here spoken of was when the Sun of righteousness (Christ) should appear with his harbinger, John Baptist, called by Malachi, Elijah, and thus a great day be enjoyed by the righteous, but a terrible day, a day of defeat to enemies—to the Herodians, to scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees—and would continue till Jerusalem should be destroyed, and the nation killed or dispersed. Here then was a complete destruction of God's enemies, of all their plots, devices, and sinful pleasures, leaving them neither root nor branch. Another day of retribution is coming, when all the wicked of every country and age shall meet with a similar overthrow; and all this without the extinction of being. Sodom and Gomorrah were once destroyed, root and branch, by fire, and yet Jude says, "they are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."

We read also that the wicked shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power. 2 Thess. i, 9. There are many other passages which show most clearly the final and everlasting existence of the wicked, and their misery, which misery we must understand by the term, "wrath to come."

This doctrine of annihilation which was taught by the Sadducees, who denied the existence of either angel or spirit, has been too gross an error to have obtained much credit in Christian countries for 1800 years; but during the last fifty or sixty years it has been gradually making its appearance in one form or another, and in different quarters. About fifty years since, a man by the name of Uriah Smith,* professing to be a Christian, introduced the doctrine into this country; first gathered a society of this kind in Bangor. He denied the Sabbath, laughed at church articles, rejected the Trinity, and the divinity of Jesus Christ. He turned out to be too immoral for Bangor to retain, but some of his party retained his doctrine while he left, and it has since obtained patronage in some sections of St. Lawrence county.

Annihilation is the doctrine of infidelity. Christ treated it as such when he reasoned with the Sadducees, saying, that they "erred, not knowing the Scriptures." It is a doctrine of selfishness, invented and adopted by those who pretend to believe the Scriptures, hoping greatly to modify, if not to do away finally and forever all the declarations of the Bible on the subject of future punishment. If they can persuade themselves and all their friends that the worst they have to fear when they die is forgetfulness of all their sins to the resurrection, and then only become conscious to be sentenced to a second sleep which will prove eternal, the difficulties of the future are measurably overcome. Thus convenience, instead of the Bible, is followed.

In reference to what you remarked when before the church in respect to your change of views in regard to the mode of baptism, and that you reserved your assent at first to the doctrine of the saints' perseverance, we have but few words to say. Baptism, whether by immersion, or sprinkling, or pouring, "is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience." And in regard to falling from grace, we suppose you do not consider it a Christian privilege to apostatize from God, so as never to return; but we are sorry to find that you have not carefully and fully examined the scriptures on which we firmly rest our belief that all converted persons "will be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation."

And now, dear young brother, we have endeavored to admonish you of your errors in Christian love, by showing you from the Scriptures the "more excellent way," from which we can but be confident that you have departed. And we are sure that if the truth of God is what you supremely desire, you will candidly review all that we have written. We have cautiously avoided all epithets and unkind expressions; and in consequence of your youth, and considering your case as yet hopeful, we have drawn out our letter to an unusual length. We have, as we promised, carried you in our arms of affection to "the only wise God our Saviour" in prayer. And to him we invite you afresh to go, that he may anoint your eyes with eye-salve that you may see, and administer a fresh supply of humility, meekness, love, teachableness, and faith, to your soul. We believe in our souls that you are beguiled by false doctrines, and we pray the Holy Ghost to enlighten and save you.

Your sincere friends, In behalf of the church, A. PARMALEE. J. R. HENCK.