Thanks for the Review by J. Croffut

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 29, 1864

Thanks for the Review

By J. Croffut

From Bro. Croffut.

BRO. WHITE: Through the kindness of some friend, I suppose, you very obligingly send me the Review. I shall not attempt to say how pleasingly welcome it is to me. Confined as I am with rheumatism, unable to walk, and scarcely able to write, and seldom seeing an Adventist of any class, or a Seventh-day Baptist (I am associated with the Seventh-day Baptist church, in N. Y.), I very highly prize the Review, and am profited by it, for its spiritual conformity to the teachings of Christ and the apostles. You will therefore accept my humble thanks for the great favor you thus confer on me. When the Sabbath Recorder was published in N. Y., I recommended an exchange with the Review, and thus I had the reading of it until the Recorder was removed to Westerly, R. I. I have felt the loss of the Review, and would gladly have subscribed for it, but I am poor, have had much sickness, and being some of the time (now especially) dependent upon my friends, I have been unwilling to ask for it free, for I thought it might not be right, and having no personal acquaintance with you, or any of the publishing association, I could not feel free to ask.

I have often wished I could be at your meetings. I believe that even now, I might be healed. I have full faith in Jesus, if the conditions are complied with. If the Lord does not do for me, I cannot expect to write many more letters. That is a task now, which used to be a pleasure, and I should not have undertaken this, but I want you to know that I am not indifferent to your kind sympathy and favor.

The Sabbath question is well advocated and defended in the Review, from which much interesting information may be obtained, and many are, no doubt, instructed, edified, and benefited by reading articles of so great research, and study. I think I have been over the whole ground in a quite thorough manner, having commenced studying the subject to refute a tract published by Bro. Bates about 1845 or 6, I believe; but I was greatly astonished to find myself refuted by the word of the Lord. I thought my brethren would be easily convinced that God had never instituted or commanded but one weekly Sabbath, that of the fourth commandment of the decalogue; so I presented the subject to the brethren and sisters, but, to my grief, it was strongly opposed, and had very little if any good influence on any of them. And being alone (my family opposing), as I supposed, in this great and wicked city, I observed alone, for some time, the (seventh-day) Sabbath of the Lord, and still continue its observance in joyful obedience to God's command.

It seems passing strange to me, that men of learning and deep study, and withal professing godliness, should persistently refuse to admit the divine authority of the fourth commandment, while they readily acknowledge that authority in the other nine. God rested the seventh day, sanctified and blessed it, called it the Sabbath, and commanded it to be kept holy, by remembrance of himself; and he has thus honored, appointed, or distinguished no other day; nor has he ever cancelled the obligation of the day which he sanctified and blessed. This I think precludes all successful argument for a change of the Sabbath. One thing I would like to know,—if there had never been a Sabbath until after the resurrection of Christ, is there any evidence on which to base the idea of a weekly Sabbath? I think it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to find any such thing; therefore the idea is obtained only from the institution ordained of God from the beginning. If God the Father, or Jesus the Saviour and Redeemer, has said one word about a change of the Sabbath, then they who advocate a change should give that word as authority. I can take nothing less than that; and if those who profess to take the word of God for their only guide, would abide by it in this case, there would be but one mind about the Sabbath. One possitive assertion from God is worth more than one hundred inferences, (Burnham's "100 reasons why we should keep the first-day") and that we have in the fourth commandment. Paul says, 1 Cor. xi, 1, "Be ye followers of me as I also am of Christ." Also chap. iv, 16. "Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me." Phil. iii, 17. "Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk, so as ye have us for an example." Again 1 Thess. ii, 14: "For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus."

Thank God for these testimonies of Paul. They include Paul's Sabbath-keeping for many years, at least to A. D. 64. Do first-day (Sunday) keepers understand this? Then follow Paul. I think it safe to follow him in keeping the Sabbath, as well as in other things. The Lord helping I intend to heed Paul's instructions as a follower of the Lord Jesus.

The Lord bless you, and reward you for your kindness to me. Hoping for eternal life in Jesus Christ, I am,

Affectionately yours,

J. CROFFUT.

Brooklyn, N. Y.