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Astonishing Apostasy

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 5, 1864

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 23, No. 6.

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Astonishing Apostasy.

Elder Moses Hull Departed from the Faith, and Gone to Spiritualism!

STATEMENT OF THE GENERAL CONF. COMMITTEE.

DEAR BRETHREN: It becomes the unpleasant duty of your Committee to announce to you through these columns, the glaring heresies and downfall of Elder Moses Hull. To you who have ever looked upon this man as sound in the faith, and have been so often pleased with his preaching, this statement may seem rather startling, yet it is nevertheless but the utterance of truth. For more than five years, Elder Hull has been an acknowledged preacher among this people, exercising the various functions of a Christian minister with the approval of the body, and as such he has been cheerfully sustained by the liberalities of the church. But to-day he is a fallen man, and in the light of the sacred Scriptures, a heretic of the most obnoxious kind. We will now state some of his present views, which not only relieve him from any further duties in this cause, but exclude him from the fellowship of all who revere the word of God. The points are as follows:
1. His rejection of the Bible, as a rule of life.
2. A denial of the divinity of Jesus Christ.
3. Rejection of the vicarious merits of the blood of Christ, and consequently the whole doctrine of the atonement.
4. Believes in the almost total unaccountability of man.
5. Maintains that every individual of the race of Adam will progress, until all will become good, happy, and saved.
6. Denies the doctrine of the physical resurrection.
7. Questions the existence of a personal Devil.
8. Discards the idea of future punishment to the wicked.
9. Denies the mortality of man.
10. Believes in the conscious state of the dead.
11. Rejects the Bible view of the saints' inheritance.
12. Disbelieves entirely the view of Christ's atoning work as a High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.
13. In short, he has adopted the theory and philosophy of Modern Spiritualism almost in toto.
These points were obtained in an interview recently held by two of the three members of the General Conference Committee, and the Michigan State Conference Committee, with Eld. Hull, and in private conversation. The reader will perceive from them that the "fearful leap" has been taken, and that the prediction of the apostle, "In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils," in him finds an instance of most literal accomplishment. To-day Eld. Hull is a spirit-medium. He has taken part in circles in this city, has already made some converts to the theory, and talks as glibly of the "spheres," "circles," "mesmerism," and "the summer-land," as if they were his mother tongue. He is what is called an "impressible medium," and now writes through spirit influence.
Concerning his views now, it may be safely said that he does not hold one point in common with this people. To the question asked him, what views he still maintained as formerly, he replied, all he could then think of were "spiritual gifts and the Sabbath." But his views of spiritual gifts, as he expounded them to us, are no more like the Bible view than black is like white. He holds that every human being has a gift—a continual inspiration from his guardian spirit. As to his keeping the Sabbath, he observes it on other authority than the Holy Scriptures; for he stated to one of the committees that when his "inspiration" told him the seventh day was not the Sabbath, he should no longer keep it.
Some of his positions are so blasphemous that it will startle the reader to see them. Concerning the offering of Christ on the cross, he remarked, that his blood was of no more worth to other beings, than if Moses Hull should be sacrificed by some wicked mob for his good deeds that he might do! How far this falls short of doing "despite to the Spirit of grace," and "counting the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing," let the reader judge. Of the point first mentioned, his rejection of the Bible as an unerring rule, he said, "The Bible would do for that age, but I will not give up my inspiration for that of any Bible writer." Speaking of the condition of the human family, he remarked, "I regard all mankind as doing about as well as they can. If they err, it is attributable to their organization. My present views nearly do away with the accountability of man; but not entirely." Speaking of the doctrine of progression, he said, the men who lived in Noah's time were not destroyed as a penalty for not getting into the ark, but because they could not believe Noah's doctrine; that they struggled a little in the water, and then commenced their march in the spheres just where they left the world. We might mention many other remarks expository of his unbelief, but the above is sufficient to make the moral distance between him and true-hearted Seventh-day Adventists as far as the East is from the West. He has not only proved recreant on points which are of vital interest to us at the present time, but he has renounced those cardinal doctrines which are common to every so-called orthodox persuasion in the world.
Against his personal character, however, we have no particular charges to bring. Our people have sustained Eld. Hull as a preacher among them, in full confidence that he was a man of good moral character. No Sabbath-keeper has intimated anything to the contrary, to our knowledge. And we can excuse his recent childish threats of what he would do if his character should be attacked, on the ground that he has been labored with patiently and faithfully since he came among us, both by preachers and leading members, for his imprudences, especially in regard to those females who wish to distinguish themselves by being very intimate with a young preacher. These imprudences have sometimes made him and the cause with which he was connected subjects of reproach. Many unfavorable reports followed Eld. Hull when laboring in Iowa, which threatened his usefulness in that State. But the Battle Creek church did not credit these reports. They regarded them as resulting from the advantages which opponents took of his incautious conduct. They saw in this young man some talent as a speaker, and with the hope of benefiting him, in seeing that his temporal wants were liberally supplied, and in correcting those faults in him which often exposed him to the reproaches of the enemies of the Lord, the church invited him to move his family to Battle Creek.
