SECOND ADVENTISM.
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A BEFUTATION.
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SECOND ADVENTISM.
A REE' UTATION .
OF THE
DOGTRINESOF THESECONDADVENT
SABEATH-EEEPERS,
As
PUBLISHED TO THE WORLD BY MRS. ELLEN G.
WHITE, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.
#
BY JEFFERSON PEARCE.
LANSING, MICH. :
W. S. GEORGE & Co., PRINTERS AND BINDERS.
1885.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1885, by
JEFFERSON PEARCE,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C.
3X
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iroris.
*memºssºs-sº
: The author does not expect, or desire, to gain notoriety by the
publication of this pamphlet; but he hopes to do some good. He
will attempt to refute the Second Advent Sabbath Keepers' doc-
trines as originated and published by Mrs. White, giving, —First,
the origin of the present agitation. Second, the visions and revel-
ations, which Mrs. White claims to have received, first by an
Angel and since by revelations in visions. The absurdity of these
doctrines and pretended revelations, he hopes will be made appar-
ent to the reader of this pamphlet.
A WORD OF INTRODUCTION.
My good brother, Dea. Jefferson Pearce, has used
his leisure moments to good advantage during the
past winter, in writing the following pamphlet. I
had not considered the doctrines of the sect to which
he refers, in a way to mark their absurdity and evil
tendency, until I read the manuscript which he had
prepared. I believe he has stated facts and that
others should become acquainted with them. For
many years he has been a close observer and con-
stant reader. No one outside the Seventh-Day Ad-
ventist circle is better acquainted with the views and
teachings of these people than he. Believing them
to be wrong he conscientiously opposes and exposes
them. I hope his pamphlet will be read extensively,
and that many will be benefitted by it. The article on
Law, which closes the pamphlet, was originally pub-
lished in the Christian Herald. It has been added
to somewhat and is presented to the public again.
E. H. E. JAMESON.
Lansing, May, 1885.
SECOND ADVENTISM.
The agitation of this subject by common consent
among the Second Adventists, was first started by a
Mr. Miller in the the eastern part of the State of
New York, a few years prior to 1844. He claimed to
have discovered some new evidence in the Prophets,
and in the Revelation that pointed with so much cer-
tainty to the time of the Second Advent of Christ into
this world, that it was worthy of the consideration
of all. He had not taken into his estimates the Sab-
bath question at all, but only had calculated that the
world would end in 1844; and in accordance with the
statement that, “then shall the Sanctuary be
cleansed,” and which cleansing he thought he had
clearly proved, was the closing up of all earthly things.
But as it did not take place there then came “a waiting
time,” as it was called, as still they believed that
there must be something in Mr. Miller's estimates.
And thus, while waiting and still waiting for a few
years, behold, the solution of the whole matter ap-
peared through Mrs. White. It was stated by all her
people, so far as I know, that an Angel had ap-
peared to her in a vision in an eastern State, say-
ing he had been sent of God, first to a man, asking
him if he would go and proclaim the third angel’s
message. (Rev. 8, 10 and 11; also 16 and 2d verse.)
He refused. Then the Angel was sent to her. She
accepted the service, when the Angel explained to her
that Mr. Miller was mistaken in his interpretation of
the passage, “then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed;”
that instead of the destruction of the world it was the
entering in of Christ into the holiest of holies in
heaven, being the ante-type of the high priest, enter-
ing into the holiest of holies as in the tabernacle and
temple service once a year, to offer sacrifice for him-
Self and for all the people. And secondly, that the
former dispensation of being saved through faith in
the crucified one, ended in that year, 1844. Since
6 A REFUTATION OF THE
then they and the whole race of mankind were to be
saved by the keeping of the commandments, and the
greatest of these was the fourth, because God blessed,
sanctified, and set apart that day, but did no such
thing to any of the rest; and again, because it was
written by the finger of God himself, on tables of
stone, with the other precepts of the ten tables of the
moral law as is generally termed, so never to be ab-
rogated, but to continue through all time. And then,
if they, the remnant people of God, should keep this,
God’s holy day, as did his ancient people Israel, then
would he reveal to them his will by visions, through
Mrs. White, from time to time as they needed instruc-
tions from their Heavenly Father; and that none
could be saved in any other way after hearing of this
and learning thus the true doctrine. Then a few
minor things came in, such as the following: That
those that keep the first day of the week have thus
the mark of the beast in their forehead (Rev. 14th,
verses 9, 10, and 11), and of course must suffer their
terrible fate; that the Sunday keepers will persecute
them, and drive them from their homes into the
wilderness. The passages, “after three days he shall
rise again,” and “after eight days again his disciples
were within” (John 20 and 26), mean sometime after
the three days and the eight days, and how long after
they do not know. * º
REFUTATION.
