Rise and Progress of Seventh-day Adventists

329 Pages·2005·0.66 MB·English

by  Charles Elliott

RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS WITH TOKENS
OF GOD'S HAND IN THE MOVEMENT AND A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE
ADVENT CAUSE FROM 1834 TO 1844.
By J. N. Loughborough. 1892.
p. i, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
Preface.
p. ii, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
There are already many useful books in the hands of the
people, and my only apology for adding another to the list,
is that in these pages I state many things concerning
Adventists, and especially Seventh-day Adventists, which
have not heretofore been brought in this form before the
people. Beside this, many who have espoused the cause in
later years, and who have not witness the things mentioned,
have earnestly requested, from those earlier in the work, a
narration of these facts and experiences. Having been
familiar with the Advent movement in 1843 and 1844, and
having, since Jan. 2, 1849, proclaimed the doctrine, first
as an Adventist, and since 1852 as a Seventh-day Adventist,
I esteem it a pleasure to "speak the things which I have
seen and heard." Since November, 1853, I have kept a diary
of daily occurrences. The narrative from that date is from
the record of this diary. p. iii, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
I have presented a comparatively concise statement
concerning the Advent movement, which, from 1831 to 1844,
spread to every civilized nation of the world. I have noted
at greater length the rise and progress of the Seventh-day
Adventists, calling special attention to those agencies,
which, in the providence of God, have aided in developing,
from poverty and small beginnings, a people of whom some of
their opponents have said, "Although they number only about
thirty-six thousand, from the energy and zeal with which
they work one would judge that there were two millions of
them." p. iii, Para. 2, [RISEPROG].
Even those who are only slightly conversant with Seventh-
day Adventist history know that, since 1845, Mrs. E. G.
White has been prominently connected with the movement,
both as a speaker and writer. They also know that connected
with her work there have been peculiar exercises, or gifts.
It has been my privilege to be present and witness the
operations of this gift about fifty times. In these pages I
have set forth some of the things which I have seen and
heard. I have also presented the testimony of other eye-
witnesses, respecting their experiences in the same line.
Such facts should have more weight with the candid reader
than random statements made by those who have never been
present on such occasions. p. iii, Para. 3, [RISEPROG].
A narrative bearing testimony to what one has seen and
heard, could hardly be given without connecting the
narrator with the events recorded. Let it be borne in mind
by the reader that I am not writing my own autobiography in
this book, but giving a sketch of the rise and progress of
the cause as I have witnessed it; otherwise I wish self to
disappear from the scene. p. iv, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
Now, having completed the task requested by our General
Conference Committee, I commit the work to the readers,
hoping that, with the blessing of God, the perusal of these
pages may be a means of promoting the cause of Christ in
many hearts; and trusting that all, as they read, will bear
in mind the words of Paul to the Thessalonians, "Prove all
things, hold fast that which is good." J. N. Loughborough.
Central Bible School, 28 College Place, Chicago, Ill. April
14, 1892. p. iv, Para. 2, [RISEPROG].
Contents
CHAPTER
I Introduction..................................9
II God's Hand In The Advent Movement............15
III Extent Of The Advent Proclamation............25
IV The Advent Proclamation......................29
V The Tarrying Time............................46
VI The Midnight Cry.............................52
VII The Second Angel's Message...................61
VIII The Disappointment – The Bitter Book.........76
IX Fresh Tokens Of Divine Guidance..............88
X Other Proofs Of Divine Agency...............100
XI Perils, Reproaches, Victories...............108
XII Increasing Light And Greater Wonders........121
XIII Truth Advanced Under Difficulties...........132
XIV New Features In The Work....................143
XV Providence Of God In The Publishing Work....157
XVI The First Seventh-Day Adventist Printing Press
...................................................166
XVII By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them..........180
XVIII The Trial Of Faith – The Work Advancing.....196
XIX Steam Power-Press and Other Tokens Of Advancement
...................................................210
XX Organization................................223
XXI The Civil War In The United States..........235
XXII Further Steps In Establishing Order Important
Testimonies........................................246
XXIII Health Institutions And Other Advance Steps
...................................................261
XXIV California And Switzerland..................276
XXV Rapid Advancement...........................292
XXVI Closing Labors Of Elder James White.........315
XXVII Though Workers Faint, God's Work Advances.
...................................................329
XXVIII Truth Advanced Even By Opposition...........358
XXIX Conclusion..................................382
p. iv, Para. 3, [RISEPROG].
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. "Thou shalt remember all the way
which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the
wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what
was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep his
commandments, or no." -- Deut. 8:2. p. 9, Para. 1,
[RISEPROG].
It has ever been the design of God that his people should
remember the manifestations of his providence and power in
their behalf. In giving the reasons for the backsliding of
Israel from God, the psalmist says, "They forgot God their
Saviour, which had done great things in Egypt; wondrous
works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red
Sea." [[1] Ps. 106:21, 22.] If it was good for Israel to
call to remembrance the leadings of the Lord with them, is
it not good also for us? In ecstasy the psalmist again
says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits." [[2] Ps. 103:2.] p. 9, Para. 2, [RISEPROG].
Through all ages the Lord has had important truths,
calculated, by his grace, to lead out a people from the
bondage of sin, and fit them for an entrance into the
heavenly Canaan; and it is profitable to consider the
dealings of the Lord with those who have proclaimed these
truths. p. 9, Para. 3, [RISEPROG].
D'Aubigne says, in his "History of the Reformation:" "God,
who prepares his work through ages, accomplishes it by the
weakest instruments, when his time has come. To effect
great results by the smallest means, such is the law of
God. This law, which prevails everywhere in nature, is
found also in history." [[3] "History of the Reformation,"
book ii, chap. i, par. 1.] p. 9, Para. 4, [RISEPROG].
When God, in ancient time, began choosing a special people
in order to establish them as a peculiar nation for
himself, it was by calling one man -- Abraham -- who dwelt
among the heathen in Ur of the Chaldees. From him sprang a
numerous progeny; but of them, when exalted to the dignity
of a nation, the God of heaven said; "The Lord did not set
his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in
number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all
people." [[4] Deut. 7:7.] p. 9, Para. 5, [RISEPROG].
Then again, when he would deliver his people from their
bondage in Egypt, he chose as their leader one who in
infancy was hidden for three months in his mother's house,
and then, placed in a simple, rude ark composed of
bulrushes and daubed with pitch, was committed to the
keeping of the river Nile. This same Moses, however, was
one who, when he came to years of understanding, whose the
humble path of suffering with the people of God rather than
the enjoyment to be found in the "pleasures of sin for a
season." [[5] Heb. 11:25.] p. 10, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
Afterward, when the Lord would deliver Israel from the
Midianites and the Amalekites who came upon their land "as
grasshoppers for multitude," and destroyed the increase of
the earth, leaving "no sustenance for Israel, neither
sheep, nor ox, nor ass," the Lord sent an angel to Gideon.
This son of Joash was reduced to the extremity of threshing
out a little wheat and hiding it from his enemies. When the
angel notified him that he should deliver Israel, Gideon
with astonishment inquired, "Wherewith shall I save Israel?
behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least
in my father's house." [[6] Judges 6:4, 5 15.] This same
humble, poor man went out with his three hundred men, with
their simple lamps and pitchers (an action which would seem
like foolishness to finite judgment), and making God their
strength, they gained a mighty victory. Previous to the
deliverance, Gideon might have uttered a lamentation like
that of the prophet Amos when he inquired, "By whom shall
Jacob arise? for he is small." [[7] Amos 7:2.] p. 10,
Para. 2, [RISEPROG].
In the Lord's appointed time, the Saviour of mankind was
born, and the shepherds found him lying in a manger. His
earthly relatives followed the humble, though honorable,
pursuits of life. Concerning his earthly poverty the
Saviour said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the
air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay
his head." [[8] Matt. 8:20.] He chose his apostles "from
among that lower rank, which, although not the meanest,
does not reach the level of the middle classes. Everything
was thus intended to manifest to the world that the work
was not of man, but of God." p. 10, Para. 3, [RISEPROG].
Paul said of the work in the days of the primitive church:
"The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness
of God is stronger than men. for ye see your calling,
brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath
chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
confound the things which are mighty; and base things of
the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen,
yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things
that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence." [[9]
1 Cor. 1:25-29.] p. 11, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
If we look at the great reformers of the sixteenth
century, we find this same principle exemplified. The
historian says: "The Reformer Zwingle emerged from an
Alpine shepherd's hut; Melanchthon, the theologian of the
Reformation, from an armorer's shop; and Luther, from the
cottage of a poor miner." Of himself Luther said: "My
parents were very poor. My father was a poor woodcutter,
[[10] Afterward he became a miner.] and my mother has often
carried wood upon her back, that she might procure the
means of bringing up her children. They endured the
severest labor for our sakes." p. 11, Para. 2, [RISEPROG].
The apostle James, speaking of the calling of the people
to the Lord's service, says, "Hearken, my beloved brethren,
hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith,
and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them
that love him?" [[11] James 2:5.] p. 11, Para. 3,
[RISEPROG].
As we look down the line of advancing Reformers to the
early days of Methodism, when the doctrine of free grace
was assiduously proclaimed, we find it accompanied by the
power of God. As it was faithfully set before the people,
with the tender love of Christ, and was grasped by living
faith, the believer not only found remission of past sins,
but a sanctifying power to enable him to lead a life of
holiness. Methodism had a humble beginning, and was blessed
according to the faith and simple trust of the ministry and
laity. p. 12, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
In the early days of Methodism in America, their ministers
were of the poor of earth, sustained sparingly by the
poorer classes, who constituted the greater part of those
who accepted the then unpopular religion. The ministers
wore homespun clothing, which, "after about two years'
wear, was taken to pieces and put together the other side
out, so that they might maintain a respectable appearance
before the public." n traversing their circuits, their
journeys were performed mostly on horseback. Instead of
patronizing hotels and partaking of warm, sumptuous
dinners, their nooning was often spent by the road-side;
and here, while their horses were grazing, they would
sometimes kindle a fire, roast half a squash, and eat it
from the shell with a wooden spoon of their own
manufacture. The squash served as sauce, to be eaten with a
roll of bread which had been placed in the saddle-bags by
the kindness of their hostess of the previous night. Bishop
Asbury is said to have traveled, for the first three years
of his service as bishop, with a horse, harness, and chaise
which cost, all told, the sum of $34. In this work, too,
the apostle's statement is exemplified, -- "not many
mighty" were called p. 12, Para. 2, [RISEPROG].
While these different classes I have mentioned made God
their trust, he, on his part, manifested his power among
them; and it was equally their privilege, when raised above
poverty, to share the blessing of God, if their humility
and consecration to his service were as complete. With
increased means of working, and the living God in their
midst, they might indeed be a match for all their foes. It
is just as true now as in apostolic times, that the Lord
has given us "this treasure in earthen vessels, that the
excellency of the power be of God, and not of us." [[12] 2
Cor. 4:7.] p. 12, Para. 3, [RISEPROG].
In tracing the incidents and experiences connected with
the Advent movement, we find that, as in every work of the
Lord in the accomplishment of which man is an agent, its
origin was among the poor and obscure; but let none decide
against it on this account, before carefully examining the
evidences upon which this great work is based, lest they be
found in the position of those of whom the Lord inquired,
"Who hath despised the day of small things?" [[13] Zech.
4:10.] p. 13, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
For the benefit of those who may be inclined to decide
whether a doctrinal point is right or wrong by the few or
the many who follow it, we quote, in part, the controversy
between Luther and Eck. As Luther took his position upon
the Scriptures, and presumed to dispute the right of men to
place their opinions above the word of God, Eck retorted in
these ironical words: "I am surprised at the humility and
modesty with which the reverend Doctor undertakes to
oppose, alone, so many illustrious Fathers, and pretends to
know more than the sovereign pontiffs, the councils, the
doctors, and the universities! ... It would be surprising,
no doubt, if God had hidden the truth from so many saints
and martyrs, until the advent of the reverend Father." p.
13, Para. 2, [RISEPROG].
This retort might well be met with that of Zwingle to John
Faber, at Zurich, when the latter, expressing his
"amazement at the pass to which things had come, when the
ancient usages which had lasted for twelve centuries were
forsaken, and it was clearly concluded that Christendom had
been in error fourteen hundred years," "the Reformer
quickly replied that error was not less error because the
belief of it had lasted fourteen hundred years, and that in
the worship of God antiquity of usage was nothing, unless
ground or warrant for it could be found in the sacred
Scriptures." [[14] Wylie's "History of Protestantism,"
chap. xii, pars. 16, 17, Cassell Edition, p. 458.] p. 13,
Para. 3, [RISEPROG].
The danger of leaning to the opinions of men, instead of
settling the question, "What is truth?" by the word of the
lord, is sharply reproved by the prophet Hosea when he
says: "Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity;
ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust
in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men." [[15]
Hosea 10:13.] The tendency of the human heart has always
been to trust in man, but as we approach the time when the
Lord is to "arise and shake terribly the earth," the
prophet Isaiah exhorts, "Cease ye from man, whose breath is
in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?"
[[16] Isa. 2:22.] p. 14, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
Being thus cautioned in the Scriptures respecting our
danger in this direction, let none hastily pass
condemnation on the Advent movement, as though unworthy of
consideration, because of its humble beginning, or because
those called great in the eyes of the world have not
espoused the cause. Rather let all weigh carefully its
claims. Truth is of inestimable value, compared with which
mere opinions of men are but worthless chaff. p. 14, Para.
2, [RISEPROG].
CHAPTER II. GOD'S HAND IN THE ADVENT MOVEMENT. "We have
not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known
unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but
were eye witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God
the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to
him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from
heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do
well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a
dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star in your
hearts." -- 2 Peter 1:16-19. p. 14, Para. 3, [RISEPROG].
The scope of this book is not to present the proofs of the
Advent doctrine, but rather to call attention to its rise
and progress, leaving the reader to study the argument as
presented in other volumes. p. 15, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
D'Aubigne, in his "History of the Reformation" of the
sixteenth century, presents as one indubitable proof of
God's hand in the work, the fact that men, in different
countries, with no knowledge of one another, were moved
upon to investigate, and came before their respective
countrymen to herald, the doctrine of pardon and salvation
through Christ without the imposed penance and absolution
of the Catholic Church. p. 15, Para. 2, [RISEPROG].
If this fact is an evidence of God's hand in the
Reformation in the sixteenth century, why is it not an
evidence that he is in the Advent movement in the
nineteenth century? for at this time men in different parts
of the world, without any knowledge of one another, have
been moved to investigate the Scriptures, and embracing the
doctrine of the near coming of Christ, have zealously
proclaimed it to their respective countrymen, until in the
years 1831 to 1844 their combined efforts gave the message
to the entire civilized world -- literally to every nation
on earth. If a heavenly stamp was given to the Reformation
from the manner of its rise, we claim the same for this
second Advent proclamation. p. 15, Para. 3, [RISEPROG].
Comparing the rise of the Reformation in Germany with that
in Switzerland, the historian says:-- p. 15, Para. 4,
[RISEPROG].
"Germany did not communicate the truth to Switzerland, nor
Switzerland to France, nor France to England. All these
countries received it from God, just as one part of the
world does not transmit the light to another part; but the
same shining globe communicates it directly to all the
earth. Christ, the dayspring from on high, infinitely
exalted above all mankind, was, at the period of the
Reformation, as at that of the establishment of
Christianity, the divine fire which gave life to the world.
In the sixteenth century, one and the same doctrine was at
once established in the homes and churches of the most
distant and diversified nations. The reason is, that the
same Spirit was everywhere at work producing the same
faith. p. 16, Para. 1, [RISEPROG].
"The Reformation of Germany and that of Switzerland
demonstrated this truth. Zwingle had no intercourse with
Luther. There was, no doubt, a link between these two men;
but we must search for it above the earth. He who from
heaven gave the truth to Luther, gave it to Zwingle. God
was the medium of communication between them. 'I began to
preach the gospel,' says Zwingle, 'in the year of grace
1516, in other words, at a time when the name of Luther had
never been heard of in our country. I did not learn the
doctrine of Christ from Luther, but from the word of God.
If Luther preaches Christ, he does what I do; that is
all.'" [[1] "History of the Reformation," book viii, chap.
i, pars. 2, 3.] p. 16, Para. 2, [RISEPROG].
Speaking of the work of Farel and Lefevre in France, the
historian says:-- p. 16, Para. 3, [RISEPROG].
"The Reformation in France, therefore, was not a foreign
importation. It had its birth on the French soil; it
germinated in Paris; it had its first roots in the
university itself, which formed the second power in Roman
Christendom. God placed the principles of the work in the
honest hearts of men of Picardy and Dauphiny before its
commencement in any other country. p. 17, Para. 1,
[RISEPROG].
"We have seen that the Swiss Reformation was independent
of the German Reformation. The French Reformation was in
its turn independent of both. The work began at once in
these different countries, without any communication with
each other; as, in a battle, all the different forces
comprising the army move at the same instant, though the
one does not tell the other to march, because one and the
same command, proceeding from the same commander-in-chief,
is heard by all. The time was accomplished, the people were
prepared, and God began the renovation of his church in all
quarters at once. Such facts demonstrate that the great
Reformation of the sixteenth century was a divine work."
[[2] Idem., book xii, chap. iii, par. 10.] p. 17, Para. 2,
[RISEPROG].
Of the Reformation in England, under Thos. Bilney, Fryth,
Tyndale, and others, D'Aubigne further says:-- p. 17,
Para. 3, [RISEPROG].
"The Reformation of England commenced, therefore,
independently of Luther and Zwingle, holding solely from
God. There was in all these countries of Christendom a
simultaneous action of the divine word. The origin of the
Reformation at Oxford, Cambridge, London, was the Greek New
Testament published by Erasmus. [Tyndale and Thomas Bilney
quitted Cambridge in the year 1519.] There came a day when
England was proud of this origin of the Reformation." [[3]
Idem., book xviii, chap. ii, par. 12.] p. 17, Para. 4,
[RISEPROG].
The Advent proclamation arose in a similar manner to that
above traced in the Reformation. Men were moved out
simultaneously in various parts of the world, with no
knowledge of, or any communication of sentiment with, one
another, and began the proclamation of the same Scripture
truths, not simply in four nations of the earth, but to the
whole world. p. 17, Para. 5, [RISEPROG].
In 1831 Joseph Wolff. D.D., was sent as a missionary from
Great Britain to labor among the Jews of Palestine. He,
"according to his journals, between the years 1821 and
1845, proclaimed the Lord's speedy advent in Palestine,
Egypt, on the shore of the Red Sea, Mesopotamia, the
Crimea, Persia, Georgia, throughout the Ottoman empire, in
Greece, Arabia, Turkey, Bokhara, Afghanistan, Cashmere,
Hindoostan, Thibet, in Holland, Scotland, Ireland, at
Constantinople, Jerusalem, St. Helena, also on shipboard in
the Mediterranean, and at New York City, to all