Good Testimony by A. S. Hutchins

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 25, 1864

Good Testimony.

By A. S. Hutchins

Dr. A. Clarke, while speaking of the punishment of Nadab and Abihu, for offering incense with strange, that is, common fire, bears the following important testimony, as to the necessity of worshiping God as he prescribes, rather than departing to human institutions. He says:

"God has here given us a full proof that he will not suffer human institutions to take the place of his own prescribed worship. It is true this is frequently done: for, by many, what is called natural religion, is put in the place of divine revelation, and God seems not to regard it; but though vengeance is not speedily executed on an evil work, and therefore the hearts of the children of men are set to do wickedness, yet God ceases not to be just, and those who have taken from or added to his words, or put their own inventions in their place, shall be reproved and found liars in the great day. His long-suffering leads to repentance; but if men will harden their hearts, and put their own ceremonies, rites, and creeds, in the place of divine ordinances and eternal truths, they must expect to give an awful account to Him who is shortly to judge the quick and the dead.

"Were the religion of Christ stripped of all that state policy, fleshly interest, and gross superstition have added to it, how plain and simple, and may we not add, how amiable and glorious, would it appear! Well may we say of human inventions in divine worship, what one said of paintings on old Cathedral windows, Their principal tendency is to prevent the light from coming in."

Who will say the above language is too strong? Who is able to affirm that God is less particular in the nineteenth century whether his written word be obeyed than he was as to his prescribed worship some fifteen hundred years before Christ? Is it safer now to take from his word or add thereunto, than to disobey him then? Let us again read and carefully consider Rev. xxii, 18, 19.

On this point, too, our minds may be helped by considering the case of Saul in connection with the instruction which he received to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all they possessed. 1 Sam. xv. It would almost seem that his mind was to do better even than the Lord required, by saving the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to him. But this only called down the displeasure of the Lord upon him.

From circumstances of this kind we gather that it is not safe to go beyond or fall short of perfect obedience to God's revealed will.

Let us not, then, trample his holy law under our feet, now that light is shining, now that the last call of mercy is sounding, now that his people are preparing to meet the King in his beauty.

May his truth be our shield and buckler, and we each be found among that happy throng when it shall be said, "Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in." Isa. xxiv, 2. A. S. HUTCHINS.