Signs of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 36. (9/18/1884)

Signs of the Times

Sep 18, 1884

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 18, 1884

The True Object of Education.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.

THE true object of education should be constantly kept in view. God has intrusted to each one capacities and powers, that they may be returned to him enlarged and improved. His gifts are granted to us to be used to the utmost. He requires every one to attain the highest possible degree of usefulness. All the talents that we possess, whether of mental capacity, money, or influence, are of God, so that in dedicating them to his service we may say with David, "All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee."

Dear young friends, what is your aim in life? Are you ambitious for education that you may one day have a name and position in the world? Have you thoughts that you dare not express, that you may one day stand upon the summit of intellectual greatness; that you may sit in deliberative and legislative councils, and help to enact laws for the nation? There is nothing wrong in lofty aspirations. You may every one of you make your mark. You should be content with no mean attainments. Aim high, and spare no pains to reach the standard.

But remember that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and lies at the foundation of all true greatness. Integrity, unswerving integrity, is the principle that you need to carry with you into all the relations of life. Balanced by religious principle, you may climb to any height you please. We would be glad to see you rising to a noble elevation. Jesus loves the precious youth, and he is not pleased to see them grow up with uncultivated, undeveloped talents. They may become men and women of firm principle, fitted to be intrusted with high responsibilities, and to this end they may lawfully strain every nerve.

Let none commit so great a crime as to pervert their God-given powers to do evil and destroy others. There are gifted men who use their ability to spread moral ruin and corruption; but all such are sowing seed which will produce a harvest that they will not care to reap. It is a fearful thing to scatter blight and woe instead of blessing in society. It is also a fearful thing to fold in a napkin the talent intrusted to us, and hide it away in the world; for this is casting away the crown of life. God claims our service. There are responsibilities for every one to bear; and we can fulfill life's grand mission only when these responsibilities are fully accepted, and faithfully and conscientiously discharged.

Says the wise man, "Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth." But do not for a moment suppose that religion will make you sad and gloomy. Never lose sight of the fact that Jesus is a well-spring of joy. He takes no pleasure in the misery of human beings, but loves to see them happy. Religion will not block up the way to success; it does not obliterate or even weaken a single faculty. It in no way incapacitates you for the enjoyment of any real happiness; it is not designed to lessen your interest in life, or to make you indifferent to the claims of friends and society.

"The entrance of thy word giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple," is the testimony of the psalmist. As an educating power the Bible is without a rival. The study of the Scriptures will ennoble every thought, feeling, and aspiration, as the study of no other book can. Nothing else will so impart freshness and vigor to all the faculties. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is trained to dwell. If occupied with commonplace matters only, it will become dwarfed and enfeebled. If never required to grapple with difficult problems, or tasked to comprehend important truths, it will, after a time, almost lose the power of growth.

The Bible is the most comprehensive and the most instructive history which men possess. It came fresh from the fountain of eternal truth, and a divine hand has preserved its purity through all the ages. Its bright rays shine into the far-distant past, where human research seeks vainly to penetrate. In God's word alone do we find an authentic account of the creation. Here we behold the power that laid the foundation of the earth, and that stretched out the heavens. Here only can we find a history of our race, unsullied by human prejudice or human pride.

In the word of God the mind finds subject for the deepest thought, the loftiest aspiration. Here we may hold communion with patriarchs and prophets, and listen to the voice of the Eternal as he speaks with men. Here we behold the Majesty of Heaven as he humbled himself to become our substitute and surety; to cope single-handed with the powers of darkness, and to gain the victory in our behalf. A reverent contemplation of the themes brought to view in the word of God, cannot fail to soften, purify, and ennoble the heart, and, at the same time, to inspire the mind with new strength and energy.

This sacred word is the will of God revealed to men. Here we learn what God expects of the beings formed in his image. Here we learn how to improve the present life, and how to secure the future life. No other book can satisfy the questionings of the mind and the cravings of the heart. By obtaining a knowledge of God's word, and giving heed thereto, men may rise from the lowest depths of ignorance and degradation, to become sons of God, associates of sinless angels.

A clear conception of what God is, and what he requires us to be, will give us humble views of self. He who studies aright the sacred word, will learn that human intellect is not omnipotent; that, without the help which none but God can give, human strength and wisdom are but weakness and ignorance.

