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    April 4, 1899

    “Editorial” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 76, 14, p. 216.

    THE Spirit of God in the heart will so energize a man that when he goes forth to labor for souls, there will be results.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 216.1

    “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.” Who is the speaker?—God. To whom has he spoken?—“Unto us.” Then when you read that word, who is speaking to you?—God. Do you hear it as the word which God is speaking to you? Do you receive it as the word God speaks to you?ARSH April 4, 1899, page 216.2

    You will never be able to study to profit until you study the books of the Bible. There is a vast difference between studying the book and studying a subject in the book. There is a great difference between studying the Bible, and studying subjects in the Bible. You can study subjects in the Bible until you know nothing but a lot of theories; and the more you study subjects in the Bible, the less you are apt to know: but the more you study the Bible, the more you will certainly know.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 216.3

    God has appoint Christ heir of all things and then says we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Then of how much are we heirs?—All things. In joint heirship of two persons to a thousand acres of land, each one would own the thousand acres. But if they were each equal heirs, each would own only five hundred acres. Do you see the difference? God “hath appointed” him “heir of all things,” and has made us joint heirs with him. Then how much do you own?—“All things.” Then are you afraid that you will come to want? Are you even afraid that you will become poor? “All things are yours.” How can you ever be poor? You can not, if you believe this word of the Lord. Are you an heir of God or not? “If children, then heirs.” Are you a child of God? If you are born again, you are. Are you?ARSH April 4, 1899, page 216.4

    “Editorial Note” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 76, 14, p. 216.

    “BE thou an example of the believers.” 1 Timothy 4:12. This is a word of instruction addressed originally to the young minister Timothy; and in that to all ministers of the gospel to the end of the world.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 216.1

    The minister is to be an example of the believers, not only to the believers, but of them.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 216.2

    In all the body of believers the minister is, above all, an example, a sample, a patter, a specimen, a copy for imitation. And any one inquiring what those of the body of believers really are, is justified in assuming what they are by what the ministers are; for these are samples, specimens.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 216.3

    We ministers are to be examples of the word and way of God when we are out of the pulpit, just as certainly as while in the pulpit. An example is something that must stand all the time, or it is not an example.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 216.4

    “Reformation Called For” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 76, 14, pp. 217, 218.

    IT must not be forgotten that in the late General Conference, God manifestly and decidedly called for reformation to be made; and that this reformation must be general, including the General Conference, the State Conferences, the institutions, and the churches connected with the third angel’s message.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.1

    This work was begun in the General Conference while then in session; and no one who was present can ever say that it was not begun by the Lord himself. No one who was present that great day, February 22, when the whole General Conference was found upon its knees before God in confession and prayer for forgiveness can say that that was caused by anything else than the direct power of the Spirit of God. That repentance and confession was accepted of the Lord, and the sins were forgiven.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.2

    That cleared the General Conference of the sin; but it did not complete the reformation. That did not cleanse the machinery of the General Conference from the false principles and wrong practises that through years had been woven in. All these things must be searched out afterward, the evils put away, and correct principles implanted in their stead. That day, and the work of repentance and confession that day, in General Conference, were but the first steps in the reformation that the Lord calls for, and which must be wrought before the cause can be what the Lord requires that it shall be.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.3

    Now the General Conference, the State Conferences, the institutions, and the churches, are all composed of the people who are known as Seventh-day Adventists. Take away all Seventh-day Adventists, and there would be no Seventh-day Adventist churches. Take away all the Seventh-day Adventists, and there would be no Seventh-day Adventist institutions, nor Conferences, nor any Seventh-day Adventist General Conference. Conference organizations, church organizations, or institutions are simply nothing without the people. This reformation for which the Lord calls in his own work and cause in the earth must be wrought by the people altogether that compose the body of Seventh-day Adventists.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.4

    When reformation must be wrought in the work of the General Conference, it can be wrought only by those who compose the General Conference; and that is all the people. When reformation is to be wrought in State Conferences, it must be done by the people who compose the State Conferences. When reformation must be wrought in the churches, it must be wrought by the people who compose these churches. And when reformation must be wrought in institutions, it must be done by the people who are in these institutions; and the people who are in these institutions are simply the same people who compose the Conference.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.5

