Ye, says Christ, "are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." In order to answer this question fully, we must, in the first place, answer one that comes before it--one that is primary, viz: Do we love God with all our hearts, and our neighbour as ourselves? Do we live up to all the commands of God? Are we conformed to His moral image? Is it the business of our lives to do all that God has commanded? Are we believing all the truth, and living up to all the light we have? If so, WE ARE Christ's; and being Christ's, WE ARE "Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." It is not strange that the nominal Church should lose her identity. But when we hear Adventists inquire, _Who we are_, it comes with an ill grace. It sounds so silly. What! have we been engaged in this glorious cause fourteen or fifteen years, and never learnt, _Who we are_? What does all this mean? Why this effort on the part of some to organize, and bring in all the Advent bands, and unite them in a compact? Does this look like a confident, unwavering faith in the speedy coming of Christ? Did we not deny, years ago, this miserable work of forming ourselves into a sect? Hear the _Advent Shield and Review_, for Jan., 1845, vol. I. number 2, page 198. It speaks the language, I will venture to say, of the great majority of Adventists. Here it is: "BUT ADVENTISTS HAVE NO WISH, NO INTENTION, NO NEED OF CONSTITUTING THEMSELVES INTO A DISTINCT BODY." How is the foregoing to be reconciled with the efforts of some at the present time, unless there has been a mighty change? It may be remarked, that circumstances have driven us to adopt this course. But what are the circumstances? Is it because of impostors, or heresy? And do we expect to be free from these by associating ourselves together in this way? We did not feel the need of any thing of this kind in forty-two and three: Our hearts were united in the bonds of love; and if this bond has been severed, instead of fixing up something as a substitute--something that is contrary to the word of God--we should, by preaching the simple truth, remove the cause, and "nature" (Grace) "would work its own cure." But no; we must have our creeds, our organizations, our conferences, and our delegates to those conferences. And then, having ascertained, WHO WE ARE, we are prepared to act. But act how? Why, we can "shear off the troublesome thinkers."