This is the education so much needed at the present time. In an age like ours, in which iniquity abounds, and God's character and his law are alike regarded with contempt, special care must be taken to teach the youth to study, and to reverence and obey, the divine will as revealed to man. The fear of the Lord is fading from the minds of our youth because of their neglect of Bible study.

With Daniel, the fear of the Lord was the beginning of wisdom. He was placed in a position where temptation was strong. In kings' courts, dissipation was on every side; selfish indulgence, intemperance, and gluttony were the order of each day. Daniel could join in the debilitating, corrupting practices of the courtiers, or he could resist the influences that tended downward. He chose the latter course. He would not even defile himself with the king's meat, or with the wine that he drank. The Lord was pleased with the course that Daniel pursued. He was greatly beloved and honored of Heaven; to him the God of wisdom gave skill in the learning of the Chaldeans, and understanding in all visions and dreams.

If the youth who attend our various educational institutions would discard unprofitable amusements and indulgence of appetite, their minds would be clear for the pursuit of knowledge. If they would be firm for the right, and would not associate with those who walk in the paths of sin, like Daniel they would enjoy the favor of God. They would thus gain a moral power that would enable them to remain unmoved when assailed by temptation. It requires a continual struggle to be constantly on the alert to resist evil; but it pays to obtain one victory after another over self, and the powers of darkness.

A spotless character is as precious as the gold of Ophir. None can rise to an honorable eminence without pure, unsullied virtue. But noble aspirations and the love of righteousness are not inherited. Character cannot be bought; it must be formed by daily efforts to resist temptation. The formation of a right character is the work of a lifetime, and must be the result of individual effort. Friends may encourage you, dear youth; but they cannot do the work for you. Wishing, sighing, dreaming, will never make you great or good. You must climb. Gird up the loins of your mind, and go to work with all the strong powers of your will. It is the wise improvement of your op

portunities, the cultivation of your God-given talents, that will make you men and women that can be approved of God and a blessing to society. Let your standard be high, and with indomitable energy press to the mark.

The fear of the Lord is the very foundation of all progress. Your intellectual and moral faculties are God's gifts, talents intrusted to you; and you are not at liberty to let them lie dormant for want of proper cultivation, or be crippled and dwarfed for lack of exercise. It is for you to determine whether or not the weighty responsibilities that rest upon you shall be faithfully met, whether or not your efforts shall be well-directed and your best.

THE UNKNOWN FUTURE.

God holds the key of all unknown, And I am glad. If other hands should hold the key, Or if he trusted it to me, It might be sad.

What if to-morrow’s cares were here Without its rest? Rather would I unlock the day, And as the hours swing open, say, “Thy will is best.”

The very dimness of my sight Makes me secure; For, groping in my misty way, I feel his hand—I hear him say, “My help is sure.”

I cannot read his future plan, But this I know, I have the smiling of his face, And all the refuge of his grace, While here below.

Enough; this covers all my want, And so I rest; For what I cannot, he can see, And in his care I sure shall be Forever blest.

Civil Government and the First Table of the Law.

By Alonzo T. Jones

ROGER WILLIAMS enunciated the doctrine that "the civil magistrate has no authority over offenses against the first table" of the law of God. On this Dr. Crafts remarks that it "is worthy of all acceptance; but it must be interpreted and applied with common sense." Then he proceeds to give us an "interpretation," which presumably he considers to be "common sense." And now—

"Turn here your steps, and your eyes employ, Ye hapless daughters, and ye sons of Troy,"

And see how he does it. He says: "The Mormon is not to claim under it a right to bigamy and polygamy."

What shadow of connection is there between "bigamy and polygamy," and the first table of the law? Or has he become so accustomed to looking at everything in the reverse that the law of God too is turned backward, and so to his vision the second table of the law is the first, and duty toward men takes precedence of that toward God? The Mormon in his "bigamy and polygamy," commits adultery, which is transgression of the seventh commandment, the third statute of the second table; and the second table regulates our duties toward our fellow-men, and civil government has a right to, yea, it must, exercise its authority there, because that is one of the main purposes of civil government. And when Congress legislates on the Mormon adultery, what kind of "common sense" is that which interprets such action as legislation upon offenses against the first table? So far is it from being common sense, that it is the baldest kind of nonsense—in short there is no sense at all in it. But utterly destitute of sense as it is, it shows plainly that there is no sophistry, no subterfuge, that will not be employed to blind the minds of the masses to the unrighteousness of the enactment and enforcement of Sunday laws.

