A Vindication of the Seventh-Day Sabbath and the Commandments of God: With a Further History of God's Peculiar People from 1847-1848Bates, Joseph
Religion
A Vindication of the Seventh-Day Sabbath and the Commandments of God: With a Further History of God's Peculiar People from 1847-1848
Bates, Joseph
Sabbath; Seventh-Day Adventists -- Doctrinal and controversial works
Any advent believer who undertakes to dispute this, and the two preceding
angels’ messages, with their clear fulfillment in advent history from 1840
to the fall of 1844, is, in my opinion, but a few steps removed from the
gross darkness that surrounds the habitations of Babylon. I will venture
again to reiterate the assertion, that since the days of the Apostles,
God’s people have never witnessed such a simultaneous and righteous
movement, as they did during these three messages. I feel perfectly safe
in saying that I fear no contradiction here, nor condemnation hereafter,
for moving in perfect harmony, as we have done, during these three
messages. Many are writing and preaching that these are, and will continue
to be given, while the world stands. This mistake is as fatal as the
rejection of the first, because in so doing they will not see any work
which God has marked out for them, in this last work for man to fulfill
and finish the history of this prophecy. We say, then, that these messages
closed with the world, when they were condemned by them, at the end of a
cry at midnight, in Oct. 1844. God then had other and more important work
for his church to perform among themselves than they ever had before, and
it is clearly marked out in the verses which follow these messages, and
whoever fails here, fails to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Be
assured, John has not broken the thread of this most interesting narrative
here and left us in confusion, to call the testimony of _Jesus his
commandments_; and our resting from this most laborious work in these
messages, _the resurrection_. If our experience, for more than three years
past, has not taught us that God is fulfilling his word, by having every
thing in its place; one thing following another, then we have failed to
profit by it. Let me entreat you, my brethren, to critically examine the
next three verses: viz. “Here is the patience of the saints, here are they
that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”—12th verse.
What is the faith of Jesus? Answer,—Chapter 12th, 17th verse says it is
his “testimony;” chapter 19th, 10th verse, says his “testimony is the
spirit of prophecy.” “Teach all nations to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you.”—Matt. xxviii: 20. Now observe, the faith, or
testimony of Jesus, embraces all his teachings. Now mark, this is what our
opponents call the New Testament _commandments_, or _grace_, which they
say embraces all the commandments that we are bound to believe or keep!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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