Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 4 (1883 - 1886)

Ms 23, 1885

Regarding Miles Grant

[Italy]

1885

Previously unpublished.

About Miles Grant

May God give us wisdom to know how to move in these evil times, for we are in the midst of hungry wolves and tigers who are seeking whom to devour. We are so desirous to know just how to move. We do not want to enter into controversy, which often tends to evil. Neither do I want to vindicate myself, unless it is positively necessary for the good of the cause of God. We want now and ever the wisdom of the serpent and the harmless character of the dove. O God, give us Thy Spirit in these times of trial! 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 1

I feel my spirit stirring within me to utter the truth in regard to these two men Miles Grant and Concorder, but I will restrain my zeal, rest all in the hands of my righteous Judge, and control my tongue while my feelings urge me to utterance. God will help me to hold silence. He knows all about this work, and He will give power and dignity to His own pure truth so that the honest in heart shall not be deceived. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 2

I call to mind that Christ, when contending with the devil, durst not bring against him a railing accusation. While those men, with ruthless, sacrilegious hands, would tear down God’s moral standard of righteousness and blacken the character of all who vindicate the truth, God sees it. God knows all about it. It is written in His books—the malice, the hatred of the adversaries of God’s holy law. He can bring to confusion their malice; He can make of none effect their pride. The men who want to have it so that God’s law is done away, that they may continue in sin, will exult. But although we sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land, we dare not take the burden on ourselves. We desire greatly to have peace, to have an opportunity to present truth to the people who are in darkness of error. But the cause is Thine, O God, and the truth is mighty and will prevail! 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 3

God’s law is as unchangeable as His throne. He has power to preserve its honor. The Lord lives and reigns and will be the helper of His truth-loving people, through Jesus Christ who is my defense and my shield and my strong tower. I will go forward. I have borne a plain and decided testimony against sin in professed Christians whose lives, whose tongues are given to working evil, speaking evil, and co-operating with the first great rebel who have been a snare to God’s people by their false doctrines and their corrupt examples. I have not covered iniquity when the Lord has shown me the sins of His people. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 4

The Bible is now and ever has been a cause of dissension. This ever will be the effect of God’s Word. Jesus says, I came not to send peace on the earth but a sword. See Matthew 10:34. God is wonderful in counsel, and He can bring to naught men who exalt themselves and who dare to trample His holy law under their unholy feet. Although my work and mission are made the subject of ridicule and sneers of men who claim to be wholly sanctified to God, although the subject of sanctification is the one theme on which I am called by them a pretender, a hypocrite, yet I am not angry, neither am I terrified by my adversaries. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 5

My offense is that I stand in defense of God’s holy law, given in Eden after He created our world, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. And the Lord Jesus proclaimed the law of Jehovah in awful grandeur from Sinai’s Mount. Assertions have been made in abundance, the traditions of the fathers have been brought forth, but the people who have accepted unpopular truth counted the cost of so doing before they stepped upon the platform of the Bible and the Bible alone as the foundation of their faith. Unless they have something more substantial than the bold assertions and testimony of the fathers who were erring men like themselves, and something more weighty than the word of a man who can carry slander and who is at enmity with the law of God, those who love the truth will remain firm and decided on the platform of God’s Word, the foundation of the prophets and the apostles, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 6

We must have clear, convincing arguments from the Scriptures, not assertions, to determine what is truth. These assertions only blind the eyes of those who are ignorant of the Scriptures and of the power of God. Ridicule and sneers are a low kind of argument against those who stand on the platform of God’s Word. Misstatements of your making, cunning hearsays go as far as they possibly can to destroy confidence in those who believe, for strong arguments answer in some minds; but in the minds of reasonable, God-fearing, honest inquirers after truth, deep-thinking and reasoning men who want their faith founded upon the Bible and the Bible alone, such reasoning and arguments will appear as they really are—weakness itself, a subterfuge to conceal their weakness. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 7

I am not in the slightest degree surprised or disappointed, for this man, professing to be sanctified to God, has been doing the very work a large number of this class claiming sanctification are doing—warring against God’s law. But it has not affected my work itself at all. While he may deceive the minds of those who do not know him and his course, and who have no knowledge of me or my work, he cannot hinder the message God has given me from being spoken when and where God may choose. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 8