This statement by Roger Williams is sound doctrine and eminently common sense as it stands. It is truth that civil government has no right to legislate in matters pertaining to the first table of the law. The first table has to do alone with man's duty to God; and whatever conception of what God is or what God requires, is distinctively his own conception, and lies exclusively between that man and his God. And when the State attempts by law to regulate such conception, it enters a domain where it does not belong, and where it can have no shadow of right.

The State has no right to say whether a man shall have one God or fifty, or whether he shall have any God at all. It has no right to say whether its subjects shall worship Jehovah, Jupiter, Josh, Buddha, Thor, Odin, Isis, or Osiris. So far as the State is concerned, the Chinaman has a right to bring his graven images of his gods with him, and worship them. The Hindoo has a right to bring his Buddha with him and worship him here. The Sabian has the right to bring his sacred fire, and worship it.

But, on the other hand, the worshiper, of what kind soever he may be, must keep his worship between himself and his god, must keep it within the limits of the first table. He, on his part, must not invade the domain of the State. The fire-worshiper may carry on his worship unmolested so long as he keeps it between himself and his fire-god; but the moment that he seizes one of his fellow-men and attempts to kill him and burn him in the fire as a sacrifice to his god, that moment the State stretches forth its powerful hand and stops him. Because, in the exercise of one of its chief offices, the State must protect the life of this one of its subjects. Therefore when any one in his worship of his god attempts the life of another, even though it be his own child, the State must interfere and protect the life of its subject, and prosecute the offender. Prosecute him, not for any offense against any part of the first table, but for his offense against that statute of the second table, which says, "Thou shalt not kill." And the State has the right to so prosecute, even to the annihilation of such worship, if it prove to be necessary to the protection of the lives of its subjects.

So likewise the Mormons have the right to separate themselves, and go away into the wilderness, and there establish a hierarchy if they choose, and the Government can say nothing against their proposal to worship their god in that way. But when they make adultery the chief corner-stone of their hierarchy, and when every act of worship toward their god must be sanctified by adultery, then the Government must interfere; because the State has the right to, yea, it must protect its subjects from the adulterer as well as from the murderer. And in this, as in the above case, such interference is not because of any infringement of the first table of the law, but solely because, and in correction of, their infringement of that statute of the second table which says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery;" and the State has the right to carry such interference to the extent of annihilating that hierarchy, if it be found necessary to the abolition of their adulterous practices.

Again, suppose a class of religionists should arise, holding, upon Acts 4: 32, that no worship was acceptable to God except that based upon the principle of community of property. So long as such religionists, believing it their duty, maintain such views and worship between themselves and God, the Government has nothing to say against what they do. But if they, in carrying out their principle of "all things common," begin to appropriate the property of their neighbors, then the State asserts its right to protect the property of its citizens. And such action in no wise touches relations nor duties of the first table, but does solely with that part of the second table which says, "Thou shalt not steal." The same principle would hold in regard to any infraction of the ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." Therefore it is plain that the civil Government has no right to interfere with the religious practices of any people so long as such practices are confined within the limits of the first table of the law.

Now the question arises. Has the State any right to compel the observance of the Sabbath? From the principles pointed out in the foregoing, the question must be answered in the negative; because the Sabbath is an institution belonging exclusively to the first table of the law, and is regulated wholly by a statute of the first table. The non-observance of the Sabbath interferes with no person's life, nor chastity, nor property, nor character. Consequently the non-observance of the Sabbath on the part of any person, can by no possibility come within the limits of the jurisdiction of the State. This of the Sabbath. We do not here refer to Sunday; because Sunday-keeping has no connection whatever with anything in either the first or the second table, unless it be in the form of a transgression of the first commandment. And as we have seen that, though it were part of the first table, the State can have nothing to do with it; and at every one knows it is no part of the second table, therefore any legislation in behalf of Sunday is utterly excluded, so far as the two tables of the law are concerned.

