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SERMONS
STEAM PRESS
OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION,
BATTLE CREEK, MICH.:
187O.
CUE FAITH AM) HOPE.
N T R O E- U C T O R Y .'
TEST : But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and
T>e ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh
you a reason or the hope that is in you with meekness and
fear. 1 Pet. 3:15.- . ",
OUB. name, Seventh-day Adventists, is express-
ive of two prominent features of our faith and
hope. As Adventists, we a,re looting for the per-
sonal appearing and reign of Jesus Christ. And
in seeking for that readiness necessary.to meet
our soon-coming Lord with joy, we have been led
to the observance of the seventh day of the week
:is the hallowed rest-day of the Creator.
These distinguishing features of our religious
faith are unpopular. We are fully aware that
much prejudice exists in the religious world against
many of our opinions of Bible truth. This,
however, exists mainly for want of information
as to our real positions, and, probably, in some
degree from the want of intelligence and piety on
the part of somo who have represented our views.
May Grod help us to overcome this prejudice by a
clear and intelligent defense of the truth, in the
spirit of humility and love, that shall melt its way
into the hearts of the people. The text suggests—
1. A preparation of heart before engaging
in the work of teaching our fellows. " But sanc-
tify the Lord God in youi"hearts." In our hearts
4 OUE FAITH AND HOPE.
THE MILLENNIUM'.
TEXT : And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given Onto them ; and I saw the souls of them
that were- beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word
of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads,
or in their hands; find they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years.' But the rest of the dead lived not again,
until the thousand years were finished. Rev. 20 : -1, 5. ^
The word millennium signifies a thousand years.
And while there is a general agreement in applying
the word to the period named in the tejit, all,do"
not agree as to the character of the millennium.
The popular view of this subject is, that the world
is to be converted, and that, all men will become
holy. This happy state of things, it is said, will
continue one thousand years, during which time
Christ will reign with his people spiritually. And
at the close of the millennium, Christ will come
the second time, and the judgment will take place.
. But the sacred Scriptures do not teach that at
any period of time all men will be converted to
God. There were but few righteous men from
Adam to Moses. And their numbers in the Jew-
S OUE FAITH AND HOPE.
f-
" present age. False christs arose not far from the
iirsfc advent to deceive the Jews in regard to that
event (Matt. 24: 5); likewise lake christs and false
prophets have arisen at this day to deceive the
people on the subject of the second advent.
The « Time of" the End," a v/orlr of no small
ability and importance, properly calls the doctrine
of the temporal millennium a modern novelty.*
From this popular error of a temporal millennium
and spiritual reign of Christ, have grown the mys-
tical applications of the plainest declarations of
Scripture relative to the second appearing of the
Lifegiver, to death, to conversion, to the manifesta-
tions of the Holy Spirit, to Shakerisra, to Mormon-
ism, and to Spiritualism.
How forcible are the words of our Lord when
applied to the subject before us: " Then if any
man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Onrist, or
there; believe it not." Matt. 24:28. No ono
need fail to see who the men are who are crying,
" Lo, here is Christ, and lo, he is there!" The
*Dr. Honshaw, the late Bishop 01 Rhode Island, in his
treatise on the second ».dvent, says: "So far as we hare
been able to investigate its history [temporal millennium],
it was first advanced by the Rev. Dr. Whitby, the commenta-
tor, and afterward advocated by Hammond, Ilopliins, Seott,
Bwight, Boiigue, and others, and'has been received without
careful examination by the majorUy nf evangelical divines oi'
the present day. But we may safely challenge its advocates
* to produce one distinguished writer in its favor, who lived
before the commencement oi the eighteenth century. If an-
tiquity is to be considered as any test of truth, the advocates
of the premilleanial advent, acid personal reign of Christ with
his saints upon earth, need have no fears of the result of a
comparison of authorities with the supporters of the opposite
theory." -
"Daniel Whitby, D. I'., who is thus referred to, was-"born
A. D. 1038, in England, tmd died A. D. 1727. In the develop-
ment of his theory, he denominated ii 'a new hypothesis.' "
—Time of the End, pp. 295, 290.
THE SECOND ADVENT. 41
Jflttt1 .
