DECLARATION HUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES TAVGUT AND PRactrcED ‘THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, STEAM PRESS BATTEN Cl K, MICH:FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES, Ix presenting to the public this aynopsis of our 1 Wo wish to havo it distinctly understood that, wo havo no articles of faith, creed, or discipline aside from tho Bible. Wo do not put forth th as having any authority with our people, nor i it Tesigned to securo uniformity among them, as a atem of faith, but is o briof statement of what and has been, with great unanimity, held by them. We often find it necessary to meet in- quities on this subject, and sometimes to correct falso statements circulated against us, and to re- ‘move erroneous impressions which have obtained with thoso who have not had an opportunity to ‘become acquainted with our faith and practice. Our only object is to mect this necessity. ‘As Seventh-day Adventists wo desire simply that our position shall bo understood ; and wo aro tho more solicitous for this because there aromany ‘who call themsclves Adventista who hold viows swith which wo can havo no sympathy, some of which, wo think, are subversive of the plainest ‘and most important principles sot forth in the word of God: As compared with other Adventists, Seventh: ay Adventists diff from ove claw in believing4 DECLARATION OF raIxctELEs. in the unconscious stato of the dead, and the final Aestruction of the unrepentant wicked ; from another, in believing in tho perpetuity of the law ‘of God as summarily contained in tho ton com- indents, in the operation of the Holy Spiri in tho church, and in sotting no times for tho ad- ‘vent to occur; from all, in the observanco of the seventh day of the week as tho Sabbath of the Lord, and in many applications of the prophetic scriptures. With these remarks, woask tho attention of the reader to the following propositions, which aim to bo concise statomont of the more pro tures of our faith. ‘That there is ono God, a pereonsl, 6 ing, the ereator of all things, omoi niscient, and eternal, infinite in wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and mercy; wochange- ‘able, and overywhere present by his represonta- tive, the Holy Spirit. Ps, 199: 7. bei ‘That thero ia one Lord Jesus Chi of tho Eternal Father,"iho one by whom Got created all things, and by whom they do consist ; that he took on him tho nature of the aced of ‘Abraham for the redemption of our fallen race; “that he dwelt among men full of grace and truth, DECLARATION oF lived our example, died our sacrifice, was raised for our justifieation, ascended on high to bo our only mailiator in the sanctuary in Mfeaven, whero, ith his own blood ho makes atonement for our which atonement so far from boing made on ‘ho cross, which was but tho offering of the sacri- fico, is tho very last portion of his york as priest, according t6 tho example of tho Levitical priest- hood, which foreshadowel and profigured tho min- istry of our Lord in Heaven. Sco Liev. 16; Heb. 8:4, 5; 926,75 ke. mI ‘That the Holy Scriptures, of the Old and Now ‘Testaments, wero given by inspiration of God, contain a full rovetution of his will to man, and aro the only infallible rule.of faith aud prac- tico. -Ww— ‘That Baptism is an ordinance of the Chri tian church, to follow faith and repentance, an ordinaneo by which wo commemorate tho resur- rection of Christ, as by this act wo show our faith in his burial and resurrection, and through that, ‘of the roaurrection of all tho saints at tho last day; and that no other mode fitly represents these facts than that which tho Scriptures prescribe, Hiamely, immersion, Rom. 6:8-5; Col. 2: 12,8 hectanarion oP rmuscinuEs. ‘That the now birth comprises the entire change necessary to fit us for the kingdom of Goll, ani consists of two parts: first; a moral change, Wrought by conversion and a Christian life; sec- ond, a physical change at the second coming of Christ, whereby, if dead, wo aro raised incorrupt- ile, and if living, are changed to immortality in moment, in tho twinkling of an oye. John 3: 3, 5; Innko 20:36, vi Wo believe that prophec revelation to man ; included in that scripture which is profitable for » 2 Tim, 65; that itis designed for us and our children. Vout. 29:29 5 that 60 far from being ensbrouded inimpencteable mystery, itis that which especially constitutes tho word of God a lamp to our fect is w part of God's and a Tight to our path, Ps. 119:105, 2 Pet. 2:- 19; that a blessing is pronounced upon thoso who stuly it, Rev. 1:1-8; and that, consequently, it is (0 be unilerstood by tho people of God sufi- ciently to show them their position in the world’s tory, and the epccial duties required at their hands. DECLARATION oF MINCIPLES. 