But suppose that Sunday were truly the Sabbath, is there then any just ground for legislation, in the claim of the Sunday-law people, that their rest is disturbed by other people not keeping Sunday? It is difficult to see how one person's choice not to rest on a certain day can disturb the one who chooses to rest that day. Suppose I rest on Sunday; my neighbor across the way works on Sunday. Now how can his work, on his own premises, disturb my rest on my premises? It does not disturb my rest and it cannot. This we know, for we are acquainted

with the experience, not in keeping Sunday, it is true, but in keeping the Sabbath, and the principle is the same. There are thousands of Sabbath-keepers in the United States. They are found in city and country in every State and Territory in the Union. They all rest on the Sabbath of the Lord (Saturday), which is acknowledged to be the busiest day of the week, yet no such thing was ever heard of as a Seventh-day Adventist complaining of his rest being disturbed. We have churches in such busy cities as Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, and many others, where they meet for worship every Sabbath, and although in the midst of these busy cities, on the busiest day of the week, yet no one ever heard a complaint of their worship being disturbed by other people working. And if such complaint were made (which will never be), how much respect would it receive from Sunday-keepers? Just none at all. It would be considered as wholly unworthy their notice. And this shows that their cry about their rest, worship, etc., being disturbed by people working on Sunday, does not spring from principle, but entirely from willfulness. Well they are consistent in that at least; for as we have shown in the articles that have gone before, that Sunday-keeping itself is will-worship, so, therefore, they are consistent in consulting their own willfulness alone in seeking to compel others to keep it. In their whole system there is no recognition of the principle of equal rights, but as we have shown in a previous article, it rests wholly upon the idea that 'might is right.' With them there is no recognition of the right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, but every man must worship according to the dictates of the conscience of the Sunday-law claimant. Yet even this is not the true statement of the case, but rather that every man must worship according to the will of the Sunday-law claimant. We say 'will!' because in this case, as a matter of fact, there is no conscience at all.

In short, the more closely the Sunday institution, and the claims for Sunday laws, are examined, the more plainly it appears that they rest upon no particle of right nor equity. The more carefully they are weighed in the balances, the more decidedly they are found wanting. Instead of the National Reform movement being a work of reform, it is the opposite. Instead of its being a progression in the civilization of the nineteenth century, it is a retrogression to that of the twelfth century. Instead of its shedding a broader and purer light upon the intellectual world, instead of its turning the shadow backward, it swings it forward until the bright face of the intellectual dial-plate is covered with the blackness of darkness of the Dark Ages.

In closing we give the following words of wisdom from Washington: "I have often expressed my opinion, that every man who conducts himself as a good citizen is accountable to God alone for his religious faith, and should be protected in worshiping God according to the dictates of his own conscience." And with this we say that the government has no right to enact laws making any of the duties of the first table a test of good citizenship.

ALONZO T. JONES.

Oakland, Cal., Sept. 10, 1884.

NOTE.—I believe that the principles laid down in this article will bear the test of just judicial criticism. If any think otherwise, I shall be glad to receive any suggestions they may make.

Working on Sunday.

By American Literary Churchman

WE are continually assured that Sunday is the workingman's day; that he prizes it above all others, and that any relaxation of the Sunday laws would be a deadly wrong to the workingman. We have often expressed a very confident opinion that all this is mere fudge. In fact, it is notorious that Sunday excursions and amusements, whenever they can be had, are patronized almost exclusively by the "working classes." The telegraphers have no objection whatever to working on Sunday.

For Sunday work they want higher, perhaps double pay. To a man who really believes that it is wicked to work on Sunday, the mere offer of double pay, or any amount of pay, would be an insulting bribe. But the telegraphers regard the whole subject as a matter of business. The only reason why employers are compelled to pay wages at all is this: That work involves a more or less painful sacrifice, and nobody will put himself to inconvenience for somebody else without remuneration. Now to work on a day when everybody else is playing, is a peculiarly unpleasant sacrifice. It means giving up the only holiday in the week. It means, for the operative of Baltimore, or Philadelphia, or New York, giving up the only chance in the week of going to church, or to a country beer garden, or to the park, or down the bay, or to Atlantic City, or Coney Island. It means that, while the little party of which he expected to be one, is "having a splendid time," the Sunday-worker is "wiring messages," or handling freight, or driving an engine. The bodily fatigue is the same as on Monday, but the mental discomfort, the total sacrifice involved in working, is much greater. Therefore, and therefore only, he demands higher remuneration—and he is sure to get it. Sunday laws do not secure for the workingman absolute rest; but they do secure for him what he values much more—the chance of double pay if he chooses to work. This is a very good thing in its way; but it has nothing to do with religion or with the fourth commandment.—American Literary Churchman.

