A LETTER ANSWERED by John Norton Loughborough

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 5, 1861

A LETTER ANSWERED.

By John Norton Loughborough

Dear Bro. L.—Your letter of Oct. 20, containing questions on the subject of organization is before me, and I take this opportunity to answer it. You ask,

“How do you manage in forming a church about taking in members who use tea, coffee, tobacco, and wear hoops, and some who do not believe in Sr. White's visions?”

To this I simply answer, We do not take in any who use tobacco, and reject the gifts of the Spirit of God, if we know it. One of the very objects to be accomplished by church organization is to lop off these things, and only have those come together who stand in the light. To take in those who are holding on to their sins and wrongs, would be to encourage the very things we are seeking to remedy.

You ask, “What shall be done with such? Should such persons be taken into the church before they break away from these things, or should they be taken in and labored with?”

To both of these questions I answer, No. To take persons into the church, is saying that we fully fellowship them; and to labor with them then, would throw them into distraction, if it did not entirely destroy them. Better let them know the straightness of the way, before taking them into the church. If they cannot stand the truth, don't bring them in to the church to fill that with darkness, and perhaps in the end, with trial and confusion. As to taking in members and laboring with them, the very time to commence a labor is when their names are proposed for membership. (See “Conference Address.”) Then if they cannot be brought to terms, it will be best to let them stand outside till they can come in right.

Again you say of your questions, “I do not mean those who have been in the truth for years and profess to believe the visions, but those who have come out upon it within a year or so. It seems to me that in organizing churches there ought not to be anything but sound timber used, for it has got to be thoroughly tested.”

In the West, as a general thing, those who have lately come out on the truth are less troubled on these things than those who have been long in the way. And why? Because we have seen fit to deal plainly on these things, instead of holding back for feelings

and being afraid we should hurt somebody, as some have done in the past. Instead of waiting for the people to see these things, it rather seems to be the duty of the evangelist who is laboring in a place where souls embrace the truth, before leaving, to lecture on the subjects of the gifts, the use of tobacco, and other points you mention. If there are believers in Western New York who have not had opportunity to investigate these subjects, I should not think they were ready to enter into church organization. Better let them wait until these subjects are all properly presented before them, and they have a chance to decide upon them, before rushing into church capacity. As expressed by Bro. White in the last Review, I fear there will be too much of a hurry now in this matter; the Devil will try to get in everything; and if he should succeed here, the last end of such organization would leave churches worse off than it found them. "Wisdom is profitable to direct." Church organization, as already expressed, if carried out right will leave members in a healthy condition, and where they can labor for those who are not yet fully in the light. It will harm no one to remain outside of our organization till he or she is prepared to come in harmony with us.

"But," you inquire, "will it answer to reject some because they do not see just as we do?"

I suppose you mean this to be understood in a limited sense, or else we cannot reject those who break the Sabbath, &c. In settling such a question the proper way to inquire, is, Have we good reasons for seeing as we do? Is our position a true one? If so, let us present to those who differ from us the reasons for our faith on these points, and see if they cannot be made to see as we do; then, our faith being one, there will be no trouble about our having fellowship one with the other if we are all striving to obey the light. It seems to me that this will be better than to lower down the standard of truth for the sake of numbers. One dozen in harmony and walking in the light, are better than a hundred with confusion in their midst.

Yours, in hope of eternal life. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH. Battle Creek, Mich., Oct. 28, 1861.