First as to her revelations and visions:
It is here claimed that no new revelations could
possibly be given of God, or ever come to Mrs. White
or any other person after the death of Christ, as all
the apostles did was to be able, as they were moved
upon by the Holy Spirit, to recall the things that
Christ had spoken and done while yet alive; and to
declare that in his death. He fulfilled the will of God;
which was, that in the end of time Christ should die
once for all, thus closing up the new testament or
will, as all testaments or wills must be closed up by
the death of the testator whether of God or by man.
So then, if nothing can be taken from a will or
added to it after the death of the testator, whether it
DoCTRINEs of SECOND ADVENTISM. 7
be God’s will or man's, which seems to be both scrip-
ture and common sense, then what becomes of Mrs.
White's revelations, that a new way has been opened
up to get to heaven, by good works or the keeping of
the commandments, and especially the fourth ?
Nothing is left but her dreams and fancies, and the
evident fact that her whole system is a pious hum-
bug, as, “without the shedding of blood there is no
remission of sin.” (Hebrews 9th, 22.)
2d. The fourth commandment as the greatest of
all, because God had sanctified, blest, and set it apart,
and had done no such thing to any of the other com-
mandments in the ten tables or moral law. Here let
it be observed, that a law to be a moral law must be
self-evident, and just as plain before the command-
ment came that we must keep it as it is after we are
forbidden to violate it; as in the commandments,
“thou shalt not steal,” “thou shalt not bear false
witness,” and “thou shalt do no murder;” so then by
this rule of reasoning, the Sabbath law is not a moral
law at all, and not the greatest, as the Savior stated
himself when he was asked “which is the greatest
commandment in the law 2° Christ said the greatest
commandment in the law was this: “Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, might
and strength, and the second is, like unto it, thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” He did not say
that it was even the third in importance, certainly
not the first, nor the second. Then we may be par-
doned if we look for other and even opposite reasons
for the blessing, sanctifying, and setting apart the
Sabbath day, or one-seventh part of time, to be by
them kept so perfectly that not a stick was allowed
#. be picked up on that day under the severest penal-
162S.
The blessing, sanctifying, and setting apart, implies
imperfection somewhere. And if then we call it the
fourth commandment, the least in the ten, then we
can see the propriety of its being blest, sanctified, and
Set apart, being somewhat imperfect, as were the
priests and the utensils used in the service of the
temple and tabernacle on some high day, and thus when
keeping in view the order of the commandments, they
all seem to have a suitable connection, and stand in
8 A REFUTATION OF THE
their proper place. The Supremacy of the strictly
moral laws, such as the laws which say, “thou shalt
not lie,” “thou shalt not steal,” “thou shalt do no
murder,” these are absolutely perfect, God himself
could make them no better, whilst the ones blest,
sanctified, and set apart, were certainly susceptible
of improvement for the time being and for the great
occasion. One more item. The severe penalties at-
tached to the violation of the Sabbath law by the
Jews, may be explained by remembering that the
Jewish nation were just out of bondage, and needed
schooling and instruction by the Levites in all, that
God was revealing to them of moral and ceremonial
laws through Moses, and positive laws as well, and
all that He should reveal to them in after ages by the
prophets. Then what more natural than for God to
require that they should attend upon the teachings of
those whom God had appointed to be their instructors,
at least one day in seven, with entire reverence and
without distraction, as through them were to be
handed down, not only to the Jews, but also to all the
nations of the earth, the most important blessings that
could come to the race.