7 va That tho world’s history from specified dates in the pas, the riso and fall of ompires, and chrono- logical succession of events down to the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom, aro outlined in nu- merous groat chains of prophecy ; and that theso prophecies are now all fullled excopt the closing scenes, —vor— ‘That tho doctrine of the world’s conversion and temporal millennium is a fablo of theso last aye, calculated to lull men into a stato of carnal security, and caugo them to bo overtaken by tho great day of tho Lord as by a thief in the night ; that the second coming of Christ is to procedo, not follow, tho millennium ; for until the Lord appears tho papal power, with all its abominations, is to ‘continue, the wheat and tares grow together, and evil men and seducors wax worse and worse, 38 tho word of God declares, —Ix— ‘That the mistake of Adventists in 1844 per- tained to the naturo of the ovent then to trans. pire, not to tho timo; that no prophetio period is given to reach to tho second advent, but that tho Tongest one, tho two thousand and three hundrod doys of Dan, 8: 14, torminated in that yoar, and8 DECLARATION OF PRINCIDLAES, brought us to an event called the cleansing of the sanctuary. =x ‘That the sanctusry of tho now covenant is the tabernaclo of God in Heaven, of which Paul speaks in Hebrews 8, and onward, of which our Lord, as groat High Priest, is minister that this sanctuary is the antitypo of tho Mosaic tabernaclo, and that tho priestly work of our Lord, connocted thorowith, is tho antitypo of the work of the Jow- ish priests of the former disponsation. Ileb, 8: 1-5, he. ; that this is tho sanctuary to bo cleansed at tho end of the 2800 days, what is termed it cleansing being in this caso, asin tho type, simply tho entrance of the high prieet into the most holy place, to finish tho round of service connectod theronith, by blotting out and removing from tho mnetuary the sins which had been transferred to it by moans of tho ministration in the first apart- ment, eb. 9:22, 28; and that this work, tho antitypo, commoneing in 1844, occupies a but indefinito space, at tho conclusion of which the ‘work of merey for tho world is finished. —x1- ‘That God's moral requirements aro tho samo ‘upon all men in all dispensations; that these are summarily contained in the commandments spoken by Jehovah from Sinai, engraven on tho tables of DECEARATION OF MINCIPLES. 9 stone, and deposited in the ark, which was in con- sequence ealled the ‘ark of tho covenant," or testament, Num. 10:83, Heb. 9:4, Ke. 5 that this low is immutable and porpotual, being a tran- script of the tables deposited in tho ark in the truo sanctuary on high, which is also, for the same reason, called the ark of God's teatament; for under the sounding of tho eoventh trumpet wo aro told that “tho temple of God was opened in Heaven, and thero was seen in hia tomplo the ark of his testament.” Roy. 11: 19. XU That the fourth commandment of this law requires that we devote tho seventh day of each wook, commonly called Saturday, to abstinence from our own labor, and to tho performance of sacred and religious daties;; that this ia the only weekly Sabbath known to tho Bible, being the day that was set apart before paradiso was lost, Gen, 2:2, 3, and which will bo observed in para. restored, Isa. G6: 22, 23; that the facts upon ‘which the Sabbath institution is based confine it, to the seventh day, as thoy are not true of any other day; and thet tho terms, Jewish Sabbath and Christian Sabbath, as applied to the weekly reatday, aro names of human invention, un- meaning.10 DeCLAMATION O¥ THUNCLPLES —xuI— ‘What as tho man of sin, tho papacy, bas thought to chango times and laws (the laws of 4), Dan 7:25, and has misled almost all Chris- tendon to tho fourth commandment, wo reform in this respoct to bo wrought among beliovors just before the coming of Christ. Isa, 0:1, 2 1 Pot. 1:5, Rev. 14: 12, ke. —xIvV— ‘That as tho natural or carnal heart is at enmity with God and his law, this enmity ean bo subdued only by » radical transformation of tho affections, the exchange of unholy for holy prin- ciples; that this transformation follows ropont- ance and faith, is tho special work of the Holy Spirit, and constitutes regeneration or conversion. xy That as all havo violated tho law of God, and cannot of themsclres render obedience to his Just requirements, wo aro dependent on Christ, first, for justification from our past offences, and, secondly, for graco whereby