I cast no slur upon genuine sanctification, but as Christ has given us the responsibility, in a degree, of distinguishing the true sanctification from the false, saying, “By their fruits ye shall know them” [Matthew 7:20], we will not be unjust in calling your attention to the fruits borne. Although I may be followed from place to place by this man with his malicious falsehoods, his malice, I shall do my part of the work as God opens the way. If he turns away the people by his deceptions and falsehoods and perverting of the Scriptures, that is not my sin. Every day the record is passing up to heaven of the bold, blasphemous words this man has presumed to utter against the law of God, the foundation of His government in all heaven and earth. Every utterance is registered in the books of heaven, and the result of these words he will meet again just as surely as the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees will meet all the words uttered against Jesus Christ. They will look upon Him whom they have pierced. He died to save sinners and yet at the same time preserve the honor and majesty of the law of Jehovah. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 9

The very men who took secret counsel against Christ did not know that they had a witness in their assemblies, the same unerring witness that was present at Belshazzar’s feast and registered with unerring accuracy the blasphemous words uttered and the profaning of the holy vessels. That bloodless hand was revealed to the king, tracing characters over against the walls of his palace. He who reads the very intents and purposes of the heart was present in the judgment hall, making the records which the very men would meet—records of the words and acts in the judgment hall and that cry that awful cry, “Crucify Him, crucify Him! His blood be on us, and on our children” [Luke 23:21; Matthew 27:25] reached unto heaven and stands on record, that men may see to what lengths religious prejudice, envy, and malice will lead humanity. It shows what enmity and hatred can develop in minds who have turned from the light. That scene at the trial and crucifixion of Christ shows the power of deception upon the human mind, and to what great lengths this deception will lead men to go. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 10

Men who have been deceived to take their position on the wrong side—Satan’s side—have no respect for God’s holy law. We cannot wonder that they have no respect for any man or woman, however conscientiously they may be working to save souls, if they differ with them. In the Jewish age, Jesus was crucified between two thieves; and the law of God, in the testimony of the disobedient, has likewise been nailed to the cross in the Christian age. As those who crucified my Lord will wail because of Him when they shall behold in His glory Him whom they have pierced, they will surely have for their companions all those who have crucified that law that Christ came to magnify and make honorable. If these men who are now making void the law of God could view their work as it will appear when the judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened and every man shall be judged according to the things written in the books, as their works have been, then would a terror seize these professedly wise and holy men. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 11

I am not allowed to be silent in regard to truth. I must stand in defense of God’s holy law. I have been sneered at because my work is of the character it is. I cannot prevent this sneer, but I can declare and will declare what the Lord has been pleased to show me. Men who hold error for truth, who proclaim that God’s law is done away, will please a certain class. The one who has idols and worships them will be highly pleased to have his conscience eased by the thought that no such commandment has any claims upon him. The Bible shows the validity of the law of God. Those who make and worship graven images will be pleased to learn from the lips of men who claim to be ministers of righteousness that the law which forbids image worship is no longer in force. The profane man who has blasphemed the holy name of God will be relieved to learn that there is no law forbidding him to do this wicked work. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 12

The fourth commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 13

Those who do not want to lift the cross and obey God’s holy Sabbath according to the commandment will be greatly relieved to have the whole law swept out of existence, and the Sabbath in particular; for keeping God’s specified day makes it inconvenient if they are engaged in business. Frequently there is loss in bringing one’s business into such a shape that he will not violate the Sabbath; and to have his conscience lightened by ministers, assuring him that God’s law is abolished, makes it convenient for him in every way. This is a doctrine that is pleasant to receive. There is no cross in it, no self-denial, no self-sacrifice. A man may work all days of the week if he pleases, and give no day to the service of God or to devotion. The human heart not subject to the law of God looks upon this as an admirable arrangement. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 14

The fifth commandment reads: “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12. Children have had this ofttimes repeated to them when they were headstrong, disobedient, unthankful, disrespectful, selfish; but what a relief it is to be told by one who claims to be sanctified, a teacher of Bible truth, that they need not keep the commandment any longer; for if they do keep it, it is an evidence that they have fallen from grace. This commandment is gone by the board with the other nine commandments. Now children are no longer under the law, but under grace. What freedom they feel, to know that this commandment will no longer be a yoke of bondage, binding them to rules in regard to the fulfilment of their duty towards their parents and that they may steal their property and leave them in need. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 15