The scripture passages in John 20, 26, and Mark
15, 42, and some others clearly define the time of the
commencement of His lying in the tomb, and of His
resurrection; and other passages as clearly tell us that
He did arise on the first day of the week. It is men-
tioned that one whole day and a part of two other
days, and one whole might and a part of two other
nights were spent in Joseph’s new tomb. Who then,
at this late day, is at liberty to question the fact, or
the propriety of counting parts as whole days? This
was the peculiar way of counting time, and so long as
this peculiar way of reckoning agrees with the facts
in the case, that is, to-day is one day, to-morrow two
days, and the next day three days, why seek to make
it mean something else? Just as though all the wise
and consecrated heads and hearts of the past centuries
had not understood the plain statements of the
Scriptures, but had to wait through all the past ages
and down to the present time to be corrected by the
latest fanaticism. And under the same mode of
reasoning and facts, stands the second proposition,
DOCTRINEs of SECOND ADVENTISM. 9
John 20–26, “and after eight days again his disciples
were within;” and the word again should be taken
into consideration as showing that it was becoming
a custom to meet on that same day of the week; so he
that runs may read, and he who is disposed to let
judgment and reason govern and rule in the investi-
gation may without much difficulty ascertain the
facts. But if habit and sympathy are to settle the
matter, then alas for any just conclusion, as the two
latter so often run wild, and are so difficult to tame
and be brought into subjection to the nobler powers of
the mund, judgment and reason. Mrs. Harriet
Beecher Stowe in her “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” did more
through the channel of sympathy to turn the attention
of the American people to the sin of African slavery
than reason and eloquence had dared to expect, and
what they had in a great measure failed to accomplish;
but there comes a time when our sympathies must be
buttressed by reason and facts, or they tumble to the
ground by the first kicks and cuffs of him who has
truth and unquestioned facts on his side.
MINOR POINTS.
First, those that keep Sunday and not Saturday
have thus the mark of the beast in their foreheads,
as the keeping of Sunday is, they say, the mark of the
lbeast, because Constantine appointed it for the Sab-
bath instead of the old Jewish Sabbath. Now, admit
it to be true that Constantine did alter the day by a
law of his realm, it seems equally plain that he was
losing his prejudices against the Christians as he
believed he had won a great victory through their
prayers; and thus to please them, and doubtless in
answer to their petitions, he altered the day, and now
the wonder is if anybody has been hurt, or has had a
mark of the beast in their foreheads that points to
their fate when the judgment shall sit, and the books
shall be opened. (Revelations 20, 4.)
Being driven into the wilderness and from their
homes by Sunday keepers.
This is presuming too much on the crédulity of
this enlightened day and age of the world, which has
gone on with this reform for some two hundred years,
10 A REFUTATION OF THE
separating church and state, and guaranteeing to
every religious sect and form of belief, perfect free-
dom before the law to worship God as they please
and on any day in the week, or even seven days in the
week, provided always they do not infringe upon the
rights of others, or disturb the public peace. And as
the countries and kingdoms of the world have made
so great progress in this' work, there is no danger of
their going back on the record.
EXPERIENCE AMONG THE ADVENTIST SABBATH KEEPERS.
About 34 years ago, possibly less, I was living in
the township of Locke, Ingham county, State of
Michigan, and southeast corner of section 10. All
meetings among the Adventists being held a half
mile east of my house, a youngster about 15 years
old went on a visit from this point to Conway, the
next township east in the county of Livingston.