Yet it is a fact, not much known among our people, that before Eld. Hull moved to Battle Creek, nearly three years since, he was required to sign a written article as a bond for his consistent walk. As a speaker he has generally excelled, and has been put forward to preach on such occasions as our General Conferences; but in the church at Battle Creek, where he is best known, he has not been considered a safe counselor in matters pertaining to the cause.
Last May the General Conference Committee decided to place Eld. Hull in a new field. He had crippled his own influence in the West, in Michigan, by falling under the influence of a trance-speaking Spiritualist at Paw Paw about one year since, and in Western New York by imprudences in connection with tent-meetings there two years ago last August. The Committee decided to place him beyond the influence of these misfortunes, if possible, hoping that with the prudent example of Eld. Loughborough before him, and benefited by his judicious caution, he would improve, and be a blessing to the cause in New England.
And not having confidence in Eld. Hull's abilities, excepting as a preacher, the Committee gave to Eld. Loughborough the charge of the work, following in the matter somewhat the custom of the Methodists. In this decision he cordially acquiesced, and expressed himself much pleased with the arrangement before ten or more ministers who were seated in the editor's room in the Review Office. But after Elds. Loughborough and Hull had labored together in New England about three months, Eld. Hull demurred against the decision of the Committee, stating that he would be second to no man. He stated in Manchester, N. H., before Eld. James White and others that he did not object to the course of Eld. Loughborough, as he had only carried out the decision of the General Conference Committee; but his complaint was against the Committee.
Soon his old doubts, which have been his occasional companions for the past twelve months, revived in all their furor, and he withdrew from the field to his family, who were then stopping in Indiana.
Immediately on his return home, to Battle Creek, he went into the trunk business, and has occupied his time in making trunks, and attending circles and lectures, and such investigations, until now he is a spirit medium of quite fair proportions. Being somewhat restive under restraint, we presume Mr. Hull will now enjoy greater freedom of mind in going out and in before that class where "every man does what is right in his own eyes," and whose creed in brief is, "Whatever is, is right."
In this course which Eld. Hull has pursued, the Committee claim that they have a perfect demonstration of the justice of their decision in not giving him a leading voice in the management of this work. For in the short space of less than four months, he has abandoned every point of faith which he was then professedly defending, and has made a complete, not to say unparalleled, apostasy in his religious belief. Is such a man to be entrusted with the management of the cause of truth? Not if those engaged in that cause ever want to know where they are going. It is his rebellion against this just restraint of the church, who saw that he was a man who must be looked after and counseled, that has resulted in his final overthrow. Under the influence of the counsel of brethren, and the more powerful restraints of the word of God, we consider that his moral character, notwithstanding his mistakes, has been unimpeachable; but now that he has broken away from these restraints, we would suggest to his new friends that we consider the past no guarantee for the future in this respect.
As far as duty is concerned in this matter, we think the church are clear from the blood of this man's soul. They have done for him, temporally and spiritually, all that Christian love and sympathy could suggest. In spiritual things, the leading members of the Battle Creek church have spent weeks of labor in trying to help him. In temporal things, they have done more than their duty. They took him from the very dunghill of poverty, houseless, homeless, and destitute, and he leaves us to serve the cause of Spiritualism, with a good home, into which the Battle Creek church alone have put one hundred dollars' worth of furniture.
The following is a verbatim report of a frank statement made by Eld. Hull before us:
"I am willing to sign a statement that my brethren have done all that was good, and honorable, and just, by me. I have not a word of fault to find with them as to my temporal and spiritual good. Bro. and sister White have been honest and kind, and not designed to abuse me. I think they are rather sharper than need be."
Concerning the future labors of Elder Hull we know but little. The period of his incubation being over, he will probably assume some sphere of activity. Doubtless he will take the field as a lecturer on the New Philosophy. In the name of God whom he is dishonoring we would warn the church everywhere against his influence. He says he expects to bring many good Seventh-day Adventists over to his views, and without any particular effort on his part.
Brethren, let this case be a warning to all. Eld. H. once stood firm and clear in the truth. And his fall is a striking illustration of the dangers of venturing within the influence of Spiritualism under the plea of investigation. But perhaps we shall be met with the scriptural injunction, "Prove all things." Then we reply, Spiritualism has already been proved. Its diabolical nature and tendency have been fully shown; and under such circumstances to go off upon the Devil's ground, to investigate his great deception, is about the same as it would be to go into a nest of rattlesnakes to investigate the nature of the poison which they eject from their deadly fangs.
Poor Elder Hull! how we pity him! and how our hearts have yearned toward him like David's to Absalom, as we have seen him fascinated with the snake-like charms of Spiritualism. But the die is cast, the old Serpent at last has him in his fatal folds, and he who so zealously warned others of the dangerous meshes of Satan's net, has now deliberately walked into the snare, and given himself up to be "led captive by him at his will."
Let a useful lesson be learned from this,—that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; but that our only safety is in humble dependence upon the outstretched arm of Israel's God. And to the household of faith, who are keeping the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, we would say in the affectionate words of the apostle, "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."
JOHN BYINGTON, J. N. ANDREWS, G. W. AMADON. } General Conf. Executive Committee.
Battle Creek, Mich., Jan. 3, 1864.
We, the undersigned, concur in the above statement.
URIAH SMITH, JOHN BYINGTON, CYRENIUS SMITH. } Mich. State Conference Committee.