Good Testimony by Wm. S. Foote

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 6, 1865

Good Testimony.

By Wm. S. Foote

I should think from reading Bro. Cottrell's article in the Review of May 9, headed, "Necessity is the mother of invention," that he had been favored (!) of late, like some others, with the sound of some strange Voices from R. I. The great object in the distribution of the sheet referred to, seems to be, to convince (if possible) the Seventh-day Adventists, that they have not "the faith of Jesus," for the reasons that we patronize a paper which they think teaches false doctrine, and which they are pleased to call, "The Conserve Error, alias Advent Review," and that we believe that our Saviour arose from his tomb on the morning of the first day of the week, and that we give a wrong interpretation to 2 Cor. iii, 7, and think too much of "a book of visions."

As yet, we feel disposed to patronize the Review, for the reason that its teachings harmonize with the Bible; and we cannot reject "the book of visions," for the simple reason, that we do not see in them anything incompatible with "the faith of Jesus."

As regards the resurrection of Christ, we wish to bring forward the testimony of one who was possibly a witness of his crucifixion. In Luke xxiv it is said, On the first day of the week very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher &c., found the body gone, saw two men in shining garments, who told them that Jesus had risen, and said unto them, Remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. They remembered this, went away and told these things unto the eleven, to whom those things told by the women, seemed as idle tales.

"And behold two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. Jesus drew near and went with them, to whom one of them (whose testimony we think is reliable) whose name was Cleopas, said, 'Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?' After relating how Jesus was condemned by the chief priests and rulers, and was crucified, he continued, 'But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel; and besides all this, TODAY IS THE THIRD DAY SINCE THESE THINGS WERE DONE."

We "think that any work that stands in the counsel of God, we must believe will be consonant with the Scriptures of truth," and also that "if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

WM. S. FOOTE.

Pendleton, O.