    It is perfectly plain, therefore, that in this work of searching out and putting away wrong principles and practises, and making a thorough reformation by establishing the Lord’s own principles, nobody can lay blame upon others, or seek to condemn, set aside, or punish others. Each one must make a thorough investigation of himself, of the principles and practises which have characterized his own course; he must uproot the evil, and implant the good in himself, and thus make a thorough reformation in is own life; for no man can ever be a reformer who does not deal with principles alone, and not with men. And no man can ever be a reformer who does not begin and end with reformation in himself.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.6

    All this was plainly stated that great day in the General Conference; but we know that by many it has not been remembered at all. Therefore we quote some passages from the record of that day’s proceedings. When the matter of general wrong was first brought out by the one who was led out upon it, these words were spoken:—ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.7

    “Here is a reform that must be wrought; and you and I and every other Seventh-day Adventist, and especially delegates in General Conference, must work that reform; not argue about it and whittle away, and see whether this, that, and the other are not all right, in spite of what the Lord may say, and what has been done.” “The General Conference, and the board, and we, and all together, must face the condition as well as one another, and correct the condition under the wisdom of God.” “I am not reading this in reproof of anybody, or of any board; but that you and I may see what God sees, and then in the fear of God correct it,—and correct it without casting any reflection upon any man, or any set of men. We have no charge to bring against anybody. There is something for us to do, and we are to do it.”ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.8

    “If any of the brethren here, from what I read and said this morning, have any such thoughts as, ‘Well, now we have got to deal with those folks that are in office,’ please begin at the right place. Members of Conference committees, please begin right on your own committee to correct things; examine your own procedure in dealing with the ministers, and carrying on the Conference work, and making your audits; how you run the tract society work, and have dealt in the matter of books; just investigate all these things, and set them straight, and you will have enough to do without watching some other board.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.9

    “If any church-members who are not delegates, and not members of Conference committees, say, ‘Yes, that is right, the Conference Committee must reform,’ just please attend to your own work right in your own church. Attend to the principles upon which you are acting in paying tithes and offerings; correct the principles upon which you are acting in the general work in the Conference right in the church; see that these are all straight and right where you are; and the Conference Committee can attend to its part a good deal better.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.10

    “I read again a sentence that I read this morning referring to the whole matter: ‘This condition of things has been created in our Conferences and churches;’ so the Conferences are just as much at fault as any board; the churches are just as much at fault as the Conferences. ‘The evil is not with one man or with two; it is the whole that needs the cleansing and setting in order,’—not the whole of one institution merely, but the whole cause.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.11

    “‘False principles have permeated the whole;’ it says so. Battle Creek, of course, is the center. That is the stronghold of the enemy; that is where those false principles were first planted; but all the rest of the body has the disease, and it is a disease that must be healed by the Great Physician. What I want to say now is, Do not think that we as a General Conference shall begin to revolutionize a certain board. Let the General Conference be first revolutionized.” “There should be no suspicion. What we want to do is to get our eyes off the churches, off the Conferences, off the General Conference Committee, off the Foreign Mission Board, off everything, but just you and me, yourself and myself. I am in it, and you are in it. You and I are the ones that you and I are to look at, and that is all.”ARSH April 4, 1899, page 217.12

    It was also plainly stated in General Conference that what of reformation had been done there was but the beginning; and the work would have to be carried on by the General Conference Committee, State Conference committees, boards of institutions, and churches, in our respective places just as soon as we separated from General Conference, and returned to our respective fields or positions of trust. It was then said that when the General Conference adjourned to Battle Creek for the annual meetings of the boards of the institutions, this work would have to go on; for things would be mete there that would have to be corrected, because these were but parts of the cause which must be reformed. Yet when we came to Battle Creek, and some of these very things were met, and were met boldly, for the purpose of discovering and putting away false principles and practises, many of the brethren acted toward it just as if there had been no General Conference, and they had never heard of anything of the kind that was called for. Accordingly, they began to look at men, and suspect, and condemn, and think to set aside, men. But this was all wrong. These men are all our brethren. The Lord loves them just as much as he loves any of the rest of the Seventh-day Adventists. And they are just as honest as any of the rest of the Seventh-day Adventists, and have just as much respect for the cause. It is not men, but principles only, that must be considered.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 218.1