The First Sin.

THE foundation wall beneath the house came down in a sudden collapse, and yet there was a long, gradual process of undermining. Into a crevice in the wall oozed a raindrop, followed by another, and a third, and by many ultimately, all uneasy, all working and boring, the crevice enlarging steadily. A rill plied its crystal bar where a drop once worked, other rills succeeding, till one day the wall tumbled, with a roar, into the cellar. Apply the thought to spiritual life. The last manifestation of sin may be sudden, but there is a long previous process of development, beginning with some small transgression. If the owner had known the wall was about to tumble, how he would have hurried to it with prop and brace! Look out for that sly little drop, rather, the first transgression.—Christian at Work.

The Counsel of the Lord Shall Stand

"The counsel of the Lord shall stand."

The Danger Signal.

By Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"Christ died for the ungodly."—Rom. 5:6.

It is clear that those of you who are ungodly—and if you are unconverted you are that—are in great danger. Jesus would not interpose his life and bear the bloody sweat and crown of thorns, and nails, and spear, and scorn unmitigated, and death itself, if there were not solemn need and imminent peril. There is danger, solemn danger for you. You are under the wrath of God already; and you will soon die, and then, as surely as you live, you will be lost, and lost forever; as certain as the righteous will enter into everlasting life, you will be driven into everlasting punishment. The cross is the danger signal to you; it warns you that if God spared not his only Son, he will not spare you. It is the lighthouse, set on the rocks of sin, to warn you that swift and sure destruction awaits you if you continue to rebel against the Lord. Hell is an awful place, or Jesus had not needed to suffer such infinite agonies to save us from it.

It is also fairly to be inferred that out of this danger only Christ can deliver the ungodly, and he only through his death. If a less price than that of the life of the Son of God could have redeemed men, he would have been spared. When a country is at war, and you see a mother give up her only boy to fight her country's battles—her only, well-beloved, blameless son—you know that the battle must be raging very fiercely, and that the country is in stern danger; for, if she could find a substitute for him, though she gave all her wealth, she would lavish it freely to spare her darling. If she were certain that in his heart a bullet would find its target, she must have strong love for her country, and her country must be in dire necessity, ere she would bid him go. If, then, "God spared not his Son, but freely delivered him up for us all," there must have been a dread necessity for it. It must have stood thus: die He, or the sinner must, or justice must; and since justice could not, and the Father desired that the sinner should not, then Christ must; and so he did. Oh, miracle of love! I tell you, sinners, you cannot help yourselves, nor can all the priests of Rome or Oxford help you, let them perform their antics as they may; Jesus alone can save, and that only by his death. There on the bloody tree hangs all man's hope; if you enter Heaven it must be by force of the incarnate God's bleeding out his life for you. You are in such peril that only the pierced hand can lift you out of it. Look to Him, at once, I pray you, ere the proud waters go over your soul.

Then let it be noticed—and this is the point I want constantly to keep before your view—that Jesus died out of pure pity. He must have died out of the most gratuitous benevolence to the undeserving, because the character of those for whom he died could not have attracted him, but must have been repulsive to his holy soul. The impious, the godless—can Christ love these for their character? No; he loved them notwithstanding their offenses, loved them as creatures fallen and miserable, loved them according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses and tender mercies, from pity, and from admiration. Viewing them as ungodly, yet he loved them. This is extraordinary love. I do not wonder that some persons are loved by others, for they wear a potent charm in their countenances, their ways are winsome, and their characters charm you into affection; "but God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." He looked at us, and there was not a solitary beauty-spot upon us; we were covered with "wounds and bruises and putrifying sores," distortions, defilements, and pollutions; and yet, for all that, Jesus loved us. He loved us because he would love us; because his heart was full of pity, and he could not let us perish. Pity moved him to seek the most degraded objects, that his love might display its utmost ability in lifting men from the lowest degradation and putting them in the highest position of holiness and honor.