to render acceptable obeilionco to hie holy law in time to come, DECLAMATION OF TRINCIELES. u —XxvI— ‘That tho Spirit of Godwas promised to man- ‘fest itself in tho church through certain gifts, ‘enumerated especially in 1 Cor. 12 and Eph. 4; ‘that theso gifts are not designed to supersede, or tako the placo of, the Bible, which is suficient to ‘make us wiso unto salvation, atty moro than tho Biblo can tako tho placo of the Mfoly Spirit; that in specifying tho various channols of its opera- tion, that Spirit has simply mado provision for its own existenco and presence with the peoplo of God to the end of timo, to lead to an understand- ing of that word which it had inspired, to con- vineo of sin, and work « transformation in the hart ond life; and that those who deny to tho Spirit ita place and operation, do plainly deny that part of the Diblo which assigns to it this work and position. —XxVII— ‘That God, in acoordanco with his uniform dealings with tho race, sends forth & proclamation of tho approach of tho second advont of Christ; that this work is eymbolized by tho threo messages of Rov. 14, tho last one bringing to view tho work ‘of roform on the law of God, that his people may quire © complete readiness for that ovent.w DRCLARATION OF PRINCHYE RS —xvin— ‘That the time of tho cleansing of tho eanc- tuary (t00 proposition X), synebronizing with the timo of tho proclamation of tho third message, is 1 timo of investigative judgmont, first with rofor- enco to tho dead, and at tho closo of probation ‘with reference to the living, to determine who of tho myriads now sleeping in tho dust of tho earth are worthy of part in tho first resurrection, and who of ite living multitudes aro worthy of trans- lation—pointa which must bo determined before ‘tho Lord appears. —xIX— ‘That tho grave, whither wo all tend, ox- pressed by tho Iobrow shcol, and the Grock hades, 1 placo of darkness in which there is no work, Aovico, wisdom, or knowledge. Eecl. 9: 10. Xxx That tho stato to which wo are reduced by Aeath is ono of silence, inactivity, and entire un- consciousness. Ps. 146:4; Kool. 9:5, 6; Dan, 12:8, ke, —XxI— ‘That out of this prison house of the grave a aro to ho brought by « boilly resurree- DECLANATION oP IINCIDLES. 3 tion the righteous having part in tho first reaur- ection, which takes place at tho eceond advent of Christ, tho wicked in the second resurr. which takos placo » thousand yours thereafter, Rey. 20:4-6, uu That at the last trump, tho living righteous are to bo changed in a moment, in tho twinkling of an eye, and with tho resurrected righteous are to be caught up to meet the Lord in tho air, so forevor to bo with tho Lord. 1 ‘That theso immortalized ones aro then taken to Heaven, to tho Now Jerusalem, the Fa- her's house in which thero aro many mansion John 14: 1-8, where they reign with Christ a thou- sand years, judging the world and fallon angele that is, apportioning tho punishment to bo exo: cuted upon them at tho closo of tho ono thousand years; Rov. 20:4; 1 Cor. 6:2, tho carth lis in a desolato and chaotic condition, Jer. 4 : 20-27, described, as in tho be- ginning by tho Grock term abussos (pve) bot- tomless pit (Septuagint of Gon. 1:2); and that hero Satan is confined during the thousand years, Rey. 20:1, 2 and hero finally destroyed, Rev. 20:10; Mal.4:15 tho theator of the ruin he hax ‘wrought in tho universe, Leing appropriately mado" DECLARATION OF MINCIPLRS, for a time his gloomy prison house, ani then the place of his final exceution. —XxIV— That at the ond of tho thousand years, the Lord desconds with his people and tho Now Jeru- salem, Rev, 21:2, tho wicked dead are raised and ‘come up upon the surfaco of tho yet unrenowed ‘earth, and gather about the city, tho camp of tho saints, Rev. 20: 9, and fro comes down from God. font of heaven and devours them. ‘They aro then consumed root and branch, Mal. 4: 1, becoming ag though they had not been. Obad. 15,16, In this everlasting destruction from tho presence of tho Lord, 2 ‘Thess. 1:4, the wicked moct tho ov- shmont_ threatened against thom, 346. This is tho perdition of ungodly mon, tho firo which consumes thom boing the iro for which “tho heavens and tho earth which aro now” aro kopt in store, which shall molt even the clements with its intonsity, and pargo tho oarth from the deepest stains of the curso of sin. 2 Pot. TI —XxXV— That o new heavens and carth shall spring by the power of God from the ashes of the old, to bo, with tho New Jerusalem for its metropolis and capital, the etornal inheritance of the saints, the placo where the righteous shall evermore dwell. 2 Pot. 8:18: Ve WT: 11 29; Matt. 5:5.