    That same mistake has been made twice before, in two different ways: First, false principles were being interwoven at the heart of the work, and were being extended to the extremities. The Lord reproved this, and called for correction. But instead of considering principles only, and correcting upon principle the institutions and organizations that were at fault, a new organization was formed,—the General Conference Association. But this did not meet the mind of the Lord, and therefore he said, “In this step there has been a change of responsibility, but the wrong principles remain unchanged. The same work that has been done in the past will be carried forward under the guise of the General Conference Association.”ARSH April 4, 1899, page 218.2

    And as the same wrong principles continued, the Lord sent further reproofs. Then another attempt was made to correct things, not by the investigation and change of principles, but by changing men, removing certain men, and putting other men in their places. But neither did this meet the mind of the Lord; therefore of this he said, “Reformation has not yet begun in Battle Creek. Changes in places and positions have been made, but the hearts of those who have not been molded after the divine similitude are not changed.” “He [God] calls for an entire change in principles that have come in to divert the minds and draw away the hearts to serve the plans of Satan.” “Will every principle be considered?” “The evil is not with one man, or with two. It is the whole that needs the cleansing and setting in order.”ARSH April 4, 1899, page 218.3

    Now, brethren and sisters everywhere, please consider only principles. Take you eyes off other people, and turn them as fiercely as you choose upon yourself. Do not attempt, nor even seek, to correct and set other people in order. Put the discipline upon yourself. Bring yourself up to the judgment-seat, and set yourself straight according to this standard; because this work of reformation must go on until every false principle has been diligently searched out, and decidedly put away, and God’s own divine principles alone are planted instead.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 218.4

    There are faults in Battle Creek. Wrong principles have in years past been given too large a place, and have got a strong hold here. But Battle Creek is not the only place where this is so. It is so in every Conference, in every church, and in every institution among us. The brethren in responsible positions in Battle Creek have begun soberly, in the fear of God, to search these things out, and put them away from themselves and from the institutions here. And to the brethren and institutions in Battle Creek in this work, every Seventh-day Adventist on earth owes hearty and loyal support.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 218.5

    Not only this, but the Seventh-day Adventists in churches, Conferences, and institutions away from Battle Creek, owe it to themselves and to the Lord to begin right where they are, a sober and thorough investigation of the work and cause in which they are engaged, just where they are; and in the fear of God, search out and put away every false principle, and implant only the true in its place.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 218.6

    And all this must be done by all these in all these places, that God may dwell once more in his temple; may be recognized once more in his place; that his cause may be indeed the cause of God; that it may rightly represent him; that his power may be discerned, his glory revealed, and his work be done.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 218.7

    Do not forget that now, as never before, every Seventh-day Adventists in the world must be a genuine and thorough reformer. Also do not forget that no person can be a reformer who does not consider principles only, and not men; and no person can ever be a reformed who does not thoroughly reform himself, and not the other man.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 218.8

    “Editorial Notes” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 76, 14, p. 218.

    HOW many times in our experience we excuse ourselves from doing out duty because of circumstances. We say, “If only this or that were different, I would do differently.” Well, we think so; but it isn’t true. God wants us to do our duty where we are, regardless of circumstances. The chances are ten to one that if our circumstances were so changed that what now troubles us were out of the way, something else would come up that would keep us from doing our duty. Brethren, the thing to do is to make up our minds first to serve the Lord, and then to make everything else secondary. When we start out with this idea, and stick to it, circumstances will have nothing to do with controlling our course of conduct; they will be only the means of success.ARSH April 4, 1899, page 218.1

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