Observe another inference. If Christ died for the ungodly, this fact leaves the ungodly no excuse if they do not come to him, and believe in him unto salvation. Had it been otherwise they might have pleaded, "We are not fit to come." But you are ungodly, and Christ died for the ungodly—why not for you? I hear the reply, "But I have been so vile." Yes; you have been impious, but your sin is not worse than this word ungodly will compass. Christ died for those who were wicked, thoroughly wicked. The Greek word is so expressive that it must take in your case, however wrongly you have acted. "But I cannot believe that Christ died for such as I am," says one. Then, sir, mark! I hold you to your words, and charge you with contradicting the eternal God to his teeth, and making him a liar. Your statement gives God the lie. The Lord declares that "Christ died for the ungodly," and you say he did not. What is that but to make God a liar? How can you expect mercy if you persist in such proud unbelief? Believe the divine revelation. Close in at once with the gospel. Forsake your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall surely live.

The Book of Psalms

The world has few greater treasures than the book of Psalms. For ages they have been the comfort and stay of wearied and discouraged hearts. They have been sung on the field of battle, at the bedside of the dying, and at the hour of quiet worship. All lands and races have felt their power on the heart, and praised God for their inspiration.—Sel.

COME.

By M. A. Davis

BY M. A. DAVIS.

"The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

O WANDERER, heavy laden, come, The Saviour calls to-day: Within the fold there yet is room, Why, then, remain away? Come to the Great Physician, come! His touch will make thee whole; Bow to his yoke, and thou wilt find Rest for the weary soul. For thee he toiled up Calvary's side; For thee he bowed his head and died.

The city of God in her loveliness, Her palaces and towers, With Heaven's own sunlight falling soft On her bright, immortal bowers, The river of life, the crystal sea, Life's tree with its fruitage fair, And the angel harpers bid thee come To dwell 'mid the glory there. Wouldst thou enter those shining gates of day? Turn, then, from the glitter of earth away.

We have heard, and we gladly echo the call, Come from the fields of strife, Come to the pastures cool and green, Come to the fount of life. Long we to broken cisterns sought, But they left us thirsting still, And we turned with joy to the living stream That flows from Zion's hill. Unsealed to man on Calvary's brow, Through earth's dark plains it floweth now.

Ho, every one who thirsteth, come, Drink from the healing tide. Why seek to quench thy fevered thirst Earth's turbid streams beside? Come to the living waters, come! To-day they freely flow; Drink from this stream, and nevermore Soul-thirsting shalt thou know. While Jesus pleads there yet is room, Whoever is athirst may come.

And whosoever will may come; Turn thee, why wilt thou die? Delay not lest thou be too late, And he not heed thy cry. E'en now the day is waning fast, 'Tis Mercy's last sweet call; Soon Justice will the scepter sway, Soon will the darkness fall. Haste thee, oh haste! ere thou seek to hide In terror from the Crucified.

Toil Is the Law

By John Ruskin

If you want knowledge, you must toil for it; if food, you must toil for it; and if pleasure, you must toil for it. Toil is the law. Pleasure comes through toil, and not by self-indulgence and indolence. When one gets to love work, his life is a happy one.—Ruskin.

Do Seventh-day Adventists Honor Christ?

By W. N. Glenn

It is by some people persistently charged against Seventh-day Adventists that they do not teach Christ and him crucified; that they merely hold up the law, expect to be saved by the law, utterly ignoring Christ. That this accusation is not promulgated in ignorance, is shown in the fact that those who make the most use of it are the very ones who ridicule the Adventists for their faith in the coming of the Lord. There are, no doubt, many people who actually believe that Seventh-day Adventists expect to be saved just because they observe the seventh-day Sabbath; but they have received their opinions from second-hand sources. No one who has ever read their literature, or heard any considerable number of their ministers' discourses, can honestly assert the belief that Christ is not the prominent point in their teaching. It is a lamentable fact, however, that not a few ministers who are not ignorant in the matter, do build up a bitter opposition to Adventist doctrines on this baseless assumption. They adopt this mode because it is an easy way to delude their flocks and turn them from investigating for themselves. And to a great extent they have been successful, and "have their reward."