When he came back he had the wondrous story to
tell that a new way had been discovered of getting to
heaven—as related in former chapters;–so nice to
climb the hills of glory in your own strength, asking
no odds of Jesus Christ, or any one else. Just keep
the commandments, especially the fourth, and all
would be right, Soon the preacher, or messenger as
they called him, was sent for, a Mr. Cornell, to pre-
sent to them and all the neighbors the new way of
life. Said he, in the first meeting, “I have come here
to present to you the newly discovered doctrine; but
before proceeding farther I want to tell you my for-
mer religious beliefs...I formerly believed in annihil-
ation. I formerly believed in no Sabbath, and also
that there was no Holy Spirit except what was in the
word, but now we must let all our former beliefs go
and contend for the keeping, of the command-
ments, that we may be saved.” And still another
thing cropped out in the course of the meeting in his
preaching or remarks. He never mentioned the name
of Christ, and also in his prayer he only did the
Savior the poor compliment at the close of it by say-
ing, “for Christ's sake we ask it all,” and this last
would not probably have been said only it was an old
habit that he had not got rid of yet. A preacher he
DoCTRINEs of SECOND ADVENTISM. 11
had been and probably of the above doctrines. Then
at the close of the meeting he said, “let those who will
go into this measure please manifest it;” when all
the older ones in the room arose one after another
and said, “I am with you !” When my turn came I
kept still, but said to myself, you have brought us only
infidelity and fanaticism, built upon ignorance, and
I am against you. A number of messengers came
from headquarters, at Battle Creek, to instruct the
class and gain new converts, each one bringing some-
thing new. If he chose to he could, so that if some
one should say I have not stated it all or not in accord-
ance with their understanding of it, let the foregoing
be my excuse. And I might as well say here,
their discussions took so wide a range through the
prophecies and revelations 3% to prove the definite
time of Christ's second advent, there was left a wide
opening for a difference of opinion in regard to it,
and there was no need of this part of the discussion
at all, as all Christian denominations had probably,
at times at least, discussed this matter of the second
advent from the days of Christ on earth to the present
time. But the revelations and visions made to Mrs.
Ellen G. White, of Battle Creek, so far as known,
have never been abandoned, or have ceased to be a
test of membership with them; for to abandon it and
not, keep the old Jewish Sabbath, would be sure to
cut them off from admittance into heaven. And their
messengers, when in Lansing a few years ago preach-
ing in their tent on the streets of the city, when
charged with the folly and absurdity of their saying
that mone could be saved unless they kept the seventh-
day Sabbath, and saying too, to those who are keep-
ing the first day, conscientiously believing it to be
right in the sight of God and in agreement with the
example of Christ and the apostles, they virtually
acknowledged that what I charged them with was
true, but their answer was, you Baptists also believe
that a person cannot be saved unless he or she is
immersed. This charge is not true, only that a few,
a very few, and most of these in a by-gone age, and
#matically disposed like the Second Advents, believe
1U.
They said to me also when I asked them for Mrs.
12 A REFUTATION OF THE
White's book, which was called, for one name, “Mrs.
White's views and experience,” but which is said to
be “The Book of Visions,” the answer was, she, Mrs.
White, was revising it for the fourth time, thus own-
ing up that her visions were all a farce, for no human
being could be supposed for a moment to be able even
once to correct and revise what God had seen fit to
make known to the human race that they might be
saved. Without thinking I remarked to one or two
of their leaders, that I was going down to Antrim,
some 9 miles, to hear the Christian experience of two
young married women who were to be baptized and
join the Antrim Church at Brother Nears. Said they,
this thing is all a farce, and does not exist any longer;
people are now to be saved by keeping the command-
ments. v,
I went just the same and listened to the relation of
their Christian experiences which were as bright and
clear as any Christian experiences I ever heard, and
saw them baptized too, by Elder Wm. Pack. And still
the work of salvation by grace is going on even now
in the Baptist Church, in Lansing, and I am happy
in the knowledge that these things are of the Lord.
If Mrs. White is a prophetess, and the one appointed
by God in the by-gone ages of etermity to bring for-
ward in the fullness of time the new dispensation of
works, instead of faith, which run out in 1844, thus
giving another opportunity to the world to be saved
if it were possible by the keeping of the law and
the commandments.
