Slavery—Will It Be Revived?

The Armadale Council Meeting

Here are some of the pertinent facts regarding the background of this statement. SWR 4.1

Those who were present at the November 20 Armadale interview were members of the Australasian Union Conference Committee, and some others. Elder White, the Union president, served as chairman. At the interview, certain letters from America were read, addressed to him and to Elder Colcord. The letters asked questions regarding the imprisonment of Seventh-day Adventists for the breaking of Sunday laws and requested counsel as to the position they should take. Further, what should be taught to the newly converted colored people on this matter, and how should Seventh-day Adventists generally relate themselves to the various situations that were developing? SWR 4.2

As Ellen White commented on this, she said: SWR 4.3

“Of some of these things I could speak, because at sundry times and in divers places many things have been presented to me.... As my brethren read the selections from letters, I knew what to say to them for this matter has been presented to me again and again.... I have not felt at liberty to write out the matter until now.”—E. G. White Letter 73, 1895.

The light that had been given to Ellen White well in advance, but which she did not feel free to disclose, she now spoke of as the situations were placed before her. It was in this setting that she first spoke of the revival of slavery in the South. A letter from W. C. White to A. O. Tait on November 22, 1895 gives a little glimpse of Ellen White’s sense of the delicateness of the situation and the caution which must be exercised. Remember that it was from Elder Tait, an officer of our International Religious Liberty Association, that the questions had come. From the W. C. White letter, we quote: SWR 4.4

“At the first meeting of our Union Conference, Eld. Colcord presented an interesting report of the workings of our religious liberty department, and at its close he presented numerous questions for the Conference to consider. These were referred to the Executive Committee, and so day before yesterday I called a meeting at which Brethren Daniells, Prescott, Rousseau, Smith, Israel, Colcord, and Dr. (M. G.) Kellogg, and mother, Sr. Burnham, myself and Bro. Caldwell were present. I read the letters which you enclosed to me, and Eld. Colcord read extracts from your letters to him. Then the principles were briefly discussed, but as our brethren seemed most desirous of hearing from mother, she occupied most of the time.

“As you are well aware mother seldom answers such questions directly; but she endeavors to lay down principles and bring forward facts which have been presented to her that will aid us in giving intelligent study to the subject, and in arriving to a correct conclusion.

“Mother told us in this meeting, as she has at other times, lately, that we were all in great danger of bringing on a crisis prematurely and in our efforts to do what seems to us to be logical, and consistent and according to principle, we often overlook the broader principles and the fact that Christ came into the world to save sinners. He came into the world to bring men to the truth. He came into the world not to condemn them, but his desire was that they should receive life, and he worked very cautiously to avoid arousing prejudices that would prevent them from living the truth.

“Christ has committed to us the work of carrying forward the work which he began, and it must be our constant study so to live and so to labor that the truth shall reach the hearts of the people and win them to obedience.

“And in this matter of bringing on the crisis prematurely we are cutting short the work of the third angel’s message. She pointed out some special dangers that will be experienced in certain localities. She pointed out at considerable length the inconsistency of our dealing with this question of religious liberty in a criticising and combative spirit. She pointed out the fact that our free criticism and denunciation of the acts and laws of the governments, and of the acts and ruling of the judges and of persons in authority accomplished little good in convincing of minds regarding the truth and their duty, and that it will recoil upon us in a prejudice that will prevent many from receiving the truth....

“As regards the work among the colored people, mother said that it had been lately opened to her mind that great caution would be required in our work in the South, because if the laborers in the South shall instruct the colored people that it is their duty to defy Sunday laws, their lack of discretion in carrying out this advice, and the prejudice of the people against them, will result in a state of things that will cost many lives; not only will the colored people themselves be destroyed by secret combinations, but those who have labored among them will be put out of the way, and thus the work which the Lord would have done for this people will be greatly hindered.

“While this instruction and advice was being given by mother, my mind was carried back to what she has told us many times in the past regarding the danger and evils of our making resolutions, laying down laws for our people that they may act logically and in unison. Mother spoke of the importance of leaving many questions to individual decision according to circumstances and the movings of the Spirit of God.

“After reading the above you will not care much for my personal opinion. I think I will send you with this a copy of the questions presented by Eld. Colcord. I tried at the close of our meeting, to bring these forward for specific discussion, but the brethren would not discuss them, saying that the principles had been covered in mother’s remarks.”—W. C. White Letter Book #8, 1895.