A very little investigation would convince any unprejudiced mind—any one at all susceptible of conviction—that Adventist works abound in the doctrine of Christ, and that he is the ground of their faith. It may be safely asserted, and can be easily maintained, that no other denominational literature hangs so dependently upon the teachings of the prophets and apostles, who were directly inspired by Christ, or so constantly refers to his word and example, as does that issued from the Seventh-day Adventist publishing houses.

The Adventist faith is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone." These are directly appealed to in support of every point of doctrine, and without this corner-stone of the foundation, not an iota of the structure could stand for a moment. Adventists as a people are not foolish enough to pull their own foundation from under them in the face of the warning message which God has intrusted to them. Their existence as a distinct people has grown out of the fact that they have seen the result of this kind of work on the part of the churches out of which a majority of the body has come.

The very name, "Adventist," indicates a distinctive and prominent faith in Christ—that he is expected to come again to redeem his people. The ground of this faith is in his promise, John 14:3: "If I go away, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also." Another prominent tenet of their faith is that Christ, as our great high priest, is performing the work of ministering in the true sanctuary, making the real atonement for sin, with his own blood; and that this will be followed by his second coming, "without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9. Again Adventists believe and teach that only through Christ can they obtain a resurrection from the dead, or a translation to immortality if alive at his coming; and through these processes only, eternal life. Luke 20:35, 36; 1 Cor. 15:14-24; 1 Thess. 4:15-17. Although they do believe the words of the Saviour, "If ye will enter into life, keep the commandments," they also believe and teach that the life here spoken of is in the Son (1 John 5:11, 12), and will only be bestowed when he comes to receive his own unto himself. Col. 3:4; 2 Tim. 4:6-8; 1 Pet. 5:4.

Another prominent doctrine of Seventh-day Adventists brings Christ conspicuously to view, that is, justification by faith. While the true believer will take the commandments of God as a rule of life, this cannot take away his past sins; faith in Christ's atoning blood alone can settle that account. Rom. 3:25. Here, then, they must rest in Christ as the only source of salvation. There is much popular speculation about "saving ordinances;" this or that cannot save anybody; one holds that we are "saved by grace," another that faith alone can do the work, etc. Now Seventh-day Adventists believe that we are saved by grace (Eph. 2:5, 8; Acts 15:11); that we are saved by hope (Rom. 8:24; Heb. 11:1); that we are saved by faith (John 3:16; Acts 2:21; 16:31; Gal. 3:26; 5:5; Heb. 2:4); that we are saved by works (Jas. 2:14-26; Rev. 22:12); that every ordinance appointed by the Lord is a saving ordinance (Matt. 28:19, 20); that every commandment is a saving commandment (Rev. 22:14); and that the Scriptures teach no superfluous doctrines, require no superfluous duties (Matt. 4:4). Grace, faith, and obedience (works) are all included in the gospel of Christ, by which we are saved (1 Cor. 15:1, 2).

According to the Scriptures, the opponents of Adventist doctrines are guilty of ignoring Christ. They set aside his life-giving power, by claiming that man has immortality in himself. They deny the necessity of his coming again "unto salvation," by assuming that Christians go to Heaven at death. They slight his memorial ordinances, by rejecting some and changing others to suit their own convenience. They ignore his absolute authority, by making void his commandments through substitution of their own traditions. "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matt. 15:8, 9; Isa. 29:13, 14; Eze. 33:30-33.

And now, reader, if any one should tell you that Adventists do not preach Christ, and that they expect to be saved by the law alone, just ask them if they have read "The Atonement," or "Justification by Faith," by Eld. J. H. Waggoner; "The Sanctuary," or "Thoughts on Daniel and Revelation," by Eld. U. Smith; "The Great Controversy," or "Sufferings of Christ," by Mrs. E. G. White; "The Honor Due to God," by Eld. E. J. Waggoner; or half a dozen numbers of any of their periodicals. Then refer them to the following scriptures: "Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven." Matt. 7:21. "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." John 15:14.

Continue reading: Did Christ Observe the Seventh-day Sabbath?