" The words are closed up and sealed till the time -
of the end." Paul says to his brethren, "That
day shall not come, except there come a falling
away first, and that Man of Sin be revealed."
The apostle's warning reaches down to the time of
the end,,where the words were to be unsealed.
This plainly shows thai the last half century has
been the period for the subject of the. second ad-
vent to be brought out, and this the only time that
the church of Christ could scripturally look for
the coming of the Lord.
'•'. . THE
. -•'- .-. j. - . • . . .
- TE'.XT: .And r-i tho. days of 'these kings shall the God of
Heaven set up », kingdom,'which shall never be destroyed ;
and i.he kingdom shall nol. be left i.o other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall
stand forcvei-. Dan. 2:44. - .;'•""
THE J UD Q M B N T .
TEXT: I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and tha
Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was
like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery
stream issued and came fovih from before him; thousand
thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before him; the judgment was set, and this
books were opened.
I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son
of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to tha
Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And
there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,
that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him:
his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Dan. 7 : 9, 10, 13, 14.
THE TIME.
TEXT: Then I'heard one saint speaking, and another
eaint said unto that certain'saint which spake, How long
shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the
transgression of desolation, to give botli the sanctuary and
the host to be trodden underfoot? And he said unto me,
Unto two thousand and three hundred d;rf s; then shall the
sanctuary be cleansed. Dan. 8 : 18, 14.
•-Lr
" We are informed in Ezra 7:11, ' Now iV'
132 OUR FAITH AND HOPE.
THE SANCTUARY.
TEXT : Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint
said unto that certain saiai which spake, How long shall
be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the trans-
gression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the
host to be trodden under foot ? And he said unto me, Unto
two thousand and three himdred days; then shall the sanc-
tuary be cleansed. Dan. 8: 13, 14.
THE DISAPPOINTMENT.
Why were those disappointed who looked for
the second appearing of Christ in the year 1844 ?
This important question we believe can be an-
swered in the most satisfactory manner. Our
disappointment did not arise from mistaking the
manner and object of the second advent; for no
truth is more distinctly started in the sacred Script-
ures than the personal and visible second appear-
ing of Jesus Chcist to raise the righteous dead,
change lo immortality the living righteous, and
to destroy the unbelieving world. Nor did our
disappointment arise from misapplying the pro-
phetic symbols of Daniel and John. A careful
review of the subject confirms us that the appli-
cation of these symbols made by the Aclventists
of 1840-44 was correct. Nor did our disappoint-
ment arise from a misapplication of the prophetic
periods. The year-day theory is well sustained.
The ergument by which the original date of the
seventy weeks of the ninth chapter of Daniel is
THE SANCTUARY. 169
S A V IN O' P A I T H .
TEXT : Cast not away therefore your confidence, which
hath gr«at recompense of reward. For ye have need of pa-
tienoe, that, after ye have done Ike will of (Joel, ye might re-
ceive the promise. For yet o. little p.'hile, and He that shall
come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live
by faith ; but I! o ay man draw back, my soul shall have no
pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back
unto perdition ; but of them that believe i.o the saving Oi the
Boul. H«b. 10 : 35-39. .
THE tenth day of the seventh month of the Jewish
year 1844, came and passed, and left impressions
upon the minds of believers not easily effaced:
and although more than a quarter of a century
has passed since the memorable period, yet that
•work has not lost its interest and force upon the
minds of those who participated in it. Even now,
when ooe who shared ia that work, and who feels
its hallowed influence rekindUag upon his mind—
if in obedience to the injunction of the apostle,
when he says, " Call to remembrance the former
days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye en-
dured a great fight of afflictions ; partly whilst yo
•\yere made a gaLiing-sfcock, both by reproaches and
afflictions ; and partly, whilst ye became coinpan-'
ions of them that were so used "— shall speak of.
that solemn work, of that consecration of all, made
in full view of eternal scenes, and of that sweet
peace and holy joy which filled the minds" of tho
waiting ones ; his words will not fail to touch the
feelings of all who shared the blessings of thai;
work, and have held fast.
And those who participated in that movement
are not the only ones who can now go back in
SAVING FAITH. 179 •