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A New Position

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 24, 1863

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 21, No. 17.

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A New Position.

By E. J. W. Bovee

VARIOUS are the subterfuges resorted to by those who, with blind zeal, oppose the truth of the Bible as it is. We are forcibly reminded of Paul's words, "Ye have a zeal, but it is not according to knowledge."
Not long since a United-Brethren minister took the position, in the desk, that Christ's agony upon the cross when he cried, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" was caused by separation of divine and human nature, that "in him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," but at this time, divinity left him. Where in all the Bible does Eld. G. get his information? Not even an inference of the kind can be drawn from the sacred record. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matt. xxvii, 46. Some that stood by thought that he called for Elias, and another ran and gave him vinegar to drink. After this "Jesus again cried with a loud voice, and yielded up the ghost." Vs. 50. Then followed the awful and solemn scene described in verses 51, 52. And behold the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept, arose. There would doubtless have been more plausibility to his argument had he chosen the latter for the time that divinity forsook the body of Christ. But choose as he may, his position is self-contradictory.
First, he stated that he cried in agony because of the separation that was taking place, then quoted the words which express his agony, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? forgetting that the tense of the text is past (hast) previous to this time. And again, if Eld. G. would have us understand that this separation is equivalent to Jesus' dying, why is it written that he cried again with a loud voice, then gave up the ghost?
Such unreasonable and unscriptural positions are either the result of willing ignorance, or of long and fervently advocating error until the truth of God is hid from the eyes. Truly, the wise shall understand, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand.
E. J. W. BOVEE.