THE CAUSE | AdventAI

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 29, 1861

THE CAUSE.

THE prospects brighten before the cause we love and labor to advance. It has passed through perils which have threatened its destruction, and has come through the storm gathering strength in every struggle. If it were not the Lord’s cause it would speedily come to naught. “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say, if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us, then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul, then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Ps. cxxiv.

The past two years have been especially perilous to the cause. These perils have not been in consequence of opposition from the world, or from the churches. The bitterest opposition from these is easily turned to the advancement of the cause. Past experience attests the truth of this. God gives our ministers victory in discussions, and many friends to the cause. Neither have we suffered as much from insubordination of inexperienced Sabbath-keepers as might be expected under so distracted a state of things. But the cause has stood in fearful peril from want of union among those to whom the flock should look for example. And this lack of unity has not been in regard to doctrine. It is a wonderful fact that the system of truth taught by the Seventh-day Adventists is so harmonious, so clear, and so abundantly sustained by the plain testimony of God’s word, that there is little chance for believers to differ. The differences among us have been in consequence of blind prejudices, resulting from lack of consecration, and also opposition to the plain testimony. These things have proved perilous, at least, to us. We look back upon near two years as a blank, and worse than a blank in our life; for we have been so crushed in spirit that we could neither preach nor write with freedom. A gloom has been increasing over us, injurious to the mind and to health, until the world seemed mantled with the pall of death, our love for the word of God and spiritual things was waning, and the grave presented a welcome resting-place.

In this state of mind we had decided to take no leading part in the cause. We had made strong efforts to advance the cause, and our efforts were counteracted by those who should have stood by our side. We had labored to relieve the wants of our preachers, and to get them homes. We had made appeals to our people, showing them their duty to sustain those who labored for them. We had reproved the covetous, exposing ourself to their jealousy, for the sake of our preachers. We were not in want. And from some of our preachers, and from others for similar acts, we have seen evidences of the coldest ingratitude. Some of these very persons have manifested pure hatred. In this state of things we have done what we could to tear away from the cause, all but to publicly declare ourself disconnected from it. Some have come to their senses, and have done all they can by way of confession to relieve our feelings. Others have ceased their warfare. The friends of the cause, contrary to our wishes and expectations, have placed us in a still more responsible position, and God in answer to the fervent prayers of his afflicted people, has manifested his approval, and, blessed be his name, is raising our head once more above the waters.

With astonishment we see this cause moving right onward, notwithstanding these things which have driven us within a hair-breadth of despair and insanity. The cause in some localities for awhile languishes in consequence of the strange course of some of our preachers. God waits all the time to be gracious, and when they by confession come where he can bless and build up his cause, how soon it revives. O, what lessons God’s providence is teaching us! Will not all of God’s ministers among us come up to the work strong, bold, and united? Will they not dare to be right and true in every place? While pondering in sadness over the present state of the cause, Bro. S. handed us the following lines from the New York Advocate and Journal, which seem so appropriate that we give them.

Dare to be right! dare to be true! You have a work that no other can do. Do it so bravely, so kindly, so well, As to gladden all heaven, and silence all hell.

Dare to be right! dare to be true! Cowards and quidnunes dread everything new; If you can’t stand at your post in a storm, How can you fight in the ranks of reform?

Dare to be right! dare to be true! Foes may be many, and friends may be few; Truth and her champions oft stand alone, What’s a man good for without a back-bone?

Dare to be right! dare to be true! Other men’s failures can never save you; Stand by your conscience, your honor, your faith, Stand like a hero and battle till death.

Dare to be right! dare to be true! Love may deny you its sunshine and dew. Let the dew fail, for then showers shall be given; Dew is from earth, but the showers from heaven.

Dare to be right! dare to be true! God who created you, cares for you too; Bottles the tears that his striving once shed, Counts and protects every hair of your head.

Dare to be right! dare to be true! The sun may burn red, and the planets burn blue; God may toss back the systems to chaos again, But his promise forever is yea and amen.

Again, we are surprised at the faithfulness and united action of our people to sustain our preachers and the cause under existing circumstances. Our preachers are generally well sustained. It might be expected that when a preacher took a course to cripple the cause, and drive men from the truth, that the means of support would dry up; but our people, faithful to their duty, and hoping for better things, still hand out their hard-earned means. We think but few of our preachers realize these things as they exist. The liberality of our people should cause the leaders in this work to feel the deepest gratitude, and inspire them with zeal to act well their part in the cause.

Especially do we feel touched with a sense of the faithfulness of the brethren to sustain that department of the cause with which we are connected. When the call was made for the Book Fund and the Steam Press, $4000 were promptly raised without the expense of traveling agents. Each brother and sister was an agent, and forwarded the money directly to the Office. And when the call was made for $8000 more for the Association, pledges for more than $6000 came in at once. Many have taken shares without pledging, and donations from churches and individuals are receipted in every Number. With a little extra effort with all the friends, the sum can be made up before 1862, and the Association be forever placed beyond want. Once free, with increase of subscribers, and an increased call for our publications, it can help missionaries in new fields by donations of its publications. Prospects as to means to sustain the cause never were so good as at present. Systematic Benevolence far exceeds our expectations, and will do the work. Though we fall in the struggle, battling for Heaven’s order of equality, and in carrying through different enterprises connected with this cause, the work will go forward, and the Seventh-day Adventists will yet fully prize what many of them have been so slow to adopt, and some have bitterly opposed. In contrast with our condition read the following from the Millennial Harbinger, for Oct. 23:

“These are ‘hard times’ we know, but they are specially hard to publishers. We are not alone in embarrassment; almost all other religious papers are embarrassed more or less, according to their popularity. A late issue of the Advent Herald contains the following:

“‘SPECIAL PROPOSITION.—A friend of the cause proposes to give one hundred dollars toward the six hundred needed to publish the Herald weekly the coming year, provided the amount be made up by other contributors.’

“And we find in other papers many similar notices. We do not rejoice at their embarrassment, but mention it to show that we are not alone. Among those papers which advocate the coming of Christ, and some or all of its kindred doctrines, we find that the World’s Crisis is feeling the hard times; the Bible Examiner is temporarily suspended; the Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come is also suspended; and the Gospel Banner is ‘in the storm,’ and feels its effects to a considerable extent.”

We have not the courage to press on against discouragements as those have whom we call nominal. Place our preachers and leaders where they are, with no better backers than they have, and we should at once fall in pieces. May God forgive us as a people, and help us to press together and quit ourselves like men working in earnest for God and his cause.

As to organization, the question has been, Shall we organize? That question being answered in the affirmative, the question now is, How shall we organize? Beware, brethren, of moving hastily in this matter. By hard tugging, our experienced ministers may be induced to take hold of this work, and not leave it for novices in the faith to make still greater confusion by meddling with the organization of churches.