Now if this be all true, then this new character, or
Mrs. White by name, would have been mentioned in
the Old Testament or in the New, and farther still, if
all Mrs. White's claims are correct and well founded,
then some person or persons must put Mrs. White to
a violent death so as to finish up the covenant or will
which must always be established by the shedding of
blood, for Paul says, (Hebrews 9, 22) without the
sheding of blood there is no remission of sins. But
it cannot well be supposed that any one would be so
foolish and so wicked as to do this. Let me add
farther, that we had quite a religious neighborhood
in Locke, and all professors of religion except myself
joined the Second Adventist Sabbath Keepers’ Class,
DoCTRINEs of SECOND ADVENTISM. 13
and as there was but one left to oppose them, and this
one, myself, was not then prepared to do so, they took
it upon themselves to most freely present their absurd
and most extreme theories and wild fanaticisms; but
they soon fell into a line of policy more careful and
guarded, keeping back the visions and the main things
contained in the visions, such as a change in the plan
of 'salvation through the atonement made by Jesus
Christ on the Cross, and faith in his name and repent-
ance towards God. ... " -
The above arguments would seem to apply in a
greater or less degree to the Mormon faith. They
have built largely upon present revelation and
prophecy, holding that when their prophet dies the
spirit of prophecy falls upon another of their people
with all its gifts. . . - - . . . . . .
As Christianity has never admitted of any prophets
since the old covenants passed away with their types
and figures and darkness, as well, to give place to the
true light that now shineth through the gospel of the
Son of God, so Christianity cannot now recognize these
prophets of Adventism and Mormonism. It shows
ignorance of the Scripture, or a disregard of it to
claim new prophecies and revelations. i
I will simply add, that if Mrs. White's visions and
revelations and the theory as to keeping the law were
omitted from the Adventists’ creed, they would have no
foundation to rest upon. There would be no necessity
for such an organization as theirs. &
And if they fully believe in the statements of their
church, why not make them the ground work and
Substance of every sermon or message, the same as
most denominations do? As Christ is the chief cor-
ner stone, why do they not, like Paul, declare that they
know nothing among the people save Jesus Christ and
him crucified ? ! » . * .
L.A.W.
Law as a general statement is a rule of action.
Moral law possesses the quality of being self-evident,
and if so and a rule of action, then it is a moral
W. and must conform also to the 7th of
atthew, 12th verse, which reads as follows: “There-
fore all things whatsoever ye would that men should
do to you do ye even so to them: for this is the law
and the prophets.” Doing to others as we would
have them do unto us is evidently the higher law, and
to this law men have largely conformed in framing
all their laws and statutes for the government of
themselves and others, though they may not have
perceived its divine origin. The Creator has imprinted
on man’s mind a duplicate of His law, and uncon-
sciously he is found making it into a lower law though
he may not give God credit for it. Thus the common
law of England, which has become the common law
of America largely, is but a reiteration of the law of
Moses clothed in different language. All legislative
enactments therefore, that do not conform to the
above moral law or higher law are a violation of law
in its truest sense. Thus under the heavy blows of
this law slavery went down, and under its power the
traffic in alcoholic drinks must share the same fate.
In all the past ages men have not respected that which
is a violation of higher law, and have only obeyed
illegal enactments as per force until the favorable
time should come when they could arise in their might
to unseat the falsifier of law and blot out the enact-
ment.
God’s law being capable and suitable for the gov-
ernment of all the human race, intelligent or other-
wise; its perpetuity, its unchangeable nature, and its
adaptation to all ages and conditions in life, proves its
fitness for the well being of all people, in all ages of
the World as it has been more or less perfectly kept.
But men as we find them, sinful and selfish, did not
LAW. 15
see fit to retain God and his holy and unselfish law in
their hearts, and much less to practice it in their lives.
Thus the student of history finds many and wide
departures from the divine standards; still as it was
God’s law it has stood the test of all ages past, thus
proving also its divine paternity, and the best law
also that God had in store for a needy race, and
would be so naturally as it was to be given to his
peculiar people, and through them to the rest of man-
kind. Añá to see more clearly the truthfulness of
the above statement, let us take a view, though but
short, of the doings of some of the most celebrated
nations of the earth in ancient times, who had set
aside the divine law and the divine lawgiver, and then
down to the present time when all nations that call
themselves enlightened are working up to the divine
law very closely. The Greek nation in the days of its
greatest glory had many wise men, and among them
seven who were peculiarly so, and of these there was a
man by the name of Sophocles, whom they delighted
to honor as well as their poets, statemen and warriors.
He had one wise saying which he taught as a special-
ist and that was, to tell a lie that would be so smooth,
well warnished over, and so completely covered up,
that the lie itself would not stick out anywhere, and
thus be one of the highest of human attainments, and
the wrong consisting entirely in getting found out in
it. Rome also in her greatest power and prosperity,
and forgetfulness of the divine requirements, had a
national policy of her own; one item of which was to
sell Roman citizenship for a great price. To individuals
or to cities was this privilege, and if not expressed still
to be understood by all who came up to Rome to
obtain provinces, kingdoms or countries to rule over,
that those which gave the most would obtain their
much desired places. And when two distant nations
were at War with each other, Rome always stood ready
to take the part of the weaker nation, thus bringing
in both kingdoms and absorbing them by one stroke
of her policy and power to strengthen and build up
her own dominions and glory. And now is it not
proper and right to ask where are they 2 Echo
answers where are they 2 Now for one incident in
our own day: After the capture of Slidell and Mason
16 LAW.
by Captain Wilkes, the English and American com-
missioners were requested by a French official that
they make such a settlement as would be satisfactory
to other nations, were they, the other nations, the
interested parties—thus infidel. France coming up
to the standard of the divine law and universal con-
sciousness of what is right between man and man. So
all laws that violate this universal consciousness of
our race must be put down as null and void. Man
has no right to enact laws to regulate sin but only to
prohibit it, though the prohibition may not entirely
put a stop to it. For example: Horse stealing, per-
jury, adultery, murder, and other sins against man
and society must be prohibited even though they may
not be altogether stopped. Some one will be guilty
of these crimes to the end of time, yet who would
think of repealing the law whose penalties sent, the
transgressor to prison and to death. Still there
are some persons, who think we have a very free
country, and that it is a proper thing enough to put.
more or less of sin into a law and then call upon con-
science and judgment to subscribe to their ignorance
and rascality. f
g
IMPORTANT TO EVERYBODY.
Froum I..ansing Republican, July 18, 1883.
Jefferson Pearce, of No. 904 Capitol Avenue north,
an old resident of Lansing, who has been engaged
in the manufacture of wagons and buggies for many
years, has received a patent for a felloe support which
promises to solve the vexatious problem of securing a
durable wheel for all kinds of vehicles. It consists of
a spring support, fastened on to the under side of the
felloe, extending from spoke to spoke, and riveted to
the felloes, and one in the center, between the spokes
to fasten the tire, instead of the tire bolts. With this
support to the felloes, only 10 or 12 spokes will be
required for a wheel, and thus room is secured for
larger temons in the hubs without weakening them.
As the only weak places in a wheel are at the felloes
and the hubs, it would appear that these defects have
been perfectly remedied by this device. It is farther
claimed for this device that as long as the spring per-
fectly supports the felloes, which it does, there will be
little or no setting of tires for 10 to 20 years, and no
splitting of felloes. So positive 1s the inventor of the
lasting power of his wheels that he warrants them,
for country use, for 40 years, and for hard usage in
the city for 10 years. §
*
BUGGY WHEEL's ON HAND AND For SALE AT THE
3ESIDENCE OF THE INVENTOR, witH THE FELLOE SUP-
Ports on, READY FOR THE TIRE, AT $10 A SET.
RIGHTS ALso For SALE FOR THE MANUFACTURING OF
THE SAME. 3.