The sixth commandment reads, “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13. What a weight is lifted from the conscience of the murderer, that this commandment is to no longer be a restriction to him! He has long wished that no such commandment had been given, and now a teacher of Bible doctrine, who claims he has not committed a sin for years, has brought him his portion of meat in due season, for he has told him the law was abolished; now he can breathe more freely even if he has stained his hands in his neighbor’s blood. It is not so dreadful a matter to kill when he knows there is no command forbidding murder. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 16

The seventh commandment reads, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14. The vile man, who would steal his neighbor’s wife, who has not the restraining influence upon his licentious passions, is much relieved when men who say they are holy ministers, who have been preaching for years, tell him this law has been abolished. That is such an agreeable doctrine to his carnal, polluted soul. He hails it with great joy and is happy. All the compunctions of conscience are gone; for when there is no law there is no transgression, and he pursues his course of uncleanness, although he may claim to be a minister of the gospel. He is “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 4. These deny the Lord Jesus in life and in character. They are servants of sin while claiming to be teaching the Bible to the people. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 17

Jude mentions this class and presents before us that even “the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 6, 7. Who will desire to rank in that company? 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 18

The eighth commandment reads, “Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15. The thief has felt restricted by this commandment. It was a yoke of bondage to him. He wanted to appropriate his neighbor’s goods, and being bound about with the fetters of the eighth commandment was very grievous to him. But he has had a pleasant repast, meat in due season. The ministers, who understand the matter better than he does, tell him there is no commandment to this effect—it has not been binding for more than eighteen hundred years—so that all his scruples were unnecessary. He could now be free to steal without that hated eighth commandment condemning his course. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 19

The ninth commandment reads, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Exodus 20:16. This commandment is exceedingly offensive to the man who has educated and trained himself in this kind of work. He loves it, and it has become a part of his nature to seek spot and stain in his neighbor. He has become an expert in misrepresentations, in falsifying. He has learned his trade. He is an expert in this business, and when hearsay brings to his ears a bit of scandal it is as a sweet morsel. He will use it to hurt and injure his neighbor, and in this work he claims to be doing God service. He may even claim to be sanctified while doing this special work of Satan. Satan was an accuser of the brethren. He accused them before God day and night, and there are those who love this favorite business of their master and will do it zealously for him and exult in their adeptness at the work. Master and servant will unite, and the reward they will receive is in accordance with their deeds. Root and branch bear the same kind of fruit, and it is very convenient that the ninth commandment is no more in force, for it would hem him about with its restrictions. Now he can falsify and misrepresent and make good appear evil and evil good, and without fear of condemnation. How convenient to make a raid against the commandments of God, saint and sinners working in the same line! 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 20

The tenth commandment reads, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:17. How inconvenient is such a principle! This commandment is a wonderful restriction of liberty. It is a terrible yoke of bondage, and the dishonest man, the covetous man could not follow out his inclination with any peace while this law was standing against him. It is such a relief to be free from this condemnation and rejoice in the liberty of the gospel, that men cannot be so terribly fettered. And now that the ministers declare this commandment null and void, they feel so great freedom in the gospel. All they have to do is to believe, believe! The keeping of the commandments is altogether unnecessary, and if they keep them they are under a yoke of bondage—they have fallen from grace. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 21

What a blessed freedom to the sinner this no-law system is! Its benefits cannot be really estimated by those who keep God’s commandments. They are yoked up under restrictions. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 22

Can we wonder that under the ministry of those who make void the law of God and trample it under their feet the world is corrupted, that religion is defiled, that sin runs riot? Can we not see that where there is no law there is no sin, for sin is the transgression of the law? First (John 3:4) gives the only definition in the Bible of sin—“Sin is the transgression of the law.” 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 23

Jude writes to his brethren to be consistent in the profession of their faith. “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” [Jude 1-3.] 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 24

Jesus says, “I have kept My Father’s commandments.” [John 15:10.] Then what should we do but keep the commandments of God. Jesus did not break one of the ten commandments. He taught all who came unto Him their duty in this respect. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 25

“And, behold, one came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And He said unto him, Why callest Thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto Him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” Jesus now points to the plague spot of his heart, showing him he had not kept the commandments as he thought he had done. “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:16-22. 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 26

We can here see clearly that Christ was referring to the moral law. “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” [Verse 17.] But Elder Grant answers the questioner in altogether a different manner. He would say, “If you would enter into life, believe, believe. If you keep the law you are in bondage and have fallen from grace. The law is not binding on men. It is a yoke of bondage.” 4LtMs, Ms 23, 1885, par. 27