p. 100 | The Great Revival Here by R. F. Cottrell

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Michigan · Aug 29, 1865

The Great Revival Here.

By R. F. Cottrell

Not a revival that will convert the world, but one that is destined to gather out a few—the little flock—and prepare them for translation at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not like the expected revival that is to bring millions, yea, all the world, into allegiance to God, which is so fondly dreamed of by so many at the present day—a revival which has no promise in the word of God, and stands only in tradition and imagination. On the contrary, the revival of which I speak, was promised by the Spirit of inspiration, nearly eighteen hundred years ago, and this promise was left on record for our instruction and guidance, who live in the time of its fulfillment. It is found in Rev. xiv, 9–12, and, being promised by Him who cannot lie, and is able also to perform all his promises, it is sure to be fulfilled.

It is not the awakening of a drowsy church, which falls asleep again within a month, nor the addition of numbers to the confusion of sectarianism, by making converts, that, as a stream cannot rise higher than its fountain, prove no better than those who convert them. But it is the revival of genuine Christianity, a coming up to the standard of truth and holiness. It is not the product of mere impulse—an edifice reared upon the sand of blind feeling, but its foundation is laid upon the rock of truth, and consequently, the superstructure is righteousness and true holiness. 'Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.' It is the revival of long-neglected and down-trodden truth—'the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus'—without which no real, permanent good can be accomplished for this generation—this degenerate race, with the Bible within their reach, exalted to Heaven in point of privilege, but sunken lower than the grave in moral corruption and degradation.

Even the Christians themselves of this generation, need conversion as truly as common sinners; and their want of consecration to God, and a willingness to receive and obey Bible truth, when pressed home upon the understanding, is the greatest obstacle in the way of the conversion of those that are without. And this church of Sardis, having long been dead while having a name to live, has passed over to sojourn in Laodicea, where she fancies herself rich and increased in goods, and in need of nothing, while she is poor, and miserable, and wretched, and blind, and naked.

The professed church is asleep; but in her sleep she dreams of doing good, and hopes even for the conversion of the whole world. Her standard of piety and holiness is low, and her standard of truth is lower still, if possible. She is following the traditions of antichrist, preferring the commandments of men, to the commandments of God, and the fables of the heathen world, to the plainly revealed teachings of the Scriptures of truth. She refuses to be converted to God herself, and yet talks of converting the world. There is no hope for her as a body; for corrupt combinations of men never reform themselves. The only remedy for the living members is, to forsake the dead and putrified body. 'We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed; forsake her.' All one has to do by way of forsaking a corrupt church, is to receive and obey the truth, as we find it in the 'commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.' They will soon find themselves excluded; for there is no agreement between the temple of God and idols.

God foresaw the present state of things. He foresaw that the mass of the nominal church would not recover from the great apostasy, headed by the church of Rome, and for this reason he prepared the three messages of Rev. xiv, 6–12, for the purpose of gathering out his people and preparing them for the coming of the Son of man.

In his great benevolence, God determined to enlighten men, that they might have the means of recovering from the Roman apostasy. For this purpose he prepared the Reformation for Luther's time, and with it determined to send the Bible in the language of the people. And while papists, aware of their innovations and corruptions of the Bible, only justified by assumed power and right to legislate for God, would have kept the Bible from the common people; Protestants, with a truly commendable zeal, have been busily engaged in giving the Bible to every nation in their own language, thus unwittingly circulating their own condemnation, in following the traditions of the church of Rome, instead of the explicit teachings of that Word which they esteemed so highly. But it is the controlling and directing providence of God, that has given the Bible to the world, so that the poorest may have it; and this has been done to prepare the way for the last revival—the closing up of the work of the reformation—a work intended to bring out and entirely separate a people from all the corruptions of Romanism, and fit them for translation, without death, at the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The prophetic message of Rev. xiv, 9–12, is perfectly fitted for this work. It contains a most solemn warning, accompanied by the most fearful threatening of impending wrath, against the worship of the beast, or, in other words, against following the traditions of the Roman church. On the other hand, the effect predicted as the result of this warning, is that the people of God who heed the warning, 'keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.' This is a point in the reformation that had not been reached before; and, in fact, would not have been reached, had not God provided this special message for this very purpose.

No people can be said, in truth, to keep the commandments of God, unless they keep all the commandments which he spoke with his own mouth and gave in his own hand-writing. If we fail in one precept, we are guilty of sin, either ignorantly or knowingly. And as this is the last merciful warning, prior to the coming of the Son of man upon the great white cloud, verse 14, it must be evident to all, that the commandments

of God are contrasted with the work of the papacy, that power that should, according to prophecy, 'think to change times and laws,' Dan. vii, 25, and that boasts that it has changed the time in God's Sabbath law, the fourth commandment, 'a change for which,' to use the language of the chosen champions of the papacy, 'there is no Scriptural authority.'

The solemn message from Heaven is here, and is doing its fearful work. The best evidence that this declaration is the truth, is that the message was foretold in prophecy, and that it is now being proclaimed in the order of the prophecy, and is doing a work precisely corresponding to that described, namely, bringing to light the dark work of the papacy, as foretold in the word of God, and developing a people that keep more commandments of God than other religionists, namely, all the ten commandments, as God gave them in person.

The great revival is here. It will seem little, however, to those who remain in unbelief, and are expecting the world will be converted through the influence of a church so fallen and degenerate and distracted by factions, and so unwilling to hear God's word themselves. But still it is a great revival; because it is the revival of primitive faith and practice, and because it will sanctify God's peculiar people, and prepare them to be translated to Heaven without seeing death.