The Great Second Advent Movement: Its Rise and Progress

Duty to the Churches

We will at this point introduce a testimony from an address to the advent conference of believers assembled in Boston, Mass., dated May 31, 1844, and signed by Wm. Miller, Elon Galusha, N. N. Whiting, Apollos Hale, and J. V. Himes. They say:— GSAM 177.2

“Upon our duty to the churches we may also say a word. The danger here, as in most other cases, appears to us to be in the extremes. The first form of the danger is that of allowing the authority of the church with which we may be associated to impose silence upon us in such a question of duty. We have no doubt thousands have brought themselves into condemnation before God by yielding to the unscriptural claims of their churches in this matter, who, if they had been decided and faithful, would now be in a much more safe condition, and more useful, though they might also be called to suffer. GSAM 177.3

“The second form of danger is that of yielding to a spirit of revenge against the churches on account of their injustice toward us, and of waging an indiscriminate warfare against all such organizations. As to the duty of the Adventists, in reference to the churches with which they may be associated, if we were called upon to do it, we could give no directions which could be of general application. They must act in the fear of God, as the circumstances of the case require. GSAM 177.4

“We should, however, be decided in doing our duty, in testifying for the truth on all proper and suitable occasions. And if by taking this course we give offense to the churches, and they threaten us with expulsion unless we remain silent (though if we see fit to dissolve our relation to the church amicably, it may be the better way), let us do our duty, and when we are expelled, be patient in suffering the wrong, and be willing with our Master to ‘go forth without the gate, bearing his reproach.’ “ GSAM 178.1

From these quotations respecting the action of the churches toward those giving the second angel’s message, it can be readily seen how, as the first result of giving this second call to the “supper,” those who were gathered into one spiritual fold are spoken of as the “maimed,” “the halt,” and “the blind,” which strongly suggests the ill treatment they had received from the “smiting” of their “fellow-servants,” from whom they had been